1998 Embassy Bombings--Ten Years Later

“Are you watching the news over there?” my mother asked, clearly concerned.

I was at a phone stand in a Malawian village, paying twenty dollars for a three-minute call to the States.

“They are bombing all over the place, and they are targeting Americans.”

“I know, Mom. As soon as I heard, I stopped wearing my USA sweatshirt.”

It was my first trip to Africa in 1998. I was on an overland safari from Johannesburg to Nairobi, and during the five weeks that I was on the continent, bombings occurred in three of the cities I visited—the embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and Planet Hollywood in Cape Town.

Although I was spending the majority of my time visiting game parks and camping in rural areas, I was hearing snippets of the news in coffee shops and Internet cafes.

My mother wanted me home, but despite her concerns and my own, Africa had taken its hold on me. The truth was that I was having the time of my life.

I wasn’t naïve. I knew the reality—the poverty, the disease, the corruption, and the political upheaval. But I saw another side of Africa during those six weeks--animals running wild in their natural habitat, modern cities, pulsating with a myriad of rhythms, and beautiful, welcoming people, proud of their heritage. Because I wanted to experience both the exhilaration of its endless landscapes and the grit of daily life, I made another six trips in the next ten years.

When I returned home, I began sharing the insight I gained with my high school students. I wanted them to realize that there was another side of Africa than the one the media provided. I shared some of my most memorable experiences—riding a hot air balloon over the Serengeti, snorkeling off the coast of Zanzibar, watching lion cubs frolic in the Ngorogoro Crater, whitewater rafting on the Zambezi, and taking a micro light flight over Victoria Falls.

“Yes,” they said when I asked them. They would also go to Africa if given the opportunity.

Years later when I wanted to visit the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, I had to cancel the trip twice because of guerilla activity that resulted in tourists being hacked to death with machetes. When things quieted down, I found a company that was resuming tours. With much trepidation, I climbed the Virunga Mountains, flanked with soldiers brandishing machine guns. I was afraid, but the hour I spent with those gentle creatures was one of the most poignant moments of my life.

Terrorism is real, but it can’t keep us from visiting all the extraordinary places the world has to offer. Several days ago, I returned from a cruise to Turkey. Istanbul was bombed four days before we arrived. The news was startling. I was sad, and I was angry, but I disembarked. I visited the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and the Spice Market. I loved the view of the city as we cruised on the Bosphorus River. I can’t wait to tell my students about it in September.

Published in Gloucester County Times Aug. 17, 2008