In August, I’ll join nearly thirty leaders from several South Florida cities and Miami Dade County for an immersive trip to Africa. We’ll visit five countries: Morocco, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Nigeria…all in only eleven days. While there, we will visit various government and cultural facilities as well as meet with local government officials. Our itinerary, which is a busy one, will include tourism roundtables and branding presentations. Of course, each evening will include cultural performances. This will be my first time overseas, so I’m looking forward to the trip. I know it will be exhausting. We’re in some countries for only about 72 hours. And each day is chock-full of business activities. Though I’ll come back exhausted, and probably ten pounds lighter, visiting the cradle of humanity will undoubtedly make me a better person and thus a better council person. I’ll learn of ways various cities and countries can interact with North Miami. I hope to also be exposed to new ideas and “best practices” about ways to interact with residents. In addition, I’m hoping to speak with medical personnel in the HIV field. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, on whose board I serve, has clinics in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. I will also try to meet members of the LGBTQ activist communities. That will be a challenge, however, as homosexuality is illegal in each of the countries we’ll visit. I look forward to what will be a life-changing experience. Follow me on social media @scottgalv for photos and videos I’ll post.