Pre-2019 Travels

13 December - 4 January, 2019: Gaborone/Kanye/Lorwana/Lokgwabe, Botswana

The highlight of this trip home was going to Lokgwabe, where my nephew convinced his grandfather that they should slaughter a cow for me. One of the greatest joys of my life is being an uncle. For one of my introverted nephews to lobby so fiercely on my behalf warms my heart. I was fortunate enough to go with my brother-in-law and his brothers to the farm to give livestock water. He took me on a tour of the land on horseback. I am going to keep horses on my farm, where I shall also establish my permanent residence. My twin KRO took me out motorbike riding on one of the days I was in the days. I also attended a picnic in Kanye with LBK and PM, where I got to meet numerous people from my village. I wish I was not as well known as I am. Sometimes I want to go to events in Kanye, without people bringing up the fact that I am Tumisang Ramarea. It was also during this break that I made the decision to leave mainstream social media. I was tired of being a local celebrity. Other highlights include Joburg and Lion's Park with BJL, and hanging out with LBK and KFM.

7-10 December 2018: Waverly, Iowa

I flew to Iowa to celebrate the graduation of MM, who at the time was a very important part of my life. I used my layover in Phoenix to get brunch with EOA, who was generous enough to make time for me. The graduation ceremony was short and simple. I am usually uncomfortable with graduation ceremonies held in religious spaces. But she is Christian and it was her event, so I did not mind. I befriended ICC. I also got to spend time with my cousin MMM. I reconnected with my UWC roommate SKJ, who took me around Waverly. MM, her friend K, and I also drove around in the night and got stopped by the police. So I can finally say I have finally survived driving while black in white America. Overall, an informative trip. I am grateful to ICC for allowing me to bear witness to her story, to MM for inviting me for her special day, to SKJ for showing me around, and to my cousin for looking out for me as I made classic questionable women choices.

2 - 4 November 2018: Montezuma, New Mexico - UWC USA CEC Retreat

I participated in the CEC Retreat for first year UWC USA students as an adult mentor. I was recommended by AC. The funny thing is AC had found out about UWC from me. So it was a completed cycle for him to refer me to a place I referred him to. I am grateful to my student group for their generosity in inviting me to be a part of their journey, for sharing their stories with me, and for allowing me to see private moments of intense emotion. I also got to check-in SR, one of our student from the Botswana National Committee. I am grateful to AC for his time in showing me around the UWC USA campus. It was amazing. I cannot thank N and her family enough for hosting me overnight in Santa Fe before my early morning flight from Albuquerque. I was reminded of the importance to invest in education. I renewed my commitment to education as my social responsibility cause.

28 September - 1 October 2018: Santa Cruz, California - Stanford MCF Scholars Retreat

I keep wish Stanford was by beach. But this is not the case. So the next best thing is to go to the beach as often as possible. The MCF Group at Stanford chose this weekend to have the retreat. It was lovely, but I was sad to be missing a Beyonce concert I had been planning for months for my dorm, where I was an RA. But I could not miss the MCF retreat as the MCF Representative. What a time life it is to be a leader of multiple things.

13 August 2018: Nairobi, Kenya

My final stop was in Nairobi to see my UWC co-year SM. We hung out at a mall catching up about this and that. I had seen her a few months before, but in our world, every chance you get you use to see your loved ones. I was pleasantly surprised to also run into MM at the mall. MM and I lived in the same dorm during my second year at Stanford. What a small world! Someone later reshaped my perspective by saying it is a small world at the top. While I am not at the top yet, and I am headed there, I can agree.

8-12 August 2018: Kigali, Rwanda - MasterCard Scholars Baobab Summit

The MCF Scholars Summit is always a lit time. I made a lot of friends. I had my Southern Africa squad, but also hung out almost as often with EOA and RA. I also met someone who would later become my lover and soon thereafter my former lover. We live fam, grateful for the opportunity to learn more about myself and what I want! I am grateful to SPK, for generously inviting me to join her for an intensely personal moment at a local Catholic Church. The most insightful idea I have carried from this conference onwards, is one that seeks to promote the combination of indigenous knowledge with modern scientific knowledge in the innovative solution of problems we face in our civilization. Through my Scholars Council Committee Assignment, I got to meet JC, with whom we kicked it off at a dinner. We bonded over our shared love for food and adult stupidity. Many of the friendships from this trip have continued for long after.

