My Journey from Africa by Louis

I was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My parents were born and lived in Rwanda, but had to leave because of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. They fled to Congo, where my older sister, Lillian, and I were born. After staying a year or so in Congo, we moved to Lusaka in Zambia. I grew up in Lusaka and it is where I spent most of my childhood. Along with the rest of my siblings and friends, I attended a school right near my house. Three of  my siblings, Jose, Sandrina and Samson, were born in Lusaka. We threw a huge party to celebrate Sandra and Samson’s first outing, at which I unsuccessfully tried to guess their names before they were announced.

I remember my family moving to a village outside of Lusaka when I was about 8 years old. Life there was tough and very different from the life I was used to in the city. For example, my father owned  several farms and some domestic animals like pigs, goats, cows, etc. I once went on a visit to one of our rice farms. I was so scared I might get bit by a snake if I stepped in the water that I stayed firmly on the stone path. My dad kept telling me it was safe, but I stayed on the path until we had left the rice field and I had to help harvest some potatoes on, luckily on much safer soil. Another aspect of life in the village was my chores. For instance, one of my chores was collecting water. I woke up early each morning and walked about 10 miles back and forth to the well. I usually went with Lillian and several other people. The trek was long and sweltering and I usually went bare-footed. I could not carry the bucket of water on my shoulder all the way home, so I eventually learned to balance it on my head. However, the trip was not all work and no play, we had a little fun along the way. We sometimes ran into mango trees full of the ripe, sweet fruit. I would climb the tree, bring several mangos down, wash them in the water, and then feast with the others.

My family came here via the RefugeeOne program. Along with several others, our family was selected to come to America. Each family went to a different state. For example, last summer, I visited one such family that was very close to us in Iowa. The night we arrived in Chicago was the first time I ever got to see snow. It was a very exciting moment. I had seen snow before in the movies, but it was much more mesmerizing when I experienced it for myself. The snow was like a white dust blanketing the earth.

Even though life here might be nice, I sometimes lament the family I left behind. I have made lots of new  friends, but they cannot completely fill the void that leaving Africa left behind. For now, I try to stay in touch with the family, friends and culture I left, but I someday would like to go back and visit.