Being abroad has been a transformational and confusing experience. Its one of those experiences that is both surprising and not, at the same time.  Coming from Savannah, Georgia to be across the globe living and working, it’s unbelievable. There are moments when I have to pause and remind myself of where I am. But on the other hand, getting here, thriving here, was something I felt confident I could achieve. Similar to during childhood when people tell you that you can be anything you want. You sort of believe it, but you’re still surprised when you actually start becoming who you always thought you could be. Many people, in their mind, know they are capable of great things. But I, like many others, have come face-to-face with the realization that the way we think of ourselves is not always how the world treats you.  I mean, I know people who have lived abroad, but none of them are from where I’m from. Until now, living abroad was an idea I mostly associated with classmates from college or coworkers from more “cultured” backgrounds. People who had different circumstances and resources than me. Where I’m from, the topic of leaving the country is rarely even discussed, if at all.

I’ve started working now. Managing IT infrastructure migrations to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for Government ministries in Bahrain. 22 National Ministries. Me, running the show. I hold meetings with reps from the largest telecommunications company in Bahrain, high ranking employees of AWS, and Sheiks (government VIPs). I coordinate and run these meetings. I’ve been here four months and have been able to plant my flag. Maybe it’s just me, but I am always somewhere in between complete confidence in my abilities and still being in awe of the things that I am a part of daily

I’ve been reading a lot lately. Right now, I am reading Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama. Late, I know. In this book, there’s a part where Obama is talking about College and his struggle to define himself, his blackness and his belonging. His account of one experience resonated with me. He told a story of this woman he met. One day, she was telling him about her family. Stories of family cookouts, soul train lines, and funny anecdotes about aunts and uncles. He told her he envied her, her family and her memories. She replied, laughingly, that she had envied him for growing up in Hawaii. That took me back to my time in college. Being at Morehouse was a great time. But there were many moments where I felt out of place. More accurately, I envied some of my classmates. They talked about their fathers being venture capitalists or how their grandparents were parts of the same fraternities. Such a foreign concept to me. I came from a very different pedigree. But I realize now that there is honor in my bloodline just the same. My parents and grandparents may not have been venture capitalists or members of prestigious organizations. Maybe they weren’t even aware that such things existed. But my grandparents and parents took their resources and became pillars in my city. People still speak of grandfather and grandmother; still, speak of my mother and her impact on them from years ago. We took what we had and multiplied. And here I am doing the same. Their hopes and energies rolling down through generations into me.

I may never find myself in the same circles as many of my prestigious classmates. May never be refined enough to sit at certain tables. But I am damn proud of where I come from. The further I get away from home, the more I appreciate the things that made me. The more I understand that my roots are what have produced the fruits of my labor. And for that I am happy. Sometimes it takes a new place to realize how much you belong.