Monday, June 4, 2012

I survived Africa, but more importantly, Africa survived me

It's almost been a month since I left the United States and visited Malawi. It feels so surreal, and I want to go again! I visited my grandmother last week and she brought up an excellent point about my Africa adventures: Not only did I survive Africa, luckily Africa survived me.
I've learned so much from this trip, and not just about the culture. I've learned quite a bit about myself. It's hard to put in words exactly how I've changed since this trip, and sadly some of those feeling shouldn't be mentioned over the Internet. From the looks of it, I'm definitely more grateful for the little things in life, such as cold milk, hot showers, and Internet.
I've also had some interesting experiences that I will never forget, such as: the marketplace at night, being pulled off the bus by dozens and dozens of kids, trying to save a goat, seeing elephants, and even driving through the mountains!
I think the most important thing I've learned is to not judge others by their looks. You don't know anything about someone unless you take the time to get to know them or see for yourself.
Forget the images of Africa you've seen online or on the news. You truly don't know this country until you've visited it in person and have seen it with your own eyes. I was truly blessed to be able to visit Africa, and I hope to go back one day. Until then, I will have my memories, souvenirs (which I'll post very soon! most of them are surprises for my family and friends), photographs, and my blog, to remember the Africa I love.