6-8 August 2018: Entebbe/Kampala, Uganda

Emirates flew me from D.C. to Entebbe and as always I had an amazing time. I was going to see my UWC firstie GBK, who had generously invited me to visit him in Uganda. He took me on a tour of Kampala on a boda-boda. I enjoyed exploring parts of Makerere University and meeting with some of his friends. It is always to reconnect with my UWC family, especially on the African continent. I am grateful for the generosity of GBK and his family for having me. Upon my departure from Uganda, I met EOA, who was also going to the same conference as I in Rwanda. She would go on to become one of my best friends in the world. I am grateful our paths crossed in Uganda.

3-5 August 2018: Washington, DC - Read Madrid US Tour sponsored by Emirates Skywards

From Miami, we took a chartered 767 jet to DC. I could get used to the private jet life. It was amazing, one of the best experiences of my life. It almost came close to the first time I rode on a donkey cart to my mother's farm in 2006. While experiences like this often make me wish I had a wife, I am often blessed with the presence of friends who make it just as priceless. My friend LS made me dinner, took me on a tour of the city, and came with me to see the Real Madrid game against Juventus. I am not one to watch sports, but if I am to do it, then from a private suite is not a bad idea. Traveling with Real Madrid was fun because we had a police escort, which blazed us through traffic. I am not saying I am going to be the president of my country, but if I become one, I look forward to never being stuck in traffic. My stay at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in DC was short lived as I had business to attend in Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya. I am grateful to LS for the generosity of her time invested in my cultural education. Isn't friendship a beautiful blessing?

1-3 August 2018: Miami, Florida - Real Madrid US Tour sponsored by Emirates Skywards

I am one of the luckiest people I know. I submitted a bid of 52,500 Emirates Skywards miles, only 2,500 miles more than the minimum set for the bid, to tour the US with Emirates-sponsored Real Madrid F.C. The price was to tour with the team in Miami, DC, and New York as they played against different teams. I could only make it to two of the three cities, as I had to travel to Africa for various reasons. My friends know I am not a fan of football, and were therefore understandably jealous that I was living their dream. For me the appeal was not in traveling with the team, but having an expenses-paid vacation. In Miami, we stayed at the East Hotel. It was fancy. I enjoyed $80 dollar steaks and signed off $20 tips. I had a suite which had two balconies. I had never felt as single as I did during my time in Miami. I wished for a wife to share moments like that with. I still had fun. Although my busy schedule had not allowed me to make it to the game, I had gone training with the team on one of the days. I got to hang out with Keylor Navas, who I knew and respected for being the #1 goalkeeper for mi otra pais Costa Rica.

15-23 June 2018: Gathwane/Lorwana/Kanye/Gaborone, Botswana

By now, it had become the norm that my trips to Botswana are short. The will to visit is there, what is often lacking is the time. So if a week is all I have, then I will go. As with all my trips to this side of the world, I grabbed dinner with VW during my customary stopover in Dubai. Then upon arrival in Botswana, I almost died in a car crash when our car collided onto a car we were overtaking that decided to make a sharp turn onto us. The only damage to the car was on my side and we joked that perhaps my witches were trying to eliminate me. But as I always say, I am not the child of a small girl and a small boy. I was born to a man and a woman. I attended a family event at my grandma's house, where I was almost married off to a distant cousin by my mother's relatives. But I was saved by my nephews, who wanted to draw in my notebook with my colored pens. On this trip, I ran into my childhood romantic interest and friend BM and her long term boyfriend. They bought me lunch, which is a rare since people seem to think that I farm cash. I also got to spend time with my very pregnant bestie GM, soon-to-be-married friend GPO, and recently-married BJL. While I gave an interview at Gabz FM, where CM was celebrating my achievements, I was beginning to feel left behind as my friends and peers were starting families, while I pursued school. Or was it the questions from my relatives asking when I am getting married beginning to enter my conscious mind?

