When you say “My name is…” you say something like “Neetquah…”. For me, Africans tend to add an “ee” sound to the end of most names, so I would say, “Neetquah… Benny.” I said these phrases so often a couple of the guys on my team started to, and still do, call me “Neetquah” or “Neetquah Benny”.
My favorite part of Rwanda was walking to our church in town. By the end of the first week, many people on our trail to town knew my name. By the end of the month, the kids would run through the banana trees toward the dirt path yelling “Benny! Benny!” Our crew of guys would begin tossing them in the air, high fiving them, and giving/receiving hugs like crazy.
Imagine visiting Wal-Mart and a kid you’ve never met walks out of the clothing section and gives you a BIG hug. Then imagine you’re on the grocery aisle and another kid does the same thing. Then imagine you squeeze them and throw them in the air. Now imagine the police who handcuff you. In Africa, kids run to you with open arms hoping you’ll hug them, hoping you’ll throw them in the air. In the U.S., you get arrested for looking at a kid the wrong way. This is not a bad thing. It actually can be a very good thing, but it is quite different than the love-craving children in Africa.
I’ll always remember walking up the hill through the banana trees in Rwanda with kids and adults yelling my name, Benny, and how life in Africa is quite different than life everywhere else.
