Chronicles of African Boy's First Summer Vacation

How do I start this story? Well I will just try depicting it the best I can. I am an African boy who never had the luxury of summer vacations because almost all year round we have the sun and the word vacation was only used by the rich people back in Africa. Little did I know, I would be having my own personal experience of a summer vacation. Replacing the images of the romance movies I watched in Africa. Long story cut short, destiny played a card on me and I found myself on a plane January 9^th 2010 heading for JFK with my green card in my bag, couple of Dollars in my pocket and my dreams on my mind. Even though I was no Eddie Murphy in his hit movie "Coming to America" Boy was I happy, because I have never stepped my little toe outside the little state I was born nor been inside an airplane and here I am heading for the big city in another country. I couldn't call that a vacation because I didn't have no plans coming back home to Africa in the foreseeable future because I have had my fair share of the struggle and hard times in my country. I was met at the airport with the coldest weather I ever seen since I was born, palms freezing and the sweater I wore from Africa didn't even help one bit. Seeing snow for the first time made America look like one big dip freezer to this African boy.

In little time I found a job, no girlfriend, no friends, since everyone minds there business in New York and no plans for any summer. My co-workers never failed to rub it on my face about their planed cruise to the islands and what so ever they planned for the summer. Well I already searched Google and found out that main point for a summer vacation is to spend it with loved ones, friends or woman you love. I had no lover or friends because I could hardly understand the slang and accent of most people I had conversation with neither did they have an idea what I was saying in my thick African accent. So I volunteered for extra hours at work because all my co-workers left for vacation. I was stuck in Brooklyn, preoccupied with work and spent most times on Facebook looking for love on the internet or any event near me I could attend and at least meet people to talk to not just my laptop.

Just like a scene from American love movies where the nerd who spends his time online after work and has no human friends whatsoever in the new country he moved to gets a friend request from Staten Island Girl. Really! Me? I turned around to see if there was another person in the room than me. From hello's to hi to what kind of music do you like to exchanging of numbers, to my first ever date in America with this lovely lady. Don't ask me what I ordered because the whole menu seemed strange for this African boy who has only spent six months in America and all he knows is french fries and bugger. Days turned to weeks and months went by, African boy and Staten Island girl are in love. I fell so hard in love with her, almost a year later I proposed to Staten Island girl on the R train heading to Whitehall Ferry, on one knee, ring in my hand and people in the train with mouths wide open, some clapping, some saying "say yes Girl!". At this point Staten Island Girl is crying and laughing at the same time and shaken up, she managed the say the words "YES I WILL MARRY YOU" Even though I am no prince from Africa, I just found my queen just like Eddie Murphy did in Coming to America. What can I say, African boy has gone from the boy in the little town in African to man in love and about to plan his first vacation with the woman he loves.

It's June 11^th 2011 and I am at JFK ones more but this time not heading to Africa and sure wasn't alone this time. By my side was Staten Island girl, our luggage and destination Bahamas. Did I just say Bahamas? Where only the rich people in my country went to and bragged about it any chance they had. To most of you who travel a lot it might not mean a big deal to you, but to me "African Boy" it meant the world to me. I love the American dream! On board the American Airlines our first Stop was Miami, then the thirty minutes flight to Island. Little or no time we were through with customs and got our transportation to the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Bahamas all inclusive beach resort. Believe me this was the best trip I ever had in all of my years and with the best companion ever. The room was superb, the food was great, the side shows, the service, and the fun was all immeasurable.

At nights before I sleep I look at her sleeping by my side and wonder how I came this far, from the African boy who lived in a little town to the African boy who resides in New York and is on a one week vacation in Bahamas with the woman he loves, soft sand and blue beach, good food and new friends from all over the world vacationing too. That was when it dawned to me this was my first vacation and the best I have known. Yes that is me African boy and Staten Island Girl in the picture happily ever after.