18-21 June 2018: Nairobi, Kenya

One cannot emphasize enough just how privileged I am to attend a well-resourced institution like Stanford. For one of my classes, my team and I worked with a Kenyan coffee startup. They invited us to go see their operations if we could. Since I was already going to be on the African continent for a few days, I thought it was only fair that I took them up on their offer to go see their operations. When I talk of Stanford's resources, I am talking about these connections. As for the trip, I paid for it myself because I was genuinely curious about the business and also to get a feel for Nairobi. The owner of our partner business had generously offered to host me in his house to reduce costs. Seeing their operations gave me better insights into the business, and affirmed the conclusions we had drawn in our recommendations for how they can continue to provide more value to their various stakeholders. It was also satisfying to present our recommendations in person, and to discuss with them. I also got to visit the iHub, where all the technology entrepreneurship is happening. I was convinced that my plans to help support entrepreneurship on the continent were promising. Lastly, I got to reunite with my UWC co-years from Kenya SM and LM.

4-7 May 2018: Vancouver/Squamish, BC, Canada

I try to visit at least one new place every year. When EG told me of his upcoming graduation in Squamish, I knew I had to go. In 2017 I had missed a trip to Canada because my passport came back from the Embassy after my flight had departed. Thanks to the generous hospitality of KM, I was able to spend some time in Vancouver before and after the graduation. It was great to reunite with EG, who was my roommate in UWC Costa Rica. I was delighted to run into MV, who was also my second year from Brazil. The ceremony itself was standard. Then there was some celebration in the afternoon. And a party in the night. Partying with EG and MV one more time was fun. Back in Vancouver, KM took me around the city. It was fun and beautiful. In fact, the drive to Squamish was also breathtaking. British Columbia is beautiful. I also got to meet up with my UWC co-year, KP from Colombia. I consider myself fortunate to have this privilege to see the people with whom I have shared such transformative experiences every so often.

26-30 March 2018: San Jose, Costa Rica

I decided I did not want to let 2 years pass by before I make another visit back to the land of Pura Vida. Thanks to the generosity of my beloved Pastor PD and Ms DD, who always open their warm home to me whenever I go back to visit, I was able to make this trip happen. On my way there, I was able to meet up with SS, WS's brother, for dinner during my layover in Phoenix. There is something satisfying about being back in a place where you can feel you are loved, where people see you. I was impressed some of the grounds staff at the church still remembered me, and were genuinely pleased to see me again. I was even more impressed that I had enough Spanish to catch up with them about all the new developments in my life. I got to spend a significant amount of time with homeboy KR. It was lovely to reunite and catch up with DV, and CA in Avenida Escazu. But the highlight was spending time with BFP, her sister, and KR in Multiplaza. For sure one of the best moments of my entire life. There was some drama in my former, UWCCR, not letting me in because of some new visiting protocol. But when they were eventually able to let me in, I got to see NT, RS, and even meet some new UWCCR fam. Thank you Pastor P and Ms D for another lovely visit. On my way back, I grabbed lunch in Phoenix with SM.

3-7 January 2018: Dallas, Texas

My next destination was Dallas, to visit my girl NS for a few days. There is never a dull moment with her. We cooked food, brunched out, and overall had a swell time. When she was at work, I explored her neighborhood. Living in California, I had expected Dallas to be a very hostile place to me as a black person. It being the south and all. But to my delighted surprise, it was quite the opposite. Although it was winter, it was sunny and relatively warm on the days I was there. It was comparable to a California winter. I could see myself living there. Who knows what the future holds? NS is an excellent host. She took me on a tour of the city, a mini-golf facility, and an indoor ice-skating rink. Let us say I treasure my life more than the young kids who just zoomed past me, almost toppling me over. NS also managed to take me to a Victoria's Secret store and some make-up shop. Somehow the women in my life always manage to drag me to make-up shop where I have to pretend to understand the difference between 10 shades of pink eye shadow that all look the same to me. It is a never a dull moment with her, especially not in Dallas.

