the battle and understanding's dust settling rains

the Africa misunderstanding blurred
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi

In the entry "first year blues," I made reference to the internal battle that I have been going through during my first year in Togo. I believe it was, and is, a battle between misunderstanding and understanding. Misunderstanding and understanding of myself, of Africans, of Africa, of what I should do here, of what I can do here, of humanity, of life.

I thank God for helping me along in the battle, for giving me the idea to take breakfast with villagers during Ramadan, for putting wise guides around me, for helping me listen to and study my mind and its reactions to life, and for giving me just enough humility to attempt to identify my faults and mistakes and then correct them. I think if God gives me the chance, the battle might just bear some wonderful fruits.

It is interesting how much personal progress came during the Ramadan fast.

The battle between misunderstanding and understanding undoubtedly warped the image of Africa that I have been displaying to you. The battle blurred the courageous, patient, caring, joyful, suffering, successful, dreaming, thwarted, striving Africa that I see here in Togo. And though one can observe some very discouraging things here, it is the adjectives that I have just listed that best describe the Africa I have come to know.