Even the Same things are Different

7 days until I leave...

Wow everyday I wake up and it come closer to the time for me to leave. I can't believe it. Even I'm starting to think that this is slightly ridiculous, only slightly though. Like I stated before, this makes more sense than anthing I've done in the past two years. It probably wont hit me till I step out of the airport onto african soil again. It's going to sound odd, but the feel of everything over there IS different. I don't mean the obvious things; food, people, culture, radio, television, religious beliefs, customs, etc. It's the things that seem so commonplace all around the world. The way the sun beats down on your face, the way the water feels as you cup your hands, and the way the wind blows back your hair. Besides the people and culture, those are the things that I miss about Africa. Taking those split-seconds to realize your senses aren't wrong; that something is aloof; and that nothing feels, smells, sounds, tastes, and looks the same.

My main fear/concern about living in l'Afrique for 3 months is the language barrier. For those of you that are unaware african nations don't speak only african tongues and dialects. The majority of Africa has a national language that is common in other parts of the world. The majority of countries in West Africa (where I'll be) are francophone countries. Although the population of the country does speak their tribal language, they also learn to speak french (or English in some countries and also Portuguese in a couple others). Once again America is falling behind the rest of the world in the language department. It really is sad and is something that everyone always talks about, but we need to get on the ball of making learning at least one other language a priority.

Yesterday I was in the car for an extended period of time, 5 hours to be exact. Well I wasn't in control of the radio (you know the "if you are the driver, then you get to control the music" rule/law) and this one song came on at least 5 times in that five hour period. By the the 3rd time this song came on I got the gist of the lyrics and motif behind it (didn't particularly like the song, to each his/her own though). It's an interesting concept, and I'd like to think that I tend to at least try to live like I am dying everyday. At times, I catch myself slipping on this concept and have to reel myself back in. Life is way too short not to live that way. The second all of us are conceived by our parents we start the end game clock. Only God knows when the time is up, and so we are all at a disadvantage. SO at the end of the day we should all be able to say to ourselves, as we stare up at the ceiling fan while we lay on our backs, "Hey if I don't wake up from my bed tomorrow, at least I know I gave the past X amount of years my all." So tell that girl at the bar, "You're gorgeous" (and when she doesn't hear you; don't get discouraged and say "Hey, I just want you to know you're beautiful"). Go for that promotion that everyone told you, "you'll never get it". Run that race that everyone scoffed at you for even bringing up. Apply to that Grad School that is a "stretch". Do the things that you never would do, because you never know if you will get the opportunity to do them. When I look back at my last bit of time with her, I think that's the way that life was lived. Did the news that we all got in May make her do it, probably. Did that life live that way before that, maybe not. However, through her, I am living my life that way before I get that phone call or test back. I don't want to lose any more seconds of any more days in the years I have left...A wiser man than myself has told me this a thousands times and I can't argue with it:

"You miss a 100% of the shots you don't take..."

Song of the Moment: Suspended in Gaffa - Ra Ra Riot