2-3 January 2018: New York, New York

This was more of an extended layover. I had booked some hostel to spend the night and day I was in this city. I knew as soon as I had checked in that hostels are not my thing. Which is ironic considering I grew up poor and having to share a bed with my baby brother in a very large one roomed house that we all shared. Yet I could not stand sharing a hostel with a couple of others. In my defense, sharing that one room with my family does not compare to the hostel experience because I knew I could trust my family. I could not sleep well, even though I had just gotten off an 18 hour flight from Dubai via Milan, because at the back of my mind I wondered what if the other people stole my person items. Imagine someone stealing my passport. Who would want to steal a Botswana passport? I knew then that I was a different level of high maintenance. While I was raised poor, I realized then that I could never survive as a poor person. So I have to be at the bare minimum, upper middle class. I was so distraught by the experience that I changed my onward flight to an earlier time. It ended up being a great decision because the only seat that was available on that flight was a first class seat on the Alaska Airlines flight to Dallas. Did I say I enjoyed being a Gold Member of the Emirates Skywards program?

20 December - 1 January 2018: Gaborone/Kanye/Lokgwabe/Lobatse, Botswana - Africa Tour with NT

Our final stop was Botswana! I was excited to finally have someone visit me in my home country. But it seems the Botswana Immigration people are determined to deny all my guests entry into the country. The Immigration office who handled our case wanted to deny NT entry, claiming she needed to have applied for a visa beforehand. When it was clearly stated on their website that citizens of Costa Rica do not need to apply for a visa beforehand. She revealed through her side comments that she thought NT was my girlfriend and was planning to stay in Botswana indefinitely. It was hilarious. I showed NT around the capital city and the highlight was taking her to see my birthplace: Kanye. I showed her my mother's house, where I grew up. I felt seen in a different light. I am grateful to DR for letting us use his car and to KMM for driving us around. After NT went onward to her UWC program in Eswatini, I spent the rest of the break seeing loved ones. KMM invited me to a post-Christmas lunch at his uncle's house, then VP of the Republic Dr. Masisi. I also had a restful visit to Lokgwabe, where one of my sisters is married. I was blessed to spend time with DM, COK, TKG, JL, CM, SB, and ER. Once more, PM and I had a lit Christmas period!

17-20 December 2017: Livingstone, Zambia - Africa Tour with NT

Our next stop was Zambia. We were going to see Victoria Falls. We were going to do it in style: live inside a luxury tent! When NT suggested the idea, it sounded too good to be true. But I am not one to mansplain things. I shared my skepticism but committed to the idea. They say disagree and commit! There was nothing luxurious about that tent. I could not decide if I wanted to be amused or dissatisfied. But it was a grounding experience - literally. But we did do the trip in style. We started off with a sunset cruise, with dinner. We saw a couple of hippos and crocodiles as we cruised along the Zambezi. Early the next morning, we set out to see the main attraction. Seeing those falls, my faith in a God was restored. I felt blessed beyond measure to have the privilege to stand on such sacred ground. NT had not gotten her Zimbabwe visa, so we could not cross over to take in the view from the other side. She insisted I go, but what would have been the point. I go to places to be with people, not to see the place. Later we chartered a helicopter just to see the falls from above. I am still lost for words. We spent some time in Livingstone, buying crafts, eating food, and the like.

15-17 December 2017: Johannesburg, South Africa - Africa Tour with NT

NT is probably the inspiration behind my desire to travel as much of the world as I possibly can. So when she asked me if I was down to do a tour of Southern Africa, I was down. Like me, she plans her travel around things she needs to do. She was in the region for some program at UWC Waterford. Our first stop was the big and bad Johannesburg. It was a fun trip because I realized as soon as we had started to plan the trip that we are different travelers. I go to places to enjoy being in a space with the people I am traveling with or the people I am visiting. But the space itself means very little to me. NT on the other hand, wants to experience as much of the place as possible. We bought tickets for one of those red buses that give you a tour of a city. I have never been curious enough about Joburg to do that. It is a beautiful city, especially with the illusion of safety from the red bus. At the end, I took her to the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton. Call me bougie, but this is where I like to hangout when I am in Jozi. I was pleased when NT had her first bite of pap at a Nandos. It was going to be a great trip.

