Some of what I've learned about Africa

My "thank heavens for little girl" friend has suggested that I use this blog as a way of sharing some of what I've learned since 1996 as it relates to Africa.  As I  recently wrote in Facebook, before 1996 I wasn't sure Malawi wasn't Mau in Hawaii.  I couldn't have found it on a map.  Before living there for 15 months, people asked me if I didn't want to visit it first to see if I WANTED to live there.  My thoughts then haven't changed much on that subject.  What can you see in a 2 week visit that will convince you this is good or bad?  Two weeks don't usually stretch our endurance much.  For adventuresome people like me who find excitement in discovering something new we can sometimes leap out where angels fear to go.   In a two week trip to Africa, you expect a few inconveniences from everyday life. You expect to be challenged, and you look forward to going back home to share with others what you've learned.  You are often even "tempted" to think of yourself as somewhat of an "expert" since  to you it's clear that you know more about your new discoveries than they do  Of course, that's pure lunacy, but then I'm just now beginning to learn how much that kind of thinking  has too often been a part of my life.

That's what this blog is going to be about, sharing past impressions, things I'm now observing, and beginning to understand.  Hopefully,  this will be challenging  to you who read it and comment too. Wouldn't it be fun to have friends from all over the world join in our adventure of learning, growing and being changed by the process?  Will you be one of my blog friends?

Yes, it probably takes as much money to fly from Nairobi, Kenya in EAST AFRICA to Monrovia, Liberia in WEST AFRICA, as it does to fly from Jackson, MS to London, England!  It will take as long too! But then I've never been on THIS particular trip before.  I've lived in Malawi and have visited South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.  I've even put my feet within the borders of Mozambique and touched down in Senegal. Africa is 6 times the size of the U.S.  Now, that's BIG!  There's a lot of learning out there for all us, isn't there?

I have until February 19, 2011 to prepare for the two classes I will be teaching at ABC University in Liberia.  As I begin learning, I'd love to hear from you who plan to share in this adventure.