By Nathan Siliwimba, LearnServe Zambia
Have you ever thought that life was going great, but in reality, it wasn’t? Have you ever felt there’s more to life than what you’re currently experiencing? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself lately. The more I answer these questions, the more new ones arise. One of the main questions that never seems to get answered is, “Where do I belong?”
As a third culture kid, I’ve struggled to fit in with the masses and find out where I truly belong. Third culture kids or third culture individuals are people who were raised in a culture other than their parents’ or the culture of their country of nationality and also lived in a different environment during a significant part of their developmental years. Both my parents are Zambian, but I was born in South Africa, making me South African by birth and Zambian by descent. Being born and raised in South Africa for 14 years exposed me to a different culture than that of my parents. Moving to Zambia four years ago opened up my root culture even more. My parents taught me Zambian culture in South Africa, but that made me different from everyone else. When I came to Zambia, it was the same situation. Technically, I’m too Zambian to be South African and too South African to be Zambian. This is where the question, “Where do I belong?” comes into play.
During this short trip, some of my most important questions were answered, especially when we went to Livingstone. Even though it was an eight-hour ride, I was looking forward to it. I learned a thing or two about different cultures from the US LearnServe students. I learned a bit about India, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and most of all, the United States. Not only that, but I also learned a lot about Zambian culture that I didn’t know. The most impactful moment during the trip was when we went to see Victoria Falls, which was my first time. That morning, Chris asked us our intentions for the day. My intention was to have fun, take pictures, enjoy every single moment, and seize the day. We first went down to the boiling pot, which was 600+ steps down.
As we were down there, some people were taking pictures, but I couldn’t. I just wanted to enjoy the moment, for I felt at peace as I watched the flow. They say watching the flow of water has a healing effect, and I think it’s true. At that moment, all I could think of was nothing, which was something, but also nothing. All I could do was savor that moment, for it wasn’t going to last. I wanted to feel that way more, and I didn’t want it to end. After the boiling pot, we went to see the falls themselves, and I was completely awestruck. I thought to myself, “This is one of the seven wonders of the world. I wonder what the other six hold in store for me.” At that point, I decided I wanted to travel the world and see all the seven wonders of the world, plus more that the world has in store.
The next day, after we saw some animals at Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, we made our way back to Lusaka. Sadly, that meant we, as the Zambian LearnServe students, had to get ready for the departure of our US family. We were all saddened and not looking forward to the end, but as Latrina likes to say, “It is not the end; there is still more to be done,” which is so true. When I remembered those words, along with some wise words from Chris himself (shout-out to Chris and Latrina for always being there for us), I was more than ready to watch the US family leave for now because, not long from now, I would be seeing them again. As I travel the world, I will always have a family in the US. This trip changed a lot in me; it unlocked a new desire, a new character in me—the traveler. This brings me back to the question, “Where do I belong?” My culture is a fusion of two, but I want it to be more—a hint of each and every culture I can find, a multicultural blend. So where do I belong? Everywhere and nowhere. I will be a world culture kid. So let me ask you this: What is your life’s desire?
