I absolutely love this photo my friend shared on Facebook. Instantly my heart wormed as the memories of Africa flooded my mind. This photo reminded me of the simple life.
Before getting married I spent 6 months in Mozambique, Africa but it only took a few days to become my home. I may not have been born there but no doubt, Africa is in my blood. It's where I belong.
And this photo embodies everything I love about Africa. It speaks of the simple life where getting your photo taken is a rare and monumental moment. This man requested for his photo to be taken by my friend who, I am assuming, was a stranger before this encounter. It's likely he had never had the opportunity to stare into the lens of a camera before this moment and I'm sure he never expected to obtain a copy of it but non the less he desired the experience. Hard to comprehend, living in a world where EVERY exciting moment (and some not so exciting moments) is snap-shot within minutes, uploaded, and shared for ALL our friends and family to see. And it's likely he won't be sharing his latest fashion trend on a blog but he is no doubt content with how he looks and even feels blessed to own such I nice threads.
I miss the long dusty roads that were created for vehicles but revile more footprints than tire tracks. I marvel at how a people who's biggest concern in life is to feed their family so they can live another day, can possess more joy and happiness than the man you see driving a Bentley. I miss how everyone greets each other as they pass one another regardless if they are strangers or friends. I miss the curious stares of one who's never seen a white person, the children wanting to touch your hair and arms, and the endless smiles. Oh the smiles.
But mostly I miss the lack of competition in the poor community. No trying to keep up with the Joneses, or getting noticed for being unique, or having some rare-desired-by-all talent. No scouring Facebook to see who's life is more interesting than yours, or root through the Internet for idea's to make your life more interesting. Just simply being happy with what you have and working hard towards a healthy future.
I miss you Africa.
