It's Gonna Take A Lot To Drag Me Away From You...

#TBT

Five years ago (2012) I shared a very special video with my girlfriend (now wife). The video came to me when I was thinking of something fun to do for her trip to Africa.

My wife was very nervous about going on a two week trip to Malawi, Africa. She was getting her teaching degree and had the opportunity to visit Malawi to work with local teachers. In my mind I thought she would appreciate the support and love of her friends and family through video!

The song that I knew was THE song for this video was 'Africa' by Toto. It just had a fun vibe to it and although it might be one of the few songs relevant to Africa, I thought it would work perfectly. I had the idea to have several of our friends, authentic images of African masks in hand, walking through an 'African' setting singing the song. I connected with several of our friends, visiting their homes, places of work, etc. I compiled all the footage, syncing everything to the song - picking the best parts. I even got in on the action myself.

I then uploaded it to Facebook, privately. The night before my wife was headed to the airport I presented her with the video. It was a little tricky, as she was pretty emotional and worried that night, never having really been out of the country or on a trip like this for so long. I conned her into checking out "this video my friend posted about Africa". I think halfway through she thought it might be some sort of proposal video... but I think in the back of her head she knew I wouldn't do something like that before she left the country for two weeks!

The video is something she came to cherish quickly. I uploaded it to her phone so that she could take it with her and watch it throughout the trip, whether having internet connectivity or not. It was a way to stay connected. I think it's something that really helped her not get too home sick, especially knowing how many people cared about her and were thinking of her.

It was a fun project to work on and something we'll both be able to enjoy for years to come. Watch the video below.

- The Media Buff