Sweetest Summer Job Ever

Well...my sweetest volunteer job ended alittle while ago and now I'm just back to my regular job.

I am back in Canada. It is a nice feeling to drive my car again...but that might be where the good stops....okay that's dramatic, but I miss Zambia! Of course Regina is comfortable and familiar and there are tons of great people and life is convenient....but it just isn't Africa. I love Africa with all of its inconveniences like road blocks, pot holes, pick pocketers, power outages unairconditioned buildings, and slow internet. Those things are so surface and are barely noticed among the beautiful smiles, kind gestures, frequent hand shakes, boistrous laughs, warm greetings, colourful materials, and sacrificial lives. That is the real Africa.

Africa is about its people and the exemplary lives that they lead. I know that my North American self is easily hung up on surface things. How do I keep my 'Africa attitude' in Canada? I get in a rush, and soon my beloved schedule becomes more important than the people around me each day. How is that possible?

As I have been settling back into life here I have spent much time reflecting on the events of this summer. I find myself just being thankful for many things....
- the opportunity that I had to go and help
- sharing that experience with matthew and alisha (and my dearest Jilly again!)
- the many sweet reunions with dear friends
- my sweet life that i've been blessed with in canada
- that my family isn't sick...and if they were that they would be able to get help
- the people of Zambia that work hard each day to make their country better
- the gracious hospitality that was offered so freely to us
- our christian family that stretches from Regina to Kalomo and beyond...
- for drive-through coffee places...i missed them while I was gone (yeah, that's shallow, I know)
- for laughter with friends

I could go on and on...my reflecting has lasted many hours so far! I think that is when most of my learning is done. In the moment when something is happening I am caught up in it...but in hindsight there is so much insight. I am seeing things from this summer that I didn't see at the time. I am learning about people even though my time with them has come to an end. Yes, this is the beauty of culture. This is the beauty of travel.

Through travel we can experience culture...and the lessons learned from this are invaluable.