Written from the Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, September 4th, 2010.
As my travels come to an end, and I slowly make my way back to the place I call home, I feel like I should make some sort of reflection on this year. And my, how this year has gone by so fast! I feel like I have seen and learned so much, I only hope that I never forget. And so, what have I learned?
I have completely changed how I feel about Africa. A lot of times it’s easy to make assumptions and assume that after having read all those books on African politics that I knew what Africa really IS. But I think I was wrong on some things, and I think the situation is in some ways more complicated than I thought, but in some ways simpler.
I’ve come to realize how important and crucial it is for people to give, and help those in need. Especially around the world where people are starving, have no access to health care or education, they need help from those that do. I’ve always felt unsure about helping in other countries where I don’t understand the culture or really belong, but I’ve come to realize that in many of these places people need all the help they can get, no matter where you are from. It’s not their fault that they have nothing, just as much as it’s not our fault that we do. Instead of feeling guilty, I’ve decided that something needs to be done, and I want to do it.
Most importantly I have learned how incredible human beings can be. I met so many people who have done amazing things with less money, education, and help than we could ever imagine. There are some brilliant minds that I never knew existed, some of the smartest people I met came from the most humble and simple beginnings, and perhaps will always be that way. Just imagine if they could study at Harvard or Stanford!
I know people can be cruel, they can be selfish, of course, but I saw so many examples of people who were so selfless and gave without thought, without even having much to give, that I’ve realized that people can be good. You can’t always trust people straight away, but there have been so many people that have helped me as well as other strangers, that have shown that sometimes you can have faith in someone you may not know.
I think I have changed a lot as an individual. Perhaps I have gained some self confidence, or at least some sort of independence and inner strength that I didn’t have before. There are some situations that I came across that weren’t always easy, but somehow I survived, and even managed at times to come up with some sort of solution. I can’t say I’ve always succeeded in what I set out to do, but at least these days I seem to be trying harder to put myself out there and take some healthy risks. And now, I think it’s time to continue the journey, to see what lies ahead. I think I’ll take a nap first.
