10 YEARS AGO, I WENT HOME. (2)

I was in awe during my entire trip in South Africa. This trip was full of “firsts” for me. It was my first passport stamp, first flight, and another first, one that I didn’t expect nor will I forget.
Let’s fast forward to a few days into the trip. On this specific day, we spent the day at a “community center”.  During  a discussion, we, the guests introduced ourselves. There were about 15 of us, 13 students and two chaperones. Our discussion led to a Q & A. We were the guests, and our great hosts were so eager to learn more about us. Everything was going so well. Everyone noticed that I stood out to them the most. To be straightforward, they were amazed that they were face-to-face with a “Black African-American”. In total, there were four of us (that were black), but they were more fascinated by me (I don’t know why). We had a pretty lengthy Q&A, then out of nowhere, our hosts began to speak amongst each other in Zulu. It seemed that everyone knew what was happening, except me.
I was curious to find out what was going on right before me. Then, one of my chaperones told me that they were discussing marriage. Out of nowhere, they were arranging a marriage…..FOR ME! I was shocked and scared at the same time. I was a timid extrovert, who was always shaken up during uncomfortable times. I was also still a teenager, but that’s the perfect time to get married when in rural South Africa. This was definitely a first me. I wouldn’t even call this a marriage proposal, it was a straight up traditional arranged marriage. I was super confused, still trying to process what was going on. The news reached home really quick thanks to the blog we created (Facebook still wasn’t a thing at this time). It was hilarious to everyone, including my own family. This is still a hot topic, ten years later.
As crazy as this sounds, this “arranged marriage” made my incredible first trip to the motherland even more raw and incredible. This proposal was what I expected, I felt at home, and was treated as a local, and that’s what I love and desire when traveling. Ever since then, I always felt that my Ancestors specifically handpicked me to be the next extraordinary woman to “make my mark on this world” (the motto of my Alma Mater, Delaware State University) just as those before me did. Since then, I traveled back to South Africa, as well as Nigeria, I’m not done with the continent of Africa, and I never will be because it’s home.