Living in Foreign Territory

So I officially feel like one of those fuzzy brown animals who dives head first into the ocean, blindly following the masses... And I have a sinking feeling that I might drown in the end, before I remember to look up. Oh well, here's my toe-dip into the blog world.

So my main reason for writing is to fill the world in about my experiences living in a foreign country. Some of you may have heard of it, though I am sure that few of you have ever, or will ever, brave its borders.... We call it Idaho. If you thought, even for a moment, that Idaho might actually be part of THIS country, as YOU know it, you'd be wrong. I know some of you might try to fight me on this, but I know what I'm talking about. To gain the proper (and by that I mean MY) perspective, here are a few country facts:

Population: 1,300,000
BLACK Population: 5300 (rounded up)
Person per square mile: 15.6
% of Idaho black : A WHOPPING 0.4% !!!

Put the above together with these facts :

** Not a complete list **

1. I don't understand my people- By that, I mean the good old black folks. Somewhere between the 1997 and 2001, the Black Idahoans officially voted in a new language, and forgot to send me a notice. How can I have grown up here with my sister, in the same household, and not understand the word that come from her lips?

2. The lack of basic amenities found in other places- How hard should it be to get a basic haircut? Where can I go to find some hair grease? Where is a the wing shop? Can I get a good bootleg movie?

3. The conservative political views- Unofficially the most Republican state. Dema-what, Dema-who? If your motto's not "I think, therefore I'm Republican," stay far far away.

4. Inbreeding issues (Assuming I could actually find someone to date)- With the miniscule number of African-Americans present, before I seriously consider anything but holding hands, I gotta check the geneology for family ties. Unfortunately, I think my sister forgot that step (couldn't warn her 'cause of the language barrier).

I know that most black people have experienced some of these things, or even all of them, at some time. But put 'em all together in one location and what do ya get? Yep, something closely resembling a foreign land to any sane black person. I spent a whole year in Japan, and somehow I feel more lost in my own hometown...

Welcome to life in Idaho, more details to come...