18-24 November 2017: Minneapolis/St. Paul/Northfield, Minnesota

After Cape Town, I decided to go see LUR in Minnesota. In preparation for this trip I bought some really nice winter boots - that I still use today - and borrowed some winter gear from CP. I am a bad borrower, I still use the scarf I got from CP, which means I did not return everything. We solidified our tradition to spend time in the outdoors. She gave me a tour of St. Paul, and took me down to the Mississippi River. There is something magical about visiting a place you have once read about. To dip a finger in its water - freezing as it might be. I also got to catch up with AC over brunch since St. Paul is his hometown. He took me to a vintage-looking diner, which he said was the place to go to. Thereafter, he took me to a center that was making laudable strides in eradicating homelessness in the twin cities. Our time together concluded with a tour of the University of Minnesota campus and dinner at a Somali restaurant. I also got to crash a UWC Dinner at Macalester college, including photobombing their official photo. I also went over over to St. Olaf to see my other bestie JR and RG. I also had the fortunate of meeting LUR's sister, who has since become the baby sister I never had. I am told somebody was crushing over me from St. Olaf. At least I still got it!

10-11 November 2017: Orange County, California

One of the best parts about living in a well endowed dorm like Crothers is the cool events we participated in. My best friend at the time, TL, and I joined the trip last minute. We hung out with two of my residents SD and SL. I wondered how jealous my nephews would feel that I was in Disneyland. Maybe one day when I am balling, I will flying all 18 of them out here to come experience the so called 'Happiest Place on Earth'. It was a long exhausting day. The events of this trip would prove to be significant many months later. It is probably the only trip I regret taking. That aside, the day was mostly fun. Although waiting in queues is not something that thrills me. Also the food options inside the park were not that great. Although my companions were pleased. For some reason I never could understand, people love the giant and dry turkey leg that is sold there. Overall a great trip, but doing the roundtrip by bus on consecutive nights was not as great.

27-29 October 2017: Madison, Wisconsin

I love to travel and I love to support my friends. Whenever these two objectives align, it is heaven for me. When NT told me she was acting in a play, I knew I had to go see her. She had worked really hard to develop her craft and to see her getting such a prominent role in the play was an achievement. She was good!!! Flying directly to Madison would have cost an arm and a leg, so I flew to Chicago instead and then took a bus to Madison. I got to see rural America as the bus drove through Illinois and Wisconsin. I did not know that NT was such an excellent cook. She made me food and also baked cookies for me that I took back with me on my return journey. My bus back to Chicago was delayed and I almost missed my flight. I am grateful to the TSA agents who expedited my security screening. The door closed as soon as I was inside the aircraft. Who knows what would have become of me if I had missed that United flight?

25 August - 2 September 2017: Gaborone/Palapye/Kanye, Botswana

My visits to Botswana are always logistical nightmares. Usually they are very short because somehow I always need to be somewhere else on another continent right after. This trip was characterized by two things: BJL's wedding and my fake birthday party. To get to the wedding, I traveled with my best friend KRO and her friend. It was lit. The wedding was nice, and I got to reconnect with most of my teachers from Mookami. As it turned out, I was overdressed for the wedding. Who knew that wearing a suit to a wedding could end up counting as overdressing. My fake birthday party was an attempt to bring together my Bots friends from all walks of life, and hang out with all of them in one place. With such short trips, it is impossible to see everyone. The party ended up being a night of embarrassing about me by my friends, most of whom were women. One even threatened the rest of them that she was experienced in martial arts. I guess I am still a catch. There was another new niece that I had to meet. I also got to be a celebrity on two occasions: first by giving a radio interview on RB2 with SM and then by co-addressing an assembly of students at Mookami with my bestie KRO.

20-24 August 2017: Cape Town, South Africa

From Sri Lanka, Emirates flew me to Cape Town to see my best friend LUR. It was the first time we met since UWC, and that had ended on a weird note. Yet this trip was nothing short of amazing. One thing I have learned about myself is I do not travel to these places for the things that are, but rather for the people who are there. Sure we visited some museums, checked out the historic District 6, and caught a sunset from the colorful Malay neighborhood of Bo-Kaap. But the joy was doing these things with such a special friend of mine. We also hired a sketchy looking and racist driver to take us to certain points of interest along the coast. We took photos with penguins, ostriches, and seals. We missed out on seeing the whales, but got to throw coins into the ocean. Hopefully, the ocean will send me the wife I asked for. We even went wine tasting, although I was the only one who drank. LUR did not drink because she is Muslim and the driver because he was driving. The only sadness to the trip was the government of Botswana had denied her a visa to come with me to Botswana. Nonetheless, Cape Town was the rebirth of a treasured friendship.

