His face contorted into an awkward smile, and his eyes revealed that he might a little nervous about being interviewed. He moved from his office, which is filled with the loud sounds of African pop music and the singing of his fellow teachers, to the relative quiet of the poorly lit hallway.

He was about six feet tall with medium dark skin and he had the look that said, ‘I’m from another land, not from next door.’

It is hard to describe what gave him this otherwordly feel, it’s not as though he was half-naked and carrying a spear. In fact, that is an image of his homeland he would like to eliminate.

“We’re not Tarzan-like, jumping from trees,” he said.

His name is Omar Babu Marjan, but he goes almost exclusively by Babu (the Kiswahili word for grandfather) in honor of his mother’s father. He came to Ohio State from Kenya to get his master’s degreee in African American/African studies, but also has another purpose. He is here to learn about American culture and to teach students about his culture through his Kiswahili (Swahili) language classes.

Sitting through one of Babu’s Swahili classes it is evident that he is not a typical college professor. He is interested in the lives and well-being of his students, and he forms close relationships with many of his students because he says it will help them succeed.

“I believe that being close to all students is the only way for them to enjoy whatever I am teaching,” Babu said. “I normally use that opportunity to give them hope. I believe this closeness makes the student feel at ease in a subject that is pretty new to them.”

Seth Ramsey, a senior in history, said Babu comes across as a teacher who really cares about his students.

“It’s nice to have a teacher that actually knows your name and cares about your success in their class,” Ramsey said. “He’s always willing to help you with the course both inside and outside of class.”

Amber Louck, a senior in excercise science, said although she has not seen Babu in a year, she still talks about him all the time.

“I remember a time when I missed a class and I went to his office at lunchtime to see him, and he took me out to the Union for lunch,” Louck said. “He was just a really nice guy.”

Louck also said she remembers how dedicated Babu was to making sure every one of his students understood a concept before he moved on to a new topic.

“He took his time to teach everyone; I actually learned something in that class that stuck with me,” Louck said.

Babu is not only close to his students, but to his family as well. His mother raised him by herself from an early age, along with his two brothers and one sister. Babu is married and has two children; all three of them are still in Kenya. He not only supports his immediate family but also pays for his siblings’ education.

He credited his mother along with his wife and cousin for making him the man he is today.

“I can say that my mum, my wife and a cousin of mine have done a lot to influence the trend of my life,” Babu said. “My mum paid for my secondary school education and she encouraged me through everything. My wife has been there for me because she does not raise a brow when I spend money on my siblings.”

Babu is interested in learning about other cultures. He speaks 10 languages, including six African langauges, Arabic, French and English. He is taking German classes through OSU and admits he knows a little bit about other languages.

“I know a couple words in Spanish and a little Japanese but maybe not enough to get by,” he said.

Babu said he is enjoying his time here because OSU is different from where he is from.

“I like it here because my initial intention was to go to a place with a different culture, and this is such a place. Many things are new to me here.”

Babu said it is important for everyone to learn about cultures that differ from their own – when people meet others from those cultures they will know how to treat them in a way that makes them comfortable, he said.

Babu likes to talk to his students about many topics, but he really enjoys telling them about his home country. He hopes to dispel the Hollywood image of Africa.

“It’s not just here, it’s all people from outside Africa,” Babu said. “People think it’s all jungle and savanna – it’s not. We’re not Tarzan-like, jumping from trees and walking around naked. I could show you pictures of cities in Kenya that you would never know were in Africa.”

No matter what Babu is involved in, he said it is his constant positive attitude which determines how he handles life.

“I can say that I am a highly optimistic person,” Babu said.