incoming

October 2022: MMM Visit to Los Angeles

June 2022: MM Visit to San Francisco

March 2022: RG Visit to San Francisco

December 2021: Batswana New Year's Eve Lunch

I was introduced to GL by my boy LR - who had taken his chances by flying to Botswana despite the travel ban that was in effect. She was visiting the Bay Area for a short while. After the virtual introductions, I swung by her place to put a face to the name. Then plans were made that she was going to visit my place in the city for some Bots cuisine. On the day she came I knew she was bringing one other person but she ended up coming with 3 other Batswana, all of whom I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they live here in the Bay Area. My darling DT co-hosted this New Year's Eve lunch with me. We made samp, goat stew, chakalaka, beetroot salad and there was an assortment of beverages. By the time evening came, we all felt like family that I was comfortable leaving them - strangers I had only met a short while before - in my house when I went out on a dinner date with my woman. We ended the night and the year turning up at an undisclosed location in Oakland. My heart was full.

December 2021: RK Visit to San Francisco

One of the things I have sacrificed in moving abroad is kinship. That innate feeling of belonging and connectedness to a people. Of course there is some connection I feel to black people in the diaspora, but it is not the same as the kinship of meeting folks from Botswana. Although unknown to me, RK knew my friend LR, and out here my friend's friend from Botswana is my friend and therefore welcome at my house. I made her some madombi and goat stew. I love feeding Batswana who visit me food from home because I know they do not have that many opportunities to eat food from home that often, if at all. It was a delight meeting her and trading stories like old pals over a few glasses of fermented grape juice. I cannot wait to host many more Batswana at my house.

December 2021: NT Visit to San Francisco

I was excited when NT texted both NM and I that she was coming to see us in San Francisco. She had mentioned wanting to visit in the past but this time she sent flight details so it was happening. NM hosted the first 3 days and I hosted the latter 3 days. The 3 of us had a swell time, including dinners at home, dinners outside the home, a hike to the Stanford Dish that the women believe I tricked them into, riding bicycles around the Google campus in Mountain View, getting escorted by security from Facebook (I guess they call themselves Meta now) because they "have a private campus", driving to Half Moon Bay in the rain, going to an "African" store in Oakland, and mostly talking for extended periods of time. NT also got to meet the woman who makes my heart go boom boom pow! Here is to more visits in many different countries. NT is the first person to have visited me in both Botswana and the US.

August 2021: KR Visit to California

It is always a pleasure to run into people from Botswana out here in the diaspora. I met KR online a while back and we developed a friendship. When I found out she was visiting California, I knew she had to make a stop in San Francisco. It was a quick visit but it was a lot of fun. It included the customary Stanford tour, dinner at one of my favorite spots in Palo Alto (Zareen's), and a visit to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. We enjoyed the bridge from both the San Francisco and the Marin County side. We also stopped by the Palace of Fine Arts - a truly breathtaking place. Lastly, I was happy to make some pap, morogo, and goat stew to help KR satisfy her cravings for Bots food. I feel blessed to have been graced by her presence for these two days, and to have shared food from home.

October 2019: An Evening Visit With NM

I remember missing a call from a San Francisco number I did not know. At first I thought it was a telemarketer and was not going to return it, but then I gave into the curiosity of who could be on the other end of the line. She was in San Francisco for some 3 city conference or program. She could only see me for two hours that evening, as she was flying on to New York the next morning and that night she was going to see her sister in San Jose. What she did not tell me was she came with her sister and her sister was waiting in a car for all of the two hours that we hung out. I took her on a mini tour of the campus, stopping by the bookstore which unfortunately for her was closed. We also took photos in front of Green Library. Being beautiful should be considered a privilege. As the photographer, I was not complaining. Finally, I took her to the Center for African Studies to show her a picture of myself. It would appear she loved it more than the person. Our time together was brief, but it still felt like time had frozen and we were able to fit a lifetime into it. My heart was full, even with the shame of having made her sister wait for that long in the car.

June 2019: LUR Visit for Graduation

Trust your best friend to show up for your graduation, broken ankle and all. She even insisted on doing our early morning walk in nature, plus brunch. All of which were delightful. I got to take her on one of my paths with NK because it was flat. As such I got to take her to the Arizona Cactus Garden and to the roof of the McMurtry building. She also got to accompany me to MC's graduation lunch. How beautiful to watch your worlds collide. The same when we had dinner with SR, although they had met on a prior visit. My graduation was a lovely ceremony because LUR, EOA, VA, and AL all came out to support me. It was especially great to have my best friend there on that weekend because the African community at Stanford had lost one of our own that very weekend. It was a bittersweet moment in the story our lives. I am grateful for friendship.

