  A wonderful time at my aunt Charlottes house tonight. Im glad I went, taking Advil and Tylenol to help facilitate comfort with an angry back, a swollen ankle, and a hurt throat from the ash intake up in Julian. Most notably, I spoke with Pete, my supercool uncle, about following him and Paula to Africa this coming summer. Im so incredibly intrigued by the idea of going with them. As a graduation present, my dad has offered to give me his frequent flier miles on American. Which would easily afford me passage.
And for the rest of the expense? Id ask for help for Christmas gifts. And hope I end up working by March (when Im allowed to be employed after my voc rehab) which would give me cash to save. As it stands, I make nearly nothing. I owe Chris 100/month for four months. But thats only 15% of my income.
Africa. Zimbabwe first caught me when I read _Nervous Conditions_ by Tsitsi Dangarembga. A tale of postcolonial ambiguity and the fate of women in Rhodesia. A book I loved. An author I will certainly read up on more before the trip. A summary of the novel: Tambu, an adolescent living in colonial Rhodesia of the '60s, seizes the opportunity to leave her rural community to study at the missionary school run by her wealthy, British-educated uncle.
With an uncanny and often critical self-awareness, Tambu narrates this skillful first novel by a Zimbabwe native. Like many heroes of the bildungsroman, Tambu, in addition to excelling at her curriculum, slowly reaches some painful conclusions--about her family, her proscribed role as a woman, and the inherent evils of colonization. Tambu often thinks of her mother, "who suffered from being female and poor and uneducated and black so stoically. " Yet, she and her cousin, Nyasha, move increasingly farther away from their cultural heritage. At a funeral in her native village, Tambu admires the mourning of the women, "shrill, sharp, shiny, needles of sound piercing cleanly and deeply to let the anguish in, not out. " In many ways, this novel becomes Tambu's keening--a resonant, eloquent tribute to the women in her life, and to their losses.
Learning to dance the local jig. The Shona language, the mbira, the people interest me... what a trip. And thoughts of traveling to more places than one country. South Africa is so close. Jennifers sister lives there, I know. She seems to love it (and what neat kids she has!).
but then theres Ghana in the west. And Botswana as a safety outlet in case the political situation in Zimbabwe gets scary. Talking to Pete. He gets things that my immediate family doesnt understand. Like cutting through the posturing bullshit our culture is predicated on. Why I wish my family would travel so they have a better understanding of the world we live in.
hearing Pete talk about the reverse culture shock he went through when he returned seems to confirm exactly what I think we all sense to varying degrees. Our wealth, our consumerism, our culture is ridiculous. I need to yes, I /need/ to step out of my western-world bubble and get that. I want to understand it. I wont find a shining example of how to live a /queer/ life, but I will find a culture that exists in a more present engagement. I mentioned their plans to travel to Africa to my bestboy, Bryan.
My boy who I went to London with, the boy who snores. Hes beside himself with excitement, hoping he can come too. Now, I wont sleep anywhere near him with his loud restive state, but I would enjoy his partnership. Most people I know Id never travel in such severe circumstances with. Pete and Paula seem the most desirable people for such a thing the way they accept the world as it is and go with the flow. Kerri -?
Dont know how shed handle herself. Cant even begin to guess. Luis? Would get himself in trouble with the natives being a ladies man. Amy could do it, but shes too busy with work in Barbados. I really want to do this thing.
I cant imagine my life ending before Ive experienced this continent. And what better circumstances than with my favourite family? 
