Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Still thinking about it.

More than two months have gone by now and still I think about Turkana everyday. Since then I have graduated from Stony Brook, and even though I'm occupied by other things, now and then I will have moments when I stop and reminisce about my time at Turkana. When I shiver from the cold weather in New York, I wonder what the weather is like in Turkana, probably warm and sunny high in the 90s. When I brush my teeth and leave the water on for too long, I think about the children and women digging on the ground for water. When I eat my dinners I think about the food that the TBI staff use to cook for us. When I see my hiking boots sitting in the corner and my nalgene water bottle, I think of all the hikes we did. Even though home is as different as it can be from Turkana, there is so much that reminds me of it.

I miss Turkana a lot and when I think about it my desire to travel comes back, and it motivates me to continue to work hard so that someday I may travel again. When I get stuck in daily life and am confronted by problems, I stop and think of all of the happy memories I have of Turkana, and all of a sudden the problems in front of me will seem so much smaller. It is often very easy to blow the little problems we have in life out of proportions, but when I think about the sunny afternoons in Turkana and the fun we had playing in the river and the afternoon naps, I remind myself that there is so much more to life than worries and troubles. Personally for me, traveling is always a life changing experience and the memories and lessons you get out of it is worth every penny. Try studying abroad for yourself, and you'll see how different and better your perspective on life can become.