It simply can't end here

These past few mornings I’ve been waking up to either memories created in Kenya, or me speaking the little Swahili I learnt while over there. Despite me physically being in Texas, I have not yet landed in North America - and rightfully so, as Kenya was truly an eye-opening and life-changing event for me. This is not say that I am now living my life completely different, because I am not – or at least not yet; rather, I have never experienced travel like that, nor have I learned lessons such as the ones I experienced.

Since being back in a consumerism capital, I’ve felt overwhelmed by all the redundant choices that surround us all. While being in a bike store the other day, and looking at all the smallest parts in packages from all different name brands, I caught my self asking: why do we complicate our lives so much by having all this ‘stuff’? I was thinking about how the many Kenyan’s we spent time with are content with their life just as it is, and without all the ‘stuff’ we so easily take for granted. Although they may change some circumstances surrounding the safety of their daily routines, their smiles and hearts are just as big as ours, if not bigger.

This world is complex, and as Emily G. said it best at one of our first group meetings, the lottery of birth is perplexingly unfair. How did I end up with the privilege of being able to come and go to countries at my leisure, while always returning to my comfy home of abundance and ease?

It’s the lottery of birth that drives me towards a life of service. I partly feel as though I, as someone who has won a fair share of that lottery, should dedicate time and action to those who occupy the bottom part of that lottery. The truth is that this world is extremely interconnected and global – we share everything from the burden of financial debts and crises, and the need for love, family and true connection.

Kenya reinvigorated this picture for me, and has realigned me with my passion for people. Kenya also taught me that real solutions come from listening to those in need, and from there, working towards appropriate sustainable long-term solutions with locals and link-minded people is the way forward. The power of many is indestructible and Kiberia now has a new Community Centre to prove it.

With each person I speak to about my experiences, I find myself explaining many different events and all the many ‘take-aways’ that I am finally filtering through. Kenya is still unraveling itself in front of me, and with each day that passes me by, I am learning more about my self, my future and my realities – and it is with the help of those I met on the Seva Safari trip, that I am growing into a more experienced, more aware and more intentional person. Thank you from the bottom of all that I am for the Seva Safari 2011 trip, and for all friendships made.