Summary

After her time in Germany, Sissie goes to England, which she considers differently than other countries in Europe. She is surprised by the number of black people, who she notices are mostly working service jobs and poorly dressed for the winter climate. She meets other African students there, many of whom are pursuing graduate degrees. Sissie is unimpressed: “For a few pennies now and a/ Doctoral degree later,/ Tell us about/ Your people/ Your history/ Your mind” (86). Initially sad about the state of affairs, Sissie becomes angry at “whatever drives our people to leave their warm homes to such chilly places” (89).

A Scottish woman on the bus one day tries to point out the commonalities in their culture, including the fact that both Scottish culture and Sissie’s culture have “chiefs…who found one another while the invader marched in” (91). Meanwhile, a German-American...