A Zimbabwean’s View of Ohio and Pennsylvania

I was thrilled when I received my application for AYC 2012. My mind raced with thoughts of what America would be like. I pictured myself viewing beautiful sights. The thought of being in another country made me eager to visit the United States.

Growing up, I had read in books and heard from people about the beauty of America. I asked myself, “Is it really as magnificent as they say?” But there was only one way to get an answer. I had to visit!

As camp approached, I became very excited and could hardly wait. Finally, I traveled to camp—it was a dream come true!

Amid the excitement, however, I was also afraid of facing the unknown. Despite this, I was determined to attend Ambassador Youth Camp. And after 22 hours of traveling, I arrived in Ohio.

Immediately, I began to notice many differences between Zimbabwe and America.

Wide-eyed, I took in all of the sights.

An interesting aspect of America are all the wooden houses. I am accustomed to homes made from stronger materials such as bricks and cement. After seeing them, it seemed that if a strong wind were to blow, it would knock over the wooden houses. At first, I did not want to be in one because I was concerned it would collapse on me! I soon learned, however, that they were quite sturdy.

There was also a big difference in daylight in the two countries. In my homeland, the sun always sets around six o’clock, so I was surprised when it reached 6:00 p.m. and the sun was still in the sky. During the summer in Pennsylvania, sunset was not until 9:00 p.m.—unbelievable!

Another difference that was apparent was a result of the two nations being in different hemispheres. Most days at camp were hot and humid. This was unlike the cold weather that Zimbabwe was experiencing when I left. It amazed me that people in America were getting sunburned while those in Zimbabwe were in danger of frostbite!

Even the landscapes were dissimilar. I noticed that the trees were very tall—so tall that I could hardly see the tops. These did not match the short trees with lots of branches found in my native land. The grass in America was thinner than the thick grasses found in Zimbabwe.

American meals at camp were also unique from those I eat at home. Our usual staples include sadza (made from cornmeal) with meat and vegetables, or tea with bread and eggs. I took a glance at the camp food on the first night, and was not sure I would like it. My doubts were shattered when I took my first taste. It was yummy! I liked every meal at camp, and did not miss Zimbabwean food at all.

It was strange for me that English was the most common language in America. In my country, we speak English, Shona and Ndebele. In the United States, I found native speakers’ use of English very beneficial as it helped me polish my own “not so good” English.

At the end of camp, I looked back at my achievements and realized how much confidence AYC had given me. I feel like I can tackle any challenge now! I built friendships with the youth in God’s Church through all the activities and learned so much about America while I was there.

I really enjoyed my two weeks of camp in the United States and will make every effort to attend AYC 2013.