Last weekend I leapt the Red River from North Dakota to Minnesota to share my experiences from East Africa and China. Bemidji and Duluth were my next destinations of my Life Learned Abroad speaking/book tour.

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First up was Bemidji, my old stomping grounds. I grew up in Blackduck (25 miles northeast), so Bemidji was the “the city” as far as we were concerned, the place to get clothes and cars and see a movie. Last Sunday, though, I was the one showing the video…and photos and sharing stories from across the oceans to familiar faces from over the years.

Along with my supportive family and relatives in attendance, I was touched to see my first grade teacher, Mrs. Stomberg, arrive, as did my childhood dentist, Mr. Bengtson. (Thanks for the smile, Doctor:) Bemidji Pioneer publisher Dennis Doeden introduced me to the audience and get things underway.

My family and friends leaned forward to hear the stories and chimed in with feedback and questions about the topics arisen–the politics of Tanzania, the education system, and why is Tanzania a poor nation? By the end, at least one audience member, an older woman distant relative of mine, expressed more than gratitude for the presentation. She was inspired to donate $200 to the school at which I worked in Tanzania. I didn’t anticipate raising money, but sometimes such bonuses happen unexpectedly.

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On Monday I sped along highway 2 to Duluth. The two-and-a-half hour drive was highlighted with surefire signs of northern Minnesota.

Then as I approached the eastern edge of the state, I entered a city with its own idiosyncratic imagery. The morning after arriving in Duluth, I spent some time soaking in its essence.

That evening, I was honored to share with Duluthians who came out to the gorgeous, historic Fitger’s Theater at the Fitger’s Hotel and Brewery.

In attendance was a mission worker who’d been to Tanzania 20(!) times. There was a woman, who, like me, had lived in China for a year. I asked where, she said “Zhuhai, near Macau,” and I stared at her for two seconds, because that was the very city in which I had lived as well.

Then there was this older guy in the crowd. He raised his hand during my presentation to clear up a point about Tanzania’s political history. It was 1964 that Tanzania was formed (after Zanzibar island joined country), he said, not 1961 when Tanzania’s current ruling party was formed. He would know. This man was Tanzanian.

The next morning, I visited the woman in the audience who’d been to Tanzania so many times. She’s done so because of her mission work. But even when home, her mission continues…at her store downtown Duluth.

Meet Beth. In the early 90s, she started to raise money for micro loans to Tanzanian women. In $50 increments, she gave these women a jump start to sell crafts, salt, or food. Perhaps most successful was the salt operation, where the men and women in this desolate part of the country could now rent an ox cart to carry 200 pounds of salt to market. These loans were more than advances in pay; they started a small movement of development.

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