30 June - 3 July 2017: Malé, Maldives

Two weeks into my time in Sri Lanka and I went on vacation to nearby Maldives. I love Emirates. I used my miles to book a Business Class roundtrip journey to Male from Colombo. Then took advantage of my UWC connections to find free accommodation (thanks MM, M, and M's family for the hospitality). I also took advantage of the UWC network to find people to hang out with and activities to do. Thank you LD, for introducing me to your student, the other MM. MM introduced me to her friends and they all took me under their wing. The internet had informed me that the local islands are very conservative - and they are - but these cool people made sure the weekend was a fun one for me. It helped that I was in a risk-taking mood. Those who know me will attest that I am am more inclined towards risk aversion. But I kissed a woman on a public beach, and rode a speed boat in choppy waters without a life vest even though I cannot swim. When I die, this experience will be one of the many behind my satisfied smile that says, "I have lived a great life!"

14 June - 19 August 2017: Moratuwa/Colombo, Sri Lanka - Cardinal Course Fellowship at Sarvodaya sponsored by Stanford University

And I did return to Sri Lanka. This time alone. The Sarvodaya model of development had captured my curiosity, and as an aspiring President of Botswana at the time, I wanted to learn as much as I could about community-led development. With a Cardinal Quarter Fellowship from my university, I went to work with Sarvodaya on whatever they needed me to do. They needed help with some of their database systems. I am ashamed to admit that I was not as effective as I would have loved to be, because Sarvodaya gave me more than I can ever thank them. During my time there I made a few friendships that have carried on to the present day. AC was my brother, and has since become a part of my UWC family. In fact, it is through him that I have become involved with UWC USA's CEC program. I also built a friendship with VW, who I have had dinner with every single time I have connected through Dubai. Other noteworthy friendships from this period are with CM, MS, HJ, and AW. By the end of the experience, I thought I would never eat rice again. But here I am. Being the only black person around, it was not uncommon for people to photograph me as I tried to have my dinner. What an experience!

25 - 31 March 2017: Boston/Mansfield, Massachusetts

I decided to go to Boston for my spring break to see some friends from UWC. Funny enough, I ran into my first year UWC RA, DF, at the San Francisco Airport. He was connecting from Japan on his way to Denver. He had been visiting his best friend from UWC. It was great to reunite with my two friends CB and WS, who were now dating. I could not believe that I had missed the signs of their would-be romance when I used to hang out with them. I have many friends, but I think I have unique traditions I share with each of my friends. CB and I went to get our cool-African-boys' haircuts. WS and I chatted in our respective languages because while we do not speak one another's language, we are able to understand. They rolled out the red carpet for me, and my heart is full of gratitude as I look back on this trip. I also got to reconnect with SS and KS, both of whom I had met in Macedonia in 2015 at a Youth Networking Event. SS was generous to show me around MIT and we caught up. TM, fellow debater from Botswana, gave me a tour of Harvard. I had dinner with CG, an old crush of mine, who revealed to me that if I had made a move back in Costa Rica, she would have said yes. An important reminder that we miss 100% of all the shots we do not take.

15-18 February 2017: Phoenix, Arizona - MasterCard Scholars Council Midterm Review

About 8 months earlier in Accra, Ghana, I had met these inspirational individuals. I was especially thrilled to reunite with ND, with whom we had stayed in touch throughout the 8 months. I love these conferences, where I interact with some of Africa's finest minds and discuss ideas that can contribute towards the continent's upward mobility. It was my first time in Arizona. There was nothing much to write home about, perhaps because our entire time was scheduled. But we had fun. We went bowling - where I danced my heart out because I was terrible at bowling. I was no better at dancing, but at least it was fun. The high point of the trip was making it to the top of South Mountain on our hiking excursion. Looking over the desert on the other side reminded me of the Westerns I used to read as a young boy in Kanye. Here I was, living the American dream. I also succeeded at embarrassing ND as J and I sang for her in a mall. Overall a great time!

