In David Sedaris' "Remembering my Childhood on the Continent of Africa" he details the life of his friend Hugh's experience growing up in Africa. Sedaris compares his normalized life in North Carolina to that of Hugh who grew up all over Africa. Hugh's upbringing was quite different than that of most children. Sedaris often felt jealous of Hugh's upbringing because he got to travel the world, he was exposed to other cultures and languages, and he learned to appreciate what he had.
Hugh was able to travel the world throughout his childhood. Hugh moved to Africa at only seven years old and moved throughout the continent. He lived in the Congo, Ethiopia, and Mogadishu for a short time. Hugh got to see parts of the world that many people never…show more content… A normal day for Hugh's mother consisted of "visiting a leper colony" (2). Moving about in Africa means that Hugh was exposed to different types of people. However, he also saw that attacks and murder were a common, unnoticed tragedy. There are many languages spoken in Africa and while Hugh primarily spoke English, he was able to experience and appreciate other languages.
Sedaris spends much of the text complaining about his "normal" life, while Hugh was living an exciting life in Africa. However, Sedaris never had to experience someone attempting to murder him and his family, nor did he leave a theater to see and man hanging, he also was able to depend on his parents for shelter and food. Hugh lived in fear of all these things and it made him a stronger person. He became more independent and learned to survive without much help.
Living in an exotic environment can prove beneficial in that one is able to travel the world, exposure to other cultures and languages, and learning to appreciate what one does have. Sedaris could benefit from living a life abroad, but it does come with a cost. Having an exotic upbringing can be exciting and fun-filled. Hugh led a different life than most people and it made him a better person for
