new media and society blog 3

            What a lot of people do not know about me is that I'm not really here. My body may physically be in the United States of America, but where I really want to be is back in Uganda Africa, where my heart is. In 2008, when I was eleven years old I embarked on a mission's trip for three whole weeks. It was during the dry season of the year, so it was incredibly hot. I worked at an organization that took in children that needed health care and a place to go while their parents were trying to somehow make a living at a school the foundation had set up to teach them a type of trade that would allow them to make some kind of living, no matter how small it was.
            While some parts of the trip put me in a place completely out of my comfort zone, it was an experience I will never cease to miss. I miss the little lizards instead of the typical daddy-long-legged spiders we find on our ceiling in America, and I miss the simplicity of a life where everyone works together to take care of each other. In America we live in a lifestyle where we want everything immediately, at the snap of our fingers. In Uganda, everyone is grateful just for what they have. Everyone smiles, no matter what their circumstances and no matter who you ask, "How are you?" the response will always be, "I'm fine." even if they are not. It was the most selfless place I've ever experienced.
             Even though the people I was there to help had absolutely nothing, they gave me something. They gave me a feeling of happiness and joy that no matter what the circumstance or place in life you're in, you can never let the situation take you over, and choose to be happy anyways. Dancing with these people, laughing, running in the street like a crazy person, or "Mazungu" which means crazy white person, gave me the most happiness I'd ever felt. I was happy to help them, and help them with their hygiene, and just loving them because they were so genuine. I heard crazy stories of survival, and stories from witch doctors that changed their life around to reach a brighter area of life.
     I miss the weather, the content lifestyle that these people share even though they have nothing, verses in America where everyone simply strives to attain more of the most expensive brands of clothes, cars, the largest houses, etc. Africa taught me a lot and there is not a day that goes by that I don't wish that I could drop everything and move there. The happiness I felt of being around a happy group of people, brought me more than I could ever describe. I want to go back someday, maybe permanently, it's a dream of mine, but regardless of what happens, Uganda will always have a huge piece of my heart.