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Thursday 6 August 2015

My American Adventure: Visiting Texas Pt 1




I woke up at 6 o clock this morning. Very early considering that I didn't go to sleep until nearly 1am. When I sleep somewhere new, I always wake up early.
I had a nice breakfast, cheese omelette filled with meat (sausage and bacon) and mushrooms. I also had fruit salad, bread and tea! I spoke a lot with my aunt and uncle as this was this first time that I had been with them for a long time.
It was nice catching up with them. We Skyped some of my cousins and my other aunt and uncle who live in South Africa. 

I learned how my aunt and uncle as well as my dad, left Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe) and how they came to live in the US and UK. They were very young (in their late teens) and during that time was apartheid. It was very difficult for young black people to get into university so the only way was to leave the country and seek higher education opportunities abroad.

They had to smuggle out of Rhodesia and escape to Botswana. My dad was actually taken to join the guerilla war by the whites who were fighting against the blacks. Before he actually joined them he managed to run away. My grandfather who worked on the trains, managed to get my dad to Botswana. He worked for a while and came across an organization that was sponsoring young people from Rhodesia to study in the UK. He was accepted on the program and travelled to the UK and did a one year diploma course. While he was there, my aunt helped him apply for  university in the States because she had managed get on to a program there, along with my uncle. He studied and worked in the US for about 6 years before going back to the UK to settle.

My aunt and uncle remained in Texas and in total, have lived here for 30 years .
It was really interesting to hear them share their stories. I learned a lot, especially about perseverance and not being afraid to take risks in order to succeed.
They took me to places where they used to hang out with my dad when they were students and showed me around downtown Fortworth.

Before I left the house I decided I wasn't going to check my messages, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp or email address during the day. I took advantage of this to be focused on my family and what was going on around me. I went the whole day, from 9am until 10pm, without using the internet on my phone. They are moments when we have to take time out from social media and interactive more with people around you.

To be continued.....


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