20 December - 5 January 2017: Gaborone/Kanye, Botswana

This was the first of my Christmas Holidays spent with PM. We were committed to living the days of youth, partying in Gabs, crashing parties in Kanye, and taking control of other people's parties in Lotlhakane. It was lit. We ate a lot of meat (there is no beef like Botswana beef) and drank plenty of grape juice. At home they had slaughtered a goat for the holidays. I had also enjoyed bonding with my nephews, especially those who were recently born. Those who know me, know that the role of uncle is one I take very seriously. During this trip I was able to hang out with my best friends AL, LBK, and KRO. I also got to see numerous people from my childhood when I was in Kanye. On my way back, I ran into TKD at the airport. It was a pleasant surprise, and a special occasion to sit next to her on our Air Botswana flight from Gaborone to Johannesburg. It was her first flight ever!

15-19 December 2016: Johannesburg, South Africa

Since I was 10, I have always been in pursuit of romantic love. This was my first baecation. Overall, it was a lovely trip. We stayed at Malandela Guesthouse. The owners were hospitable and resourceful. My companion was more adventurous and as such we walked around the streets of the neighborhood we stayed in. I was not too enthused by the idea because the memory of being robbed in Johannesburg at knife-point in public during the day was still fresh in my mind. So we hung out mostly in the bougie Sandton. Not to stereotype Batswana women, but having studied in the US, the only way I can marry a Motswana woman and meet her expectations is if I am balling. Baecations in foreign countries ain't cheap. So I should either ball or branch out.

8-28 August 2016: Sri Lanka (multi-city) - BOSP Overseas Seminar on Community Health and Service Learning

My maiden trip to Sri Lanka was a blessed one. First I got upgraded to Emirates Business Class on both the inbound and outbound flights. I was nervous in the beginning, but my classmates and teaching team turned out to be awesome. The country was a marvel. We visited numerous Sri Lankan Heritage Sites such as Sigiriya Lion Rock, Dambulla temple, Anuradhapura, and Kandy. The highlight was the village stay in Pahalagama, Anuradhapura District. I enjoyed the manual labor when we got to participate in a Shramadana. Overall an excellent trip. I knew at the end I had to go back someday.

16-21 June 2016: Accra, Ghana - MasterCard Scholars Baobab Summit

One of the perks of the MasterCard Foundation is the opportunity to attend the Scholars Baobab Summit. This would be the first of 4 that I would attend. It was my first time visiting an African country that was not in Southern Africa. We stayed at Labadi Beach Hotel, which I am told is one of the best places to stay in. I loved every moment of it. Every scholar had a roommate but somehow I was fortunate to have the room all to myself. It was a fun time to be alive. I was inspired by all the scholars and the speakers. Being at Stanford one can get sucked into the Silicon Valley bubble, so it was lovely to be reminded of the possibility and potential that is abundant in Africa. As always, I had fun including jumping into the swimming pool fully clothed with special company. To this day I am amazed that rule-following me jumped into the swimming pool with clothes, which was prohibited, but also at night when I could not even swim.

20-23 May 2016: San Jose, Costa Rica - UWCCR 2016 Graduation

When my friends at UWC Costa Rica invited me to their graduation ceremony in May, I was not sure I would be able to attend since my school term did not end until mid June. But I had the means and if I flew out Friday night and returned Monday morning, I could pull it off. This would be the first of many mid-quarter trips I would take during the 4 years I would spend at Stanford. I took a red eye flight to San Jose and flew back on Monday. All my other co-years who had returned for the graduation were done with school for the year. All of them except myself and Juliette. So while everyone else went clubbing in the night time, Juliette and I had work to do. It also meant we had to hold people's hair when they returned from wherever. It was fun, weird as this sounds. UWC is truly a magical place. I was proud to watch my firsties graduate. It felt like just yesterday when I had welcomed them and showed them around campus. But they were graduating and with their departure, I was becoming more removed from the campus. When I flew back to San Francisco, I was at peace and my heart was full of joy.

