After returning from a extended stay in a foreign country, the last thing a traveler wants to hear is the ignorance that taints the American global view. People often see you as an outlet to ask all– and I do mean all of their questions about your country.

Since returning,  I have received some of the most outlandish questions. The list is as follows: “Did you eat lion meat?” “How were the grocery stores?” “When you left the airplane, did it stink?” “Did they wear clothes?” “Is South Africa on the ivory coast?” “Is that region of Africa dangerous? (South Africa is a country!)”

There are a lot of myths that surround Africa. At first, I was enraged by the questions I had received. Since I had just returned from an amazing experience abroad, I anticipated being asked thought-provoking questions about the African National Congress (ANC), coloured identity, and the reality of being black American in South Africa. Instead, I was asked whether the people wore grass skirts…. It was frustrating to say the least.

With time, I realized that I had to be South Africa to the world. Although I can’t scratch the surface of the history of South Africa, I can share the experiences that I’ve had in the hopes that I can dispel myths that surround the single narrative of the continent of Africa. To allow the incredible lessons that South Africa fade away into the depths of my mind would be an injustice to others. I have to be someone else’s South Africa. You have to be someone else’s ______.