I began my first college summer with a trip and experience that I can only describe as extraordinary.
Three days following my arrival home after finals I boarded a 5:00 a.m. flight out of my hometown, thus beginning my two-week journey to and through East Africa. I had never been out of the country and when I would talk to people about my upcoming trip I'm sure it seemed I lacked the expected excitement. But possibly that was because I really didn't know what to expect. I had nothing to which the trip could be compared to for me to know what it might be like.
On my trip, I visited three countries: Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. Each was different, and each carried its own story. There were moments of fear that turned into thrilling memories. Moments of complete shock. And the most humbling moments and those to put me in my place.
By put, in my place, I mean that these two weeks made me realize how much more is out there. I was in the center of the Serengeti surrounded by animals that I had never seen, even some I hadn't known existed. I saw lives and a style of living completely different from my own as we drove the streets of Rwanda and visited a village in Uganda. I was given a small glimpse into the horror the small nation of Rwanda experienced only 24 years before. All of this while still seeing the great natural beauty that has yet to be burdened by the extended arm of humankind.
It would be easy to share the day by day stories, which I love to tell. But the more I repeat them the more I realize what an irreplaceable experience this was, which goes beyond the daily events. These realizations came through precious moments.
I saw them in the smiles of the children I met in Uganda. I felt them in the shocking and terrifying minutes of a standstill as our car wandered upon thirty some elephants crossing the lone road leading us back to camp. I heard them in the humbling and sincere words from a genocide survivor as he reminded me that it's "up to us to make sure it doesn't happen again" and reminding me also that "we need to show love."
Rather than being in constant contact with friends and family at home I was instead given the chance to live in the moment and was able to focus on so much more that may have otherwise been clouded by my overuse of snapping and other postings (something I made up for when I did have service).
Without overlooking the features of the continent, I will say that this trip was so much more than seeing the exotic animals and the remarkable scenery of Africa. Instead, it was a trip where I could step out of my comfort zone, parts of my comfort zone I didn't even know existed. It showed me how much I have the opportunity to see in this world. It revealed that the world is vast, full of stories and people to share those stories.
It is my intention to take this experience as a reminder. A reminder of the bigger things in this world, a reminder to test the zones of comfort, and a reminder to take each moment to learn.
