Back Home

I have been back home for about 2 1/2 days now and it has been a big adjustment being back. I have been so jet lagged that I have been physically ill. I think my body was exhausted from the 30 hour flight and an overwhelming experience. I have been falling asleep by 8 pm and have been waking up by 5:30. I want to break this pattern but my body is not cooperating.

I was not able to blog like I had hoped. The internet service in Zanzibar was very slow and I barely got to email my family and friends. I had high hopes for documenting every moment through this blog but, that didn't happen.
I was also much busier than I anticipated. That is not a bad thing. The work is why I went there and the hard work that I and the team put in completely paid off. We had an amazing show, the students learned so much and gained a great deal of confidence as actors, English language speakers and citizens in their community and school. The transformation that I witnessed from the first to last day is almost unbelievable.

I have worked with groups of teens here in NYC and have not been able to accomplish with them over several months what I helped to accomplish in 9 days. The students at the Kiembe Samaki school were dedicated, ambitious and completely trusting. I never heard the word "no" from them. They were always willing to try something new and by the end, were the agents of their own change and risk taking.
As I look back on my experience now, I am completely overwhelmed by my 18 days in Zanzibar. It is kind of like a dream right now. I still want to document my experience but I think instead of it being a day to day record, it is going to be a collection of memories and recollections.

As I try to tie together my amazing experience and find ways to make sure that I can go back every year for the rest of my life, I will continue with this blog. This was only one of many experiences I hope to have working in communities all over the world. I know that this is what I was meant to do. Even when it was hard, it was happy. This is what I want my life to be.