A story of a college girl studying abroad part 1.
By Dani Brown
When I thought about my first time in Africa, I always pictured an immediate sense of belonging and excitement coursing through my body. All I have learned since my 6th grade African American history class would finally become a lived experience and reality. This is what I have studied for years now. I became an Africana studies major in college to learn about where I came from…. Right? I have been searching for this lost part of myself for a while now and didn’t even realize that a part of me felt lost until recently. It was not that easy equating my desire to learn African history with “sheer curiosity.” it can only be described as a longing to finally figure out how and why things were the way they were. And skipping long parts of my narrative, for the time being, led me to my mini term abroad in Senegal. I'M GOING TO WEST AFRICA! Simply telling people I was going to Africa was fun; before I knew if I could financially go, I was proud to proclaim my acceptance of the trip.
In my family, I am the generational ‘curse breaker,’ doing things two or three generations before me could never have imagined experiencing. So, being able to go to Africa, an entirely different continent, the place that birthed the beautiful melanated skin that made up my family, was top-tier bragging rights for sure. Just thinking of everything I would do and see would keep me awake at night, scrolling through my TikTok feed to find things to do when I got here. I wanted to learn about the culture and social life and immerse myself in a completely different environment than the one I comfortably live in daily. I had heard stories from professors alike that this trip to Africa would improve my life and cause me to feel an awakening to a new way of life. For a 20-year-old, that sounds pretty intense, but I was amped for it nonetheless.
I became anxious about what to expect as I finalized travel plans and got the thousand required immunizations (it was 2). What if I couldn’t take the heat? Would the food be to my liking? Could I accidentally offend the religious practices here, as Senegal is a 90+% Muslim country; these thoughts raced through my mind constantly as the departure date approached. The one thing I was not nervous about was finally having my dream of ‘homecoming’ come true. I knew I had been searching for this moment since I read the book's first chapter, “Copper Sun” by Sharon M. Draper. I read in the tiny closet called a Gary Comer Charter School classroom. Or when I wrote my first piece of spoken word poetry about African riches, which was seldom taught in classrooms during my sophomore year at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep. Even the first presentation I did in the Introduction to Africana Studies course I took my first-year winter term in front of the seven other students who were taking the class but only for the credit fulfillment and not the pure desire to gather as much knowledge and answers I could accumulate into my brain about the history of my people.
This trip would be the final answer, the key to understanding why I felt the way I did for the past 9 years, why I gave so much thought and dedication to something that could not be described as simply a subject for one to study. It was real life, day-to-day activities, social and cultural pride, and heritage that evolved and progressed for centuries. Come along with me as I experience real life, not textbooks and films, and dive into my first trip to West Africa.
When I first imagined visiting Africa, I envisioned an immediate sense of belonging, a rush of excitement, and the fulfillment of a lifelong pursuit. Everything I had learned since my 6th grade African American history class would finally become a lived experience. My years of study—leading me to become an Africana Studies major—were about connecting to my roots and discovering the history that shaped me. But I hadn’t realized until recently that there was a part of me I had been searching for, a part that felt lost. This wasn’t just curiosity about African history but a deep longing to understand the hows and whys of my heritage.
This quest led me to a mini-term abroad in Senegal. I’m going to West Africa! Just saying that filled me with pride, even before I knew if I could afford it. In my family, I am the ‘curse-breaker’ with the opportunities previous generations could only dream of. Going to Africa, the birthplace of the beautiful melanated skin that defines my lineage, felt like the ultimate accomplishment—a dream realized.
I eagerly imagined the sights and sounds I would encounter, scrolling through TikTok videos late at night for tips and inspiration. I wanted to immerse myself in the culture, step outside my comfortable daily life, and experience a new environment. Professors had told me this trip would be life-changing, an awakening to a different way of life. For a 20-year-old, that sounded intense—but I was all in.
As departure day neared and I prepared with vaccines and travel logistics, anxiety crept in. What if I couldn’t handle the heat? Would I like the food? Given Senegal's 90+ % Muslim population, would I accidentally offend the local religious practices? These questions lingered, but one thing I never doubted was that this journey would fulfill my dream of ‘homecoming.’
I had been preparing for this moment since reading Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper in a cramped classroom at Gary Comer Charter School, since writing my first piece of spoken word poetry on African riches in high school at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, since presenting in my freshman Africana Studies course at college. Each step along the way had built up to this.
This trip wasn’t just an academic pursuit; it was the key to understanding why I had dedicated so much of my life to learning about my people. It was about more than textbooks and films—about real life, culture, heritage, and pride that had evolved for centuries. Join me as I embark on my first trip to West Africa, where the real story begins.
Meet Dani Brown -
Dani was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and now resides in Dolton, IL, on the city’s outskirts. She is a junior at Union College in Schenectady, New York, pursuing a B.A. in Economics and Africana Studies to examine the social disparities of the African diaspora. For extracurriculars, Dani is the co-president of the Black Student Union on her campus and assisted in chartering the first NAACP collegiate chapter at her school to advocate for climate equity and bring awareness to the disparities specific communities disproportionately face. She is looking towards a career in civil rights law, where she hopes to advocate for fair, equitable access to housing in the US while simultaneously targeting policies that aim to spread anti-homeless infrastructure.
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