Mambo warafiki na familia! What an amazing three months I have spent here in Mama Africa. I have had both an intense and a beautiful internal and external journey. While I have not yet been able to fully process and reflect on the lessons I have learned here, I can say that there have been immeasurable changes, both tangible and nontangible, that I have experienced in myself. I truly would not have the courage to do this without my kooky, nurturing, wonderful parents: Heba and Norman. Thanks for the A+ parenting job, folks. I could not have continued without the support of my other family members all over the states: Danny, David, Ayah, Sino, Leo, Kate and Ash, George and Lola, and many more. I also want to love up my great friends who are killing it right now with all of their college endeavors, specifically: Suz, Holland, Afton, Charlie, Annie, and Jacob Hicks! Thank you for the love you’ve sent me from thousands of miles away; I am so lucky to have you all in my life!
I also want to thank Brooke and Jonno for keeping things freshie, and for pushing me to reach my full potential. Thank you to Avy for working tirelessly to ensure that I found an FVP that I am extremely excited about, and one that ticks all of the boxes. Thank you to each amazing person we encountered on this journey, whether it was in our projects (Hope, Victor, Prince, Angie), cultural experiences (Bright Owen, Athaway), or our homestays (Beatrice, Placeta, Mama!). Our experiences would not have been the same without you all. And finally, thanks to Nkula Fall 2015 for the lessons I have learned from y’all and for the memz.
Bwebale cosima, murakoze chani, asante sana, thank you very much!
Much love,
Hadkins
