One of the things you learn during travel is that small talk is different in every country. In Australia you might ask where someone lives, where they grew up or what they do for work. In Africa, things get more personal. 

Are you married?

Do you have children?

Are you a Christian?

These are the stock standard questions one may be asked at any given time and it is wise to have some answers on tap. You should always have a husband, especially if you are traveling as a single female. If you must admit that you are unmarried, you must always have a boyfriend who you are about to get married to. Under no circumstances should you admit to apathy or atheism because you will be in for an hour long discussion on religion. 

Perhaps the most controversial question is “are there homosexuals in your country?” For a man to lie with another man in so many African countries is completely illegal, and sometimes punishable by death. In our conversation with an Ethiopian man from Addis he claimed that to feel attraction for another man is not natural, and it cannot be part of one’s nature to feel this way. When asked why he likes women, he claims that this is the natural way. There is no other explanation. There is no room for rational thought in this argument…