Lion on the loose

LION ON THE LOOSE
Yup you got it. I am so happy to live in this wild land. There is a lion walking around the town somewhere, no one knows where so trust me when I say the kids are inside the gate. Two years ago it was a leopard. This is unusual, not an everyday occurrence at all, but it reminds me of when I first arrived in the States for collage and knew nothing of REAL city life. Then again no one knew anything of my life in Botswana either. I remember sitting at a table with a few new friends and when they found out I was from Botswana they asked in awe "so do you have Elephants wandering around town?" In the beginning I said no, they are out of town, but after a few of these I would just say yes, all around my mud hut. I was a bit of a party trick those days. People would want to invite the African haha (I should point out I am white so quite a few people were shocked back then)
Another story of being an African moving to America. When I arrived for the first time without my parents I filled out the immigration forms. I had never heard the word Caucasian, in Botswana we were called Lackoa. So of course I checked the box that said African American (because thats what I am) Well the immigration officer (who was African American) was not amused. I was confused, I am not Asian, Indian etc what else could I be? When he explained to me what Caucasian was I asked him if he was African. No, well I was born and raised there with an American passport..therefor a TRUE African American, so does colour in America mean something? Because where I came from it didn't. Well that got a good chuckle out of him and a friend he had called over (I think for support in case I was trouble) I cant remember the outcome but they let me go with a smile and apologies (from them to me)
SNOW TIRES how would I know about snow tires? I bought a car at the end of winter, a real scorro scorro (beat up car) well in June I got pulled over by a cop for my tires. I always wondered why they made such a sound but so did my car. When he told me about SNOW TIRES I could not believe people would have two sets of tires, one for summer and one for winter (I had moved to Oregon where it snows maybe one week of the year) I showed him my blue cardboard Botswana drivers licence and told him I came from a desert and had no idea ( my roommate who was with me never told me either) Again some laughter and he let me go but I had to get them changed immediatly.
Well all this makes me sound silly and stupid but who did they call when going camping? ME. who did they call when there was an emergency? ME. and again and again I would come to the rescue when things got tough because I had parents and a country that made me that way. I should also note I never took drugs which many of my friends did and I always was there when a friend needed me. My nickname "McGyver, or African Queen" haha. Ok. Enough of my rambling down memory lane...there are many more stories, but back to quilting with my daughter (8) who is learning all about Steam a seam and how to iron.