4/17/11

I’m coming to take you home

I remember when I first moved the Michigan. I remember lying down on my cousin’s trampoline with my fingers laced behind my head. I looked at the summer sun hiding behind the tree’s leaves and branches, they wear waving back and forth. The summer breeze was warm and humid. I remember asking my two younger cousins, “You know what the difference is between the sun here and the sun in Africa?” They responded in a confused tone, “no?” I answered, “Nothing.”

Another memory I’ve been thinking about was the first rain I witnessed in Michigan. I was so excited, I was beaming with enthusiasm. I couldn’t wait to smell the rain, to smell the dust thrown into the atmosphere by the drops of rain. I was so disappointed. The aroma never really arrived. It was so faint that the experience was stolen from me. I could never really figure out why the scent never arrived.

Until now

This week has been radiant. The last two weeks were split into two parts. The first was what we call IST (In-Service Training), a one week seminar filled with sometimes useful workshops. The second week was all traveling. I visited the northern part of Cameroon. I was so close to my previous home, closer than I have ever been in the last ten years. I got choked up. It is good to be back at post, this week has been very proactive but reminiscing my travels in the Extreme North region of Cameroon also comforts me.

I saw Nym Trees. I inhaled dry air, really dry, so dry that some of my friends got bloody noses. I took a walk through Maroua. Maroua is the capitol region of the Extreme North. I hate to admit it but Maroua is more beautiful than Niamey. Maroua has Nym trees on every single street, providing shade to every single pedestrian. The motos in Maroua are not very comfortable but their old classic looks complement the city’s character in an eclectic way. I got lost in Maroua, both figuratively and literally. On my walk I stopped to chat with some kids collecting the berries from the Nym trees. I asked them why, they told me it was to make cooking oil. Mangos were ripe in the Extreme North. The skin was green but their fibrous insides were bright orange. They were naturally divinely delicious. I was reminded of Niger. The city of my adolescence, the city where I got to know the sun so well.

In Maroua, I lied down on a hammock type seat and stared at the Nym trees waving at me for hours. A part of me wanted to head to the bus stop and see the rest of the region but the other firmly decided to take in the Nym trees.

The reason you can smell the rain here in Africa better is because there are less paved roads. There is just so much sand and dirt everywhere that when the raindrops hit the ground they throw the wet dust into the air. The aroma comforted me as a child, it meant that the dry season was over and life was coming back. Michigan is filled with grass and paved roads. It is actually difficult sometimes to find dirt patches in Michigan. Here it is not so.

I love the sun here too, but it is no different than Michigan’s sun. I thought the exact same thing when I was on my cousin’s trampoline. I love the sun everywhere. But I also love the clouds. I love it when there are enough clouds that they pour rain and life onto the ground. I absolutely love it when it rains here.


I’m confused. Most days I’m sure this will probably be the last time I live in Africa. I enjoyed Asia so much. I would love to work there some day. Bangladesh lassoed me to that region so much that I’m planning on visiting Pakistan after my service here. However, there are days. There are days like the one during my voyage to the Extreme North where I had a sorcerer tell me how many kids I’m going to have. He added that I’ll be traveling throughout Africa with them some day. This old man spit on a crab, placed it in a pot filled with water, sand and dried up clay. Pulled it out, recited some sort of prayer, spit on it again and told me how many children I will have. To be honest, I like the thought of taking my future family throughout Africa someday. It’s a beautiful contemplation.

I guess I still have time under this galaxy’s sun to figure out just what and where the hell I’m going to be for the rest of my life.

It’s strange, I reminisced a lot of Africa while I lived in Michigan but I don’t reminisce that much of Michigan while I’m here (except for going to the cinema of course). Writing this entry did make me think of two other special things I love about Michigan. The first is definitely the scent of a freshly mowed lawn. The other one was the first time I saw snow. I was sitting in Mr. Savage’s American Government class and I saw the flakes dance their way down to the grass. I remember dropping a few of my own rain drops on my textbook that day; the snow was simply that stunning.

Jesus, now more memories are coming. I better stop before I get even more confused. Like I said, I have the rest of these two years to figure this shit out.

The crab said three by the way.

April 17, 2011
Carlos J. Fernandez-Torres

No comments:

Post a Comment