16-26 March 2016: Gaborone/Kanye, Botswana

Spring break is only 9 days long, but I decided I was going to fly home. The reason was my aunt passed away in February but I was unable to return home for the funeral given my hectic schedule at Stanford. I would learn to grief from a distance much later, but I could not wait to reach home. I remember going to see my cousins as soon as I had arrived. But everyone had started to make peace with the grief, only I was stuck in the early stages. I remember being disappointed that everyone else was not sad enough. Resolved to not be sad for the entire trip, I made sure to see my friends and spend time with my family. I was paranoid that my mother was going to die soon since she had been unwell for a while. So I tried to spend as much time as I could with her, although I usually got sad at her condition and went anywhere but home. Fortunately 9 days flew by and I had to return to the US quickly.

9-28 December 2015: San Jose, Costa Rica

Stanford was the big leagues and the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship changed my financial situation. Suddenly I could decide to go anywhere I wanted and why not Costa Rica? On my first trip, I returned to Costa Rica. I missed some of my friends from UWC and it was cheaper than trying to fly home for Christmas. I spent my entire time hanging out with my boy RMG. During the first half we lived in Santa Ana with PPD and MDD. Those will always be my parents in Costa Rica. The second half we spent at the equally warm home of SP in Escazu. We were living it large. In all of the fun we had, I will never forget how I almost got engaged to be married to a woman I was talking to because my Spanish was quite limited. So when her father had asked me what my intentions for her daughter were, I had used Spanish words that suggested marriage. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared and life proceeded without much drama. It felt good to be back in Costa Rica.

25 May - 12 September 2015: Gaborone/Kanye, Botswana

This is the summer between UWC Costa Rica and Stanford. I spent most of it working hard to sell chicken in order to repay the money I had borrowed to travel to Macedonia. It was funny because I had thought that moving abroad meant I did not have to do 'poverty activities' like sell things to make ends meet. But it was time for me to learn a thing or two about living within one's means. To finance the Macedonia trip, I had borrowed the flight money from a classmate of mine from Costa Rica and been gifted some pocket money by a friend. I was expecting some money but that did not work out. So I had to go to the village and sell chicken. At first I was ashamed of it, but then I started enjoying it. This was also a summer that I spent on picnics with some of my old friends. There was a brief romance, which really was a continuation of an old flame. As I said, I really did live my youth.

12-22 June 2015: Tetovo/Ohrid/Skopje, Macedonia - First ever Networking 101: International Networking Academy

My trip tp Macedonia was the first time I visited a European country. When my friend Kris invited a few of us to a conference in Macedonia, I had jumped at the opportunity. This is in spite of not having the means to pay for the trip. Yet somehow I made it work. I remember being surprised by how chill their border agents were. They stamped my passport without even checking to see if I was who I said I was. I remember the mountains standing out and the green vegetation. It was an inspiring experience interacting with this group of brilliant students in the city of Tetovo. I remember the food at the hotel we stayed at being amazingly mediocre, but the food in Ohrid and Skopje was better. I was blessed to enjoy time with my friends from UWC Costa Rica and make new ones. How can I ever forget conversations under the star-lit sky at night or the seductive powers of rakija. When my time on this planet is up, one thing would be true: I have lived my youth!

27 January - 3 February 2015: Boston, Massachusetts - Harvard Model United Nations Conference

This was my first trip into the United States. As fate would have it, a brutal winter storm was battering through the East coast and so getting to Boston was quite the adventure. We were supposed to fly from San Jose, Costa Rica to Houston, Texas and then onto Boston. But when we reached Houston all flights to the East Coast were canceled because of bad weather, so we were placed on a flight to Cleveland, Ohio. It was colder than I imagined it would be. But we found a soup place and I had the best soup of my life. Our flight to Boston from Cleveland was canceled and so were flew on to New York-LaGuardia from where we were finally able to make it to Boston. The MUN conference was amazing. There were all these brilliant students from all over. I got to perform and compete alongside the most promising minds of our generation. I enjoyed exploring the city of Boston and capturing it on my beloved camera. I was sad to forget that camera on a taxi to the airport. But the memories are forever imprinted on my heart. Grateful to the Blue Valley School of Costa Rica for sponsoring this trip.

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