Denver- family away from family

6/20

I parted with my family at the airport, picked up my bike from long-term parking, and drove through the light rain to my hosts' house for the evening. Ezekiel (a visiting professor from the University of Denver) was one of my favorite professors during my four years of study at Taylor. After spending three months in South Africa the summer after my freshman year I was searching for some answers to some of the things I had seen and heard.

I showed up in Ezekiel's class as a sophomore engineering major, and remember experiencing mixed feelings as he wrote "SOC 370- Sociology of Post Colonial Africa" on the blackboard. I looked around at the SOC majors around me... I must be in the wrong place. But the class was the right place for me to be. Ezekiel taught with great knowledge and wisdom sharing his passion for the material with his students. I loved the class, the reading, the discussions, and most of all, his jovial laugh.

In the spring when Alex and I were searching for potential contacts along our route, I remembered Ezekiel's invitation to stop by his house if I was ever in the Denver area. I sent him an email now two and a half years later with a reintroduction and even a picture to try and spark his memory. He laughed at my attempts to remind him of who I was and his offer. He remembered and warmly invited me to his home in Denver.

I enjoyed meeting his wife and three sons who welcomed me in and made me feel like family. They took me on a tour of Denver which primarily consisted of the academic places- libraries, universities. (The man reads more than any person I have ever met!) They caught me up on the world of soccer, which was especially exciting as we approach the World Cup (hosted by South Africa in 2010). In the morning, I enjoyed a traditional Nigerian breakfast of Akara (fried beans and fish) which was tasty!