Adventures in Africa

I arrived in Arusha late in the night, it was very humid and the air thick. I could not see much while my guide drove me to my hotel as there were no street lights along the roadside. It wasn't until I ventured out the next day that my eyes were truly opened to the many different ways of the world. I come from a first world nation where everything is modern or is in the works of being remodeled, upgraded and polished. Everyone wants the newest model of house, car or phone. Although, it is common that even when they obtain whatever it is they are after, they are still unhappy. In Arusha, however, this was not the case. The buildings, with some exceptions with in the major core of the city, were run down and the streets filled with older vehicles, small shops or people selling items along the roadside, just to feed themselves and their families waiting back at home. Some of the people in nearby areas walk over fourteen kilometers just to work or go to school, they do not get vacations like the one I was very lucky to be on and they do not have all the latest technology we do, yet, most of these people were truly happy. The kind of positive energy that beams from the soul. I will never forget the day my eyes were opened to what is really important in life. I was shown wonderful hospitality, brought into their small home and was offered hard boiled eggs and water, which they pump and carry from a well shared by many families each day. Although they did not have much to offer, they gave it willingly. I was shown then that it is about the small things in life and the way you treat the people surrounding you. They taught me to be grateful for each and every blessing no matter how big or small it may be. What I have now, is more than most people in a third world nation ever hopes of having in an entire lifetime. These gracious hosts opened my soul to the beauty in the nature surrounding them, they joy they found in their loved ones and helping others who were worse off. When I came home i was more grateful than I had ever been in my entire life. I left a part of my soul in South Africa and took away an understanding that I will carry with me for life. My journey to this beautiful country has taught me to slow down and enjoy what is happening around me, to be grateful and to give thanks for each day I am blessed with on this Earth.