Before You Try to Change the World, Let the World Change You

I have many mixed emotions about coming home and leaving this trip.  I am very excited to come home to my wonderful family and friends.  Although I have met some great people on this trip, I have realized how lucky I really am to have such amazing people in my life.  I have also realized how happy I am to be me.  Seeing all of these different people and cultures has made me realize how lucky I am to be from the US.  Even though there are many things people do not like about the US, we are lucky to be able to live somewhere where we can voice our opinion and try to make a change.  I am also happy for the mind and spirit I have.  There were many students that did not take full advantage of being the places we were.  Why do this trip to say you have stayed at 11 different 5-star hotels by the beach?  I am happy that I had the mentality of getting the most out of these counties that I could and I feel that I tried my best to do that in the limited amount of time we had in each country.  I am happy that I have been blessed with so many great opportunities in my life.  I believe this trip and these experiences will help me to grow long after I leave.  This trip has shown me who I am and what I need to work on to continue to grow.  Reflecting on this trip I have experienced arrays of emotion.  Yes, it was fun, but it was also exhausting, exhilarating, frustrating, lonely, terrifying, hard work, relaxing, heart-breaking, hopeful, mind blowing, fulfilling, confusing, and so much more.  I wouldn’t take back these emotions for anything.  This experience is what life is about.  I have seen many cultures and taken away many life philosophies along the way, as well as share my culture and philosophies with others.  Through many encounters I was seen as a mere walking money sign, but those who saw me as a person trying to better myself and the world have truly changed my life.  I appreciated their time, thoughts, and questions.  An African philosophy, called Ubuntu, means “I am what I am because of who we all are.”  I think the idea of Ubuntu summarizes my trip and feelings well.  We are all interconnected and it was amazing to share experiences with people who try to learn from others to better themselves. 

“Most travel, and certainly the rewarding kind, involves depending on the kindness of strangers, putting yourself into the hands of people you don’t know and trusting them with your life.” - Paul Theroux

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”–Henry Miller

 “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”   -Ronald E. Osborn