I woke up in the middle of the night and my mind could only do one thing: daydream and reminisce about the past month of my life. Whenever you are not on vacation, per say, a month of your life seems like such a long time. However, whenever you spend a whole month with what would become 100 of your best friends half way across the world in the second best tourist destination, time seems to fly by pretty quickly. I cannot believe it is over…

My trip changed my life…for the better. The biggest thing I took away was the value of self-sacrifice to help the lives of others. I walked into a township and sat down with a family for awhile…immediately my host mother offered her twin bed that she shared with two other people to sleep. I was short R21 in the grocery line at the Pick & Pay and the clerk let me go. Our taxi driver, Shaveek(who I could seriously see being my best friend) told me the story of him sacrificing what he once thought was his dream of college and becoming an engineer. He realized that being cooped up in an office working a 9-5 would have made him miserable. Now, he is happily married with 7 children and works countless hours a week as our taxi driver …and loves every minute of it. He frees free, enjoys whipping around the turns in his van, and most important, talking and developing friendships with others. How many of us would sacrifice the money, glitz and glamour of a successful job to invest 60% of our lives (avg. time spent doing work related things) doing something that makes us happy?
Sacrificing the self for either yourself, friends, or family is not an easy task . In Africa, it is a part of the culture. In America, it is a conscious choice. I heard one of my new favorite quotes this past week-"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill. When is the last time we all gave something of ourselves that was not a monetary exchange that truly made someone else happy? Maybe it was a little smile at the man on the street who had a bad day, maybe it was hugging and thanking your parents for all the times they grounded you because you have now realized the lessons they were trying to teach. Maybe it is giving up facebook or your iPhone apps for a week and seeing how much time you could devote to other things. Maybe it was calling up an old teacher and thanking them for believing in you. People would be surprised how fulfilling self-sacrifice really is. “When filling other peoples buckets, you start to fill up your own.” Happiness is a two way street. Love others. This is just one of the lessons I learned from Africa. Do not fear my friends: there are over 100 lessons and obnoxiously long blogs to follow(…though I hope you genuinely enjoy them)

So, where am I to go from here? How can I possibly take the life change I just had and do something about it back in that states?

Sorry for the suspense and the let down: I have no clue just yet. The only remedy to answer this question is commitment, praise and worship, and patience. I know the plan I would like to start taking shape but it is not in control. God is the captain of my vessel that lead me out to the horizon of discovery and safely brought me back to shore to share of his miracles, teachings, and blessings. Whenever I grow weary and anxious of the future, I have to take a step by and live in the now. God will make all things work together for all of our goods.

A great, soothing, jazzy song: if I ruled the world by Jamie Cullum
If I ruled the world,Every day would be the first day of spring.

Every heart would have a new song to sing,

and we'd sing of the joy every morning would bring.

If I ruled the world, Every man would be as free as a bird.

Every voice would be a voice to be heard,

take my word we would treasure each day that occurred.

My world would be a beautiful place

Where we would weave such wonderful dreams.

My world would wear a smile on its face,

like the man and the moon has, when the moon beams.

If i ruled the world,Every man would see the world was his friend.

There'd be happiness that no man could end.

TIA, Kylie