January 2019: LUR Arizona - California Trip

It is always great spending time with my best friend, especially in sunny California. On this trip we got to dine and dance it out at Bissap Baobab in San Francisco with her college friend. Then we went to Berkeley to see my co-years and sisters FF: we had brunch and went on a tour of the UC Berkeley campus. A tour on which I got to relive my childhood by climbing a tree and posing for the camera from up there. Maybe I should be a model - except my sense of fashion is so bad. Our time together is never complete without a walk in nature. We hiked the dish and took photos along the way. This time saying goodbye to her was a little bit easier because recent experience has taught us that we see each other often enough that should not break our hearts much to bid one another farewell for now. I do not believe she shares the sentiments, being the more sentimental individual in the friendship. I am grateful for the opportunity to finally share the dance floor with my best friend.

November 2018: Thanksgiving with the Squad

They finally made it out to see me. They are a good crowd to have. At the time all I had was just dorm room, but we are children of a womb, we share the head of a fly. It was interesting sorting out the sleeping arrangements but at least I have a story for my grandkids from it - ask me about it if you ever get a chance to chat with me. I took JR to San Jose with me, and we even stopped by EMM's place. We all went on a campus tour, went on a mini hike to the Stanford Dish, and went to San Francisco. KG and I hosted them for a thanksgiving dinner - we had pap, chakalaka, grilled chicken, and grilled beef. There was plenty of wine. We also went to Coconuts. Seeing everyone together after so long and realizing that the intra-group dynamics are generally unchanged is entertaining. It almost gives the illusion that things will always be the same way even if we were to spend a 100 years apart. I am grateful they graced me with their presence.

October 2018: Reunion Homecoming

Reunion Homecoming weekend is one of the busiest weekends in the Stanford calendar. I still cannot decide if I especially like it or not. But on this one I was fortunate to run into the Hicks - who I met while studying in Costa Rica. I still remember how foreign the stories they had told me seemed before I got here. But now, they make sense. They gave me some great advice on career and post-Stanford life in general. I also got to meet up with my namesake TM. As a young kid in Mookami JSS, I was often told of her and how she earned a scholarship to the best school in our country. She was an inspiration, and I would not be surprised if my interest to study at Stanford had anything to do with her. She is the sister to my late best friend BM (MHSRIP). It is great to have a sister who understands a Stanford experience.

October 2018: KR Africa Library Project Visit

Now at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, KR followed in my footsteps from Seepapitso Senior to UWC Costa Rica. When he told me he was in town giving a speech an event for the African Library Project, I knew we had to meet up. It is rare to run into people from my country and least of all from my village out here. (Although most of my Batswana friends here are from Kanye). It was a short visit but a delightful one. He introduced me to the Africa Library Project, a project that has donated libraries to schools in various African schools, including at my primary school. As someone who enjoyed the library when I was a kid, it is nice to meet people who are passionate about bringing books to those without them.

October 2018: PC Silicon Valley Start-Up Tour

Mr. Impact himself, PC, was in the Silicon Valley as part of some program from his university in Edinburgh. He could not meet up on the farm, so I went to meet him in San Jose. We had dinner at my favorite spot: San Pedro Square. We had first met at the MCF Scholars Summit in Kigali some months before and would meet again in Toronto a few months after for the Scholars Council meeting. Talking with PC is always inspiring. If you are ever fortunate to sit down and talk with him, or to learn of his story, you will see what I mean. Overall, a great evening. I am glad he was able to spare me a few of his limited hours.

September 2018: HJ San Francisco Bay Area Vacation

I met HJ during my second mission to Sri Lanka, alongside CM and VW. VW and I get to hang out each time I am traveling through Dubai. It was quite a pleasant surprise to hear HJ was visiting SF with his mother. I gave him an extended tour of the campus, including to my sacred spot: the Arizona Cactus Garden. I even rode on the train with him for part of the way up to the city. Grateful for the generosity of his visit.

