In just seven days, I begin my 3 month journey to Africa for what I hope
will be an eye-opening and completely life altering experience
volunteering at the Save Africa orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania. Making up my mind has been quite the process (a big thanks to everyone who has listened to me ramble on about Africa for the past year) but as I sit here writing this blog entry, simultaneously eating dinner, listening to music, checking Facebook, watching the Giants game, and texting my friends, I am 100% confident in this decision to simplify my life.
Over the past few months many people have asked what made me decide to embark on such a crazy adventure. Well if you know me at all, you know that when I am not traveling, I am usually planning my next great escape from reality. So to most of you, my decision to go to Africa was not the least bit surprising...the most common reactions were somewhere along the lines of "you would" and "you're such a hippie, I'm not surprised". But despite my free spirit, it did take about 2 years of convincing myself that it was okay to put my life on hold for a few months. It's pretty difficult to comprehend that in just a couple short months, an experience can completely change your life yet the world you left behind remains virtually unchanged. I can't really ask for anything more right now- I have an amazingly supportive family, a ridiculous cast of characters whom I call my friends, and a job that is a little too much fun. So why would I ever want to run away from all of this?
To be honest, I'm not really sure. I guess it was some sort of calling? Two years ago I attended a presentation at work from an organization called Free the Children. I was so moved by the stories and pictures the volunteers presented that I could hardly focus for the rest of the day. I remember my coworkers trying to snap me back into reality but I just couldn't seem to get the images of the smiling yet starving children out of my head. I think this was when my mind was made up. I can thankfully say that at this point in my life my financial responsibilities are minimal, my problems aren't real problems, and I am not starving. Unfortunately, many families in Africa cannot say the same. The simple things we take for granted like an air conditioned home, running water, electricity, cars...are things these people do not even begin to dream about. In Africa, putting one meal a day on the table is considered a win- and this makes my heart hurt.
As I said before, it took a lot of convincing myself that this was the right decision. In this fast paced, ever changing world we live in, it's not easy to put your life, career, and relationships on hold to regress to the simplicities of life that use to be enough- but I think I am finally ready. I really struggled with finding the "right time" for such a journey but as it turns out, there never will be a right time. It's easy to fill the months with birthday parties, happy hours, Sunday fundays, and weekends on the couch catching up on TV so I finally realized that if I wanted to make this dream a reality, it was up to me to make the time right.
So off I go!! Because if not now, then when?
Over the past few months many people have asked what made me decide to embark on such a crazy adventure. Well if you know me at all, you know that when I am not traveling, I am usually planning my next great escape from reality. So to most of you, my decision to go to Africa was not the least bit surprising...the most common reactions were somewhere along the lines of "you would" and "you're such a hippie, I'm not surprised". But despite my free spirit, it did take about 2 years of convincing myself that it was okay to put my life on hold for a few months. It's pretty difficult to comprehend that in just a couple short months, an experience can completely change your life yet the world you left behind remains virtually unchanged. I can't really ask for anything more right now- I have an amazingly supportive family, a ridiculous cast of characters whom I call my friends, and a job that is a little too much fun. So why would I ever want to run away from all of this?
To be honest, I'm not really sure. I guess it was some sort of calling? Two years ago I attended a presentation at work from an organization called Free the Children. I was so moved by the stories and pictures the volunteers presented that I could hardly focus for the rest of the day. I remember my coworkers trying to snap me back into reality but I just couldn't seem to get the images of the smiling yet starving children out of my head. I think this was when my mind was made up. I can thankfully say that at this point in my life my financial responsibilities are minimal, my problems aren't real problems, and I am not starving. Unfortunately, many families in Africa cannot say the same. The simple things we take for granted like an air conditioned home, running water, electricity, cars...are things these people do not even begin to dream about. In Africa, putting one meal a day on the table is considered a win- and this makes my heart hurt.
As I said before, it took a lot of convincing myself that this was the right decision. In this fast paced, ever changing world we live in, it's not easy to put your life, career, and relationships on hold to regress to the simplicities of life that use to be enough- but I think I am finally ready. I really struggled with finding the "right time" for such a journey but as it turns out, there never will be a right time. It's easy to fill the months with birthday parties, happy hours, Sunday fundays, and weekends on the couch catching up on TV so I finally realized that if I wanted to make this dream a reality, it was up to me to make the time right.
So off I go!! Because if not now, then when?
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