All Wrong...

I realized today that i came into this trip with the wrong attitude.  People would ask me "what do you want to get out of this trip?" and i would give them some answer like to learn about a new culture or expand my worldview, but i had it all wrong.  This semester is not about what i can learn here its about what i can do here.  This isn't even about me, I believe God has blessed me with this experience so that i can do whatever i can for the people of South Africa.  The selfishness of my expectations are what have been causing this loneliness and frustration within me, but i realize my mistake  and is is time to approach every situation thinking about what I can do for others and forget about my own selfish endeavors.

First Morning

A journal entry the first morning at the pietermeritzburg campus...

Its the first morning of our stay here at African Enterprise, and me and the other guys went on a run at 6 am (we were still suffering from 10 hr jet-lag).  Shortly into the game reserve we spotted a zebra in the mist, however it disapeared as fast as it appeared.  Just a few minutes later we were jogging past a pack of them only a few feet away.  As we continued we discovered another zebra as well as a couple antelope.  Oddly enough i felt comfortable running beside these legendary creatures, like it was my natural instinct, what I was made to do.  Others around me did not feel quite as safe, at one point one of the guys began sprinting in fear when the zebra began to gallup next to us.  I believe they were merely being playful and racing him, but his showed that he didnt think them playful.  I could be satisfied with just this great experience of man integrating into nature, however this is just the first morning and there are many more to come.

South African History

Since I landed in Africa it has been a whirlwind of events.  Our group of 55 boarded a buss and drove into Johannesburg to a local hotel in which we hunkered down for the night.  The 10 hour time difference made it difficult to sleep in past five (but i cant complain).  The following day we embarked on a tour of Soweto (a part of Johannesburg where the blacks were exiled during the segregation during the 1900's). Although there were many poor areas i was surprised of the lack of beggars instead of being bombarded by desperate people pleading for money we were constantly greeted my smiling faces yelling "Welcome, Welcome!"  The people there seemed so optimistic, like despite there impoverished circumstance they still hold to some hidden hope that through time they may better their lives.  At the end of the tour we stopped at the apartheid museum.  The apartheid is the racist rule of the government over the south africans up until Nelson Mandelas take over in the 1990's. I was disgusted by the white mans total disregard for the native blacks.  I was also inspired by the story of nelson mandela, he is truly an inspiring man with vision 100 times greater than anything i have ever dreamed of.   I am in awe of his sacrifice for his people, his country, and ultimately humanity.  A modern legend who dedicated his life to  a cause he believed in and never did he faulter.

A Fairytale Life

I am in South Africa.  Just being here seems to have changed my outlook on life a small bit.  Being in Africa was a kind of goal of mine since high school, but i never imagined myself here at 18... its just not real. 
My current circumstance has redefined "In God all things are possible."  I have just done the impossible and it is only through surrender to God that it happened.  I am like a child realizing that all his fantasies and imagination can and will be reality!  I am living a fairytale life, and i cannot wait for the rest of my story to unfold...

Growing Feeling

As time approaches for me to board a plane to South Africa, Ive got this growing feeling that change is coming.  I know that within these next 4 months who I am will forever be altered by the experiences i have there.  I cannot begin to express the excitement i have felt for so long... People have asked me "are you nervous?" and i honestly can say that there is no nervousness within me!  I am not afraid of anything this trip will  bring but openly accept the good, bad, and neutral events that i will face.  In one week I will be in south africa, in one week my life will yet again begin to change!

Through The Eyes of a Child

What if i viewed everything as i did when i was a child? What if i found beauty and interest in anything that could fit in my hand, and what if i found satisfaction in any environment I'm in. What if everything was a new adventure? I want to see through the eyes of a child.  I want to be free of the blinders that age has put on my mind.