October 2018: KS Visit

I had not seen KS in over 3 years at our graduation from UWCCR. It was good to hear from her and have her visit. Ours was a short visit. Enough for a campus tour and a meal. But it was lovely to hear of all the interests she had nurtured during her time in New England. I was inspired to stay true to my interests. She was also the first person to comment directly on a statement I had recently published regarding the traumatic experience towards the end of my UWC experience. While it was awkward to talk about it in person, it felt great to be heard, and for my experience to be validated. I felt just a little less alone in that recovery journey. I am grateful that she brought her shine to the farm.

May 2018: MM Visit

It is not everyday that you get a surprise visit from a friend for a couple of days. As is now tradition, I showed her around the campus. She was not into hiking, so that was off the table. But we did other fun things like eat, check out the Stanford mall, and went to a beauty spa to get her nails done. I have never understood why the women in my life enjoy bringing me along to Victoria's Secret or to get their nails done or to get their eyebrows threaded. I know nothing about lingerie or makeup or threading. I will not lie, being visited by such a gorgeous friend increased my social capital. Suddenly the number of people noticing me increased by 1.9%. Although not all of this was positive. Overall, at the time I was grateful for the visit. Especially for the opportunity to bring together different people from different areas of my life. I remember our dinner with LS and the time SR made to see us. This visit also made me realize that SR is a ride or die friend, a true day 1 who does not fear speaking the truth - even a truth I might not want to hear. I hope I am a better person for this visit, and the series of events it inspired.

March 2018: NM Visit

She was in the area for some program and she could not return without coming to see me. Especially since fate thwarted our plans to meet on the farm under a different set of circumstances earlier. It was just a couple of hours but we made the best of them. I gave her a tour of the campus, and was her personal photographer. What a privilege to immortalize shots of a beautiful woman - and she knew it! We made a pit stop at one of my classes but she was not amused. I think we were doing some cost optimization of a queuing system that day. She would have preferred some stoichiometry instead. We got to see the sun set by the dry lake. When I grow up and have a wife, I hope she loves seating on benches to watch the sun conclude its' day's work. After all this was done, we went and saw Black Panther at the Redwood City theater. We had both already seen it once before but had loved it so much we wanted to see it again - together. Overall, it was one of the best afternoons of my life - and I have had many a good afternoon in my short life. But as usual, time is an enemy of good moments. I am grateful for her visit and for presence in my life.

February 2018: AC Visit

First Sri Lanka, then Minnesota, and now California! I guess it is true what they say, third time is a charm. AC was in the San Francisco with some of this friends from Brandeis. We met up in one of my favorite parts of the city - the mission - for dinner. It was a delight to catch up with him, especially to find out about his new job at a UWC school. Although a short visit, it added joy to my life. I was also delighted to make acquaintances with his friends who were from all over the world.

January 2018: RG++ Visit

RG was one of my brothers from UWCCR, so when he told me he was in LA with his partner, I had to invite them up to the Bay Area. They generously graced me with their presence for a couple of days. It was lovely that they both came because when I had classes and work, they had one another. I gave them a full tour of the campus because we had world enough and time. We also got to spend time in the lovely outdoors around the farm doing RG's favorite kind of activity: exercising. The highlight of the trip was the day trip to San Francisco on the weekend. Our co-years from UWC EK and FF joined us. San Francisco is a beautiful to explore on foot with friends. We admired the street art, the architecture, and the activities around Pier 39. There were some vintage cars that did some stunts for our entertainment. We also got to pass through Chinatown, which is always a delight to visit. On our last night we had some grown up drinks. It was great to see RG after 2 and a half years, especially to meet his special somebody.

December 2017: TD Visit

When I received a text from TD informing me of her lengthy layover in San Francisco SFO, I knew she had to come out to the farm to see me. She was coming from her study abroad in New Zealand, returning to Rochester. I had never hosted anyone, so I had no idea what I was going to do to entertain her. Especially on a weekday, when I had classes and my campus job to attend to. It had been over 2 years since I had last seen her, and it felt good to be reunited to one of my sisters from UWC Costa Rica. I convinced her to come with to my class on the Health Impacts of Sexual Assault on Survivors. Thereafter, I took her on a tour of the main quad and the Engineering campus. She elected to come to work with me, so she got to watch the magic as I changed the world by ensuring that academic content is delivered to students in pajamas around the world, who are not interested in going to class. After work we attended a birthday celebration for one of my friends. Poor TD did not get a chance to rest. But how could she, it is not everyday I get to see her.