Since that experience at the Dubai Airport I have spent much of my day reflecting on what had happened to me in my last two years. It's hard to believe sometimes that all of that has passed, waking up to donkeys and chickens is just an afterthought. Now it's back to the world of self-indulgence; everyone so obsessed with their Facebook status updates and inability to use a map because GPS on our iPhones has replaced our ability to think and deduce. What we don't understand, is that more than 4 billion people live without these needs and what we think as normal is completely abnormal in the larger scheme of things.
My journey since COSing has taken me on a Kenyan safari with my dad, a four day bleary eyed race to see my friends in DC, and the most lovely vacation to Belize to spend time with my girlfriend reconnecting with her in a way I only had dreamed of but didn't think possible. But the hardest part is yet to come, reconnecting with climate controlled houses, grocery stores, and popular culture.
The way I view the world now is so different than before. Other volunteers always say that the largest impact you will make is upon yourself. Did I save the world in Burkina? Absolutely not. The largest victory I can claim is reaching the lives of a few kids who maybe one day will pass onto thier children the knowledge of self-worth and hard-work that I tried to pass down to them. But what my community did for me- transformed me, changed me -is the true victory.
The next few weeks present a new set of challenges-challenges that I feel equipped and ready to face. Life is an adventure, and I want to enjoy every minute of it.
