Re:
I thank you both for your replies. I would like to cautiously advice you guys not to generalize, though. I have to be honest in the sense that as an African male myself, although being one who has lived in the US for 11 years, I found some parts of your responses quite offensive and insulting to my continent. Not every country in Africa is filled with people carrying STD's. In fact, very many aren't. However, when it comes to anything negative such as wars, famine, poverty, under development, crime, STDs and AIDS, the predominantly Western media tend to stereotype Africa as a symbol of all those ills, whereas that isn't the case at all. For instance, to this day, there are people in the US and Europe who refuse to even imagine, believe or accept that Africa has beautiful/clean cities in its respective countries because all they see on TV are the poorest, most remote rural areas being used to represent an entire continent.
Please don't get me wrong, I sincerely appreciate the advice you guys have given me and in as much as abstinence is so hard to do, I probably have no choice but to pursue that option throughout my time here. Plus, I doubt the effectiveness and quality of the condoms that are sold in most African countries in the first place. I just can't afford to put my entire life at risk like this. And yet I have to be honest that no where in the world have I seen so many women of all shapes, complexions and sizes as beautiful as those I've been seeing here in my home country.
Contracting AIDS in most African countries, especially here in mine, continues to be a big taboo. It's very hard for the patients to admit to having the disease because of the stigma. Many times you only hear that such and such a person was sick, it may have even been someone who just a year ago looked extremely healthy and then "boom!" he or she is gone just like that. It's really sad. And part of being a man is to be able to resist temptations. I've been pursued very aggressively here by two or so women ever since I returned...one of them an ex-girlfriend who hadn't been in touch with me for over 11 years and whose sexual past I have no clue about. I just didn't want to take any risks. I've also had former classmates and also some male cousins try to steer me down the wrong path and pressure me to go along with their habits of sleeping around but at every turn I have continued to discipline myself and remain steadfast.