THE COMPOUND

Today I went to the compound with some of the locals. The compound is a "neighborhood" near where we are staying. We went to the compound to pick up some bread, tomatoes, and candy. We also were able to visit Stella's home on the way there. For members of Sycamore View, that has meaning. I plan on adding pictures of the home later.

Back to the compound. This was my second experience in which I was the only white person around. This experience was different because of the setting. In the compound there are several shops and run down homes. This is the environment you see on movies and the stereotypical thought of Africa. As the locals shopped I waited and drew a crowd. At the football game I only received stares. At the compound I drew followers. Children followed and self proclaimed "drunkards" wanted to talk. I could not understand a few of the guys, but the white man was an attraction with or without conversation. Also, it is worth mentioning that I was asked if I knew J. Lo, P. Diddy, Eminem, and Denzel Washington.

The funny thing is that I was not intimidated. In Memphis if I was surrounded by black men who were drunk I would be much more intimidated. I wonder why that is the case. The only reason I can come up with (other than assuming they don't have guns) is that I feel like I am better than them. I naturally have a confidence that comes with being the only white person. Although I am supposed to relate to minorities being here I feel even more important because they are in awe of a white man's presence. I feel very transparent right now and am trying to sort all of this out. I knew this would be a new experience, the hard part is processing it.