I
just finished my last day at work and it was time to say goodbye to
my colleagues. It was late July, and the sun was up in the sky. They
were sad or maybe pretended to be, but at this point, I did not care.
It was a good time and I learned a lot in that company but it was
time to move on and the next step was about to be exciting. I worked
as a commercial assistant in a company called "Air Liquide
Welding" who was selling industrial supplies. I was fired
because the activity was low but actually it was perfect for me
because it was my plan to quit because I had others plans for my
bright future. My parents were sad that I was fired because they were
worried about my future and were scared for me. Nowadays, the work
market is quite difficult, and it is hard to find a job because of
the crisis. I can understand that they were worried but I was not
because I had this plan in my head that I wanted to go back in school
but in USA, and I was going to do everything possible to do it. The
plan was clear and simple : go back to school in USA. I did not know
yet, but life had a lesson for me.
The
2013 year, I just had one goal : working and save my money to go back
in America to study and play soccer. During this year, I thought
about coming back to the U.S every single day. Every move was in
relation with my future student life in America. My mother was kind
of angry because she did not want me to go far away from her once
again. She likes her babies close to her. I can understand that but I
also needed my space, and life in France was not for me anymore. Too
much negativity for me in this country right now and I did not need
this in my life. I love my country but I felt like I had to leave it
for so many reasons. The reasons were because people always complain
and I felt like I was not moving forward in my life anymore, so I
needed change in my life. Just after leaving my job, I received this
call from the soccer coach of McKendree University, and he wanted me
to come to play for August 2013; the fall season. I cannot explain my
joy. I felt like all my hard work finally paid off. My little brother
was so happy for me. My parents were happy but not that much because
they knew I will have to leave the family house once again. The coach
wanted me to come in August 2013, but I told him it was impossible
due to all the papers I had to send and all my diplomas I had to
translate so I asked him if I could come to the university in January
2014, and he said yes. I was so happy, and I could not wait to start
doing all the papers and begin my workout plan to be fit in order to
be ready for soccer season. All I was thinking about right now was
this future adventure, and I was totally happy about that because I
take soccer and school seriously.
However,
during this summer, my father made an announcement that was going to
change every aspect of this adventure and also my future life. He was
taking us to Angola in Africa to visit my mother's parents. My
brother and I started to laugh because we had heard this a lot and,
we did not believe it anymore. We felt like we were never going to
see our roots and motherland. That was sad, but actually we were used
to it right now. This time my father was being serious and already
had the plane tickets. I was excited because this was my first time
in Africa, and I could not wait to see what Africa had to offer.
Anyway, we were almost ready and booked all the doctors’
appointments before we went. We were not be allowed to go to Africa
if we do not take all the vaccinations before. They are strict about
this. The hardest part of a family trip was to pack. It was pretty
long, and we had to take with us the right clothes. It was easy
because in Angola it is hot, so bring on the shorts and t-shirts.
What we also have to know is that in Africa, we cannot come without
our hands full of presents. Any kind of presents : clothes,
accessories but the most important : medications. They need it, and
they will be happy to have it. The packing was finished, I think we
were ready to go. The worst part about this long trip were all the
connecting flights and the wait.
We
flew from Paris to Brussels and then to Luanda, the capital city of
Angola. One word to describe this priceless moment : WOW! I felt like
a new-born right then. New people, new language (Portuguese), new
smells, it was intense and interesting. The best moment when we
landed there was when my mother saw her sisters. It was an emotional
moment, and I almost cried. They all looked alike, same face, same
laugh, same height. I saw my aunts for the first time of my life. I
cannot understand when they spoke in Portuguese but I understood when
they spoke in Lingala. They were nice and already treated me like I
was their new son. In Angola and in Africa in general, people respect
family. It was the most precious gift they had instead of money or
materials. We were heading to my grandpa's home, the father of my
mother. She had not seen him since 1985. I looked forward to
experiencing. We were in different cars my family and I because we
brought a lot of luggage. So I tried to talk with my cousin with a
mix of French, Portuguese and a lot of English.
We
arrived at my grandpa's house. It was a huge fancy white house the
government gave to him because he used to work for the government
during the war in Angola. Most of African countries had their
independence during the 60s but Angola had it in 1975. So the peace
in the country is new. The first time since 1996, I saw my
grandparents again. They came to see us in 1996 in Paris. It was the
first I met them. My grand-father was an old man. He is also blind,
but he can see through his others senses and he is the wisest man I
have ever known. My grand-mother is like my mother. A small old lady
who talks a lot and likes to take care of people. She also had back
and feet problems; the same problems my mother is starting to have.
We also met a few of my cousins, around forty cousins. We have a huge
family. My mother has nine siblings and my father has twelve siblings
and all his brothers and sisters have children. Anyway, we were tired
from the trip, but they wanted us to eat before bed. There were a lot
of fish and potatoes. We finally went to sleep to be ready to attack
the next day. The second day was nice. All sunny, warm weather and
warm family. We were finally all reunited together for a month of
vacation. My grand-father is blind, but he wrote a book about roots
of Kikongo ( Ancestral Language in Angola ). When I used to talk to
him, I was fascinated by his calm and wise words. My whole vision of
the world changed when we started talking together. He gave advice to
me and my brother. He showed me alternative thinking to have a
different outlook on life. I will never forget these long night
conversations with my "Avo" (Grand-Father in Portuguese).
He wanted us to come back in Angola to help the country. He said
"Africa needs you, you are the tools of our success. The
resources are here and we need your skills to exploit them.” This
quote stayed in my head since then. He was right. We came there to
visit my mom's family, but my father also had a few members of his
family there.
We
went to my uncle’s house. It was a house in a poor neighborhood
with no water and electricity. These conditions were rustic, but we
had to adapt. But I had never seen a happier person than my uncle. He
was so welcoming, always smiling and had this impressive positive
outlook on life even though he was poor. That was another lesson
here. The world was not based on money and materials. We miss a lot
of moments in our lives because we are stuck into "routines"
that make us selfish. Back from my uncle's house, we went back to my
"Avo's" home. After that, we went to the beach; my parents
finally received their official Angolan ID, so that means we can be
Angolan by affiliation. I am happy about that because it will be
easier for me to go back in the future. Life was beautiful. We spent
one month in Angola, moving from house to house, cousin to cousin,
eating different food and sharing. I was not thinking of my trip in
USA anymore. I clearly had the time of my life, and I now had a
different vision of life. My goals were the same, but I embrace them
differently.
This
month gave me now more energy to finish my project to go back to
America. Now it was time to go back to Europe. Everybody came to say
" Au revoir " to us. We cried because my "Avos"
were old, and it was maybe the last time we would see them but it was
a precious time. Now we went back to France, and my motivation to
achieve my goal was renewed. I already knew where I was going, but
now I also knew for whom I was doing it.
By Boris Kiesse-Makangu
Young French/Angolan man trying to reach his dreams. The best way to enjoy your life is to live it!
