Life is Glorious

I was thinking I was going to write about this today and after reading This Jolie Fille's blog, I got inspired. It's funny to think about life. I mean what is it? The dictionary that came with my mac tells me life is

the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death

But that's not at all what people are talking about when they say "Life is glorious". To me, life is what's all around. Life is my experiences, my thoughts, my feelings. Life is adventuring and discovering. We are only on this earth for 80-100 years if you go naturally. I don't want to look back when I am 70 and think, damn what have I done for the past 70 years?
You know I do absolutely nothing when I am not working with the kids or when I am not helping people with HIV/AIDS so I have a lot of time to sit and think. Once when I was visiting a school of kids I was talking with this one girl named Rosemond and I was telling her how it was so hard to get adjusted to living here and how I really had to push myself to the limit. I was expecting her to be like, "oh man, that's rough!" or something like that but instead she smiled and said, "Life is beautiful, isn't it?"
It's things like this that make me love life. Things that catch you off guard and make you think. A 15 year old girl responded like that? That's amazing. This whole trip was worth it just to hear her say that to me. Her mom is dying from AIDS and she thinks life is beautiful. It floors me even today, as I am typing it. I visited a poor village a few days ago where there is not enough money for clothes for the children or even three meals a day. All the kids run around with a thin cloth around their waists and nothing else while the mom's and dad's work hard trying to sell their goods and do their daily chores. But they couldn't be happier. They feel blessed to be born in Africa, to have what they have, to watch their children run free without limits or oppression. When I got home that night I was so overcome by all the things I'd seen that I sat down on my bed and cried for a good hour. These people feel so fortunate, and here I am complaining about how I don't have shampoo. I think to when I will go back to America and live in a spacious apartment with two of my closest friends (but not my only closest friends), where I will undoubtedly have a stocked refrigerator and pantry. Where I will have air conditioning/heating, running water, electricity, a TV/DVD player, an exercise bike in my room, a closet full of clothes, a bathroom a share with only one other person, the greatest friends in the whole world, a wallet full of money, and a million opportunities to succeed in the real world with access to a college education. Why did I slack off in school? Why did I blow my cash on idiotic things I'm never going to use? Why did I sit back and let the world pass me by? Why didn't I get out there and show the world who I am? All around me I see the rich feeling cheated and the poor feeling unworthy. My boss has two houses, enough bling to put 50 cent to shame, a different suit for every day of the month, and a staff full of people waiting to cater to his ever need and he is angry that the Mexican government can't get him a visa fast enough so he can go visit there. Rosemond's dad left when she was 5, her mom is dying from AIDS, and she thinks life is beautiful.

People think Africa is ridden with sickness and poverty, but I see much more than that. I see more life here than I ever saw in America. When you come here you can't help but feel immersed in the spirit of Africa. All around people praise Mama Africa for giving them a home, a family, a life. I thank Mama Africa too, for waking me up and realizing what I have and where I want to go from here.

I am leaving for Danane tomorrow 6am sharp and won't be back until Monday so I won't be able to write until then, but I have some crazy news for you upon my return.