T.I.A.

This Is Africa (TIA)--a term learned by many from the outrageously terrible South Africa accent of Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Blood Diamond. A mountainous continent filled with constantly rising cities, pushing all the way out to village compounds deep in the bush.

Balcony at the house

Being in Thailand several years ago prepared me for the smells, sights and feelings of a third world country. Houses built from tin roofs and fragile sticks, the streets littered with dirt, garbage and people begging for you to give money or buy fruit. Constant traffic with no regard for the drivers around you and the air thick with fumes. All the while a lavish Sheridan Hotel is built of marble, and towers over the faint city below casting a long, dark shadow.

The difference--Africa is known as my homeland. A small town mutt of a kid with blood flowing from more countries than I even know; but, my smile, my energetic personality and my laid back free spirit comes from this place. Having only been here for hours after an excruciating plane ride, I couldn't be more happy to be here. The days that will follow are unknown to me, but I have an extreme faith and desire to experience Africa the way God has for me. To be filled with tears while I spend the day at an orphanage, filled with joy as I watch the US play Belgium while surrounded by Africans and everything in between. It matters not to me.

With the rainy season closing in, and power and internet being hit or miss, I hope to keep you updated as much as possible. I will not promise anything, but I will say, if you get an email from me saying I'm stranded in Africa and to please wire me money to get free; even though I am here, it probably still isn't true.

Check out a short timeline video from DC to Africa on my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ7x6AShyxw