This blog post doesn’t contain anything about my volunteer experience. For me to say that I have traveled to Africa is true but the fact is that I have only traveled to Northern Tanzania. I have not ventured up the Nile or down the Zambezi Rivers, stared into the eyes of a Gorilla in the mists of Rwanda, bargained for food at a coastal market in Ghana, gone on safari to see the swamp lions of Botswana, or walked through the walls of the apartheid museum in South Africa. What we hear in the west about Africa is a sad reflection of what life is like for some on this vast continent. I wish to share with you another perspective.

I don’t know if there are any colors bright enough for me to paint you a picture of the spirit of Tanzania. The people are proud. The children are full of laughter. The colors worn here dance through the streets. Thinking back on this last month and past travels here I can’t recall ever hearing a single complaint. I often feel like an elementary student jumping out of my seat with excitement hoping to learn the next letter alphabet, and today, as everyday, my next letter is life. And life here is more alive than anywhere I have yet to see.

When read through you read through my blog know that the children at the Newlands orphanage or at the nursery school are no different than the children you may see at your homeland tomorrow. They want to play football (soccer) with their friends, eat a fresh meal when they wake up in the morning, be hugged when they cry, continue running after they fall over, show off their new shirt from a weekend shopping adventure, and continue laughing even when the sun falls into the next day. Know that they are no different from you an me.

Next time you hear about a tragedy in this vast land just remember that Africa is a continent, not a crisis.

If you are considering traveling to Tanzania, or perhaps any of the other 52 countries, may I recommend taking the time to learn about the people, life, and spirit once you arrive. But let me tell you, once you let the air pass through you lungs and into your blood, a part of you will be awakened. Africa is already in all of us, it is all of us.