The Words of the Olivas Family
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The Words of the Olivas Family |
I'm trying to find some way to put my thoughts and emotions and memories into words, but it's a struggle.
"I went to Africa". Doesn’t that sound cool? To be honest, that's part of the reason why I went... how many people get to say they've been to Africa? It gives me a one-up on bragging rights.
But now... It’s not even about Africa anymore. I went to Africa, so what? I got to see the castles in Ghana, I ate a piece of snake, I went across 7 canopy bridges in the middle of the rainforest, and all of that is all fine and dandy and sounds cool... but Africa now represents so much more to me.
After this trip, I don't even care about traveling and seeing the world anymore. I realized I really don't enjoy tours and tourist spots are over-rated. What I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE is connecting to people, really connecting to people. The people I met in Cote d'Ivoire were amazing. They beat the castles and the rainforest and the traveling. The best part of going to Africa was getting to meet and get to know and work with the people there.
And I don't want to talk about Africa, because I know people are expecting cool stories, and I have some, but the most amazing, miraculous story is how over the span of about a week to two weeks, the bonds of love were formed between people of different nationalities, religions, financial backgrounds, ages, and cultures... and how, in the end, those things really didn't matter anymore. In the end, I was telling people "I love you" and I meant it.
How often in life do people put down their barriers, their walls, their masks, and facades and really connect with other people? You can travel the whole world, but what does it matter if you don't have people to enjoy the journey with?
In Blanfla, even though we were far from our homeland, thirsty, exhausted... we still broke out into song and dance at random times throughout the day. I know that's one of the parts I’m going to miss the most. I realized what joy and peace was over there. And, I guess the part that makes me the saddest is realizing how love, affection, and joy is so... suppressed... here. Over here, we're all "independent" or striving to be, so we strive to be ahead of one another. Over there, we were co-dependent, and it was all about sharing, and loving, and caring... it's not about how much you have or your status, it was about how much you love. Showing off your money and trying to look like you're above everyone... was actually very uncool over there. What was appreciated was going out of your way to help someone else, or working hard even though you weren't getting any reward or payment, or showing affection to children and your peers, or being kind.
In the end, we didn't just build the foundation of a school... we formed a community, a family. And that was the part that was incredible. That was the work of God.
Marie Olivas
GPM Africa’09 Volunteer
Miami, Florida,
USA