Looking back

After flying back to the great USA, my emotions and senses are spiraling all over the place.  It is so great to be back in America and breathe in the clean air and not walk by open sewages.  My sense of smell is returning, since in Sierra Leone, everything smelled the same, the smell of sewage/urine/decay/rotten/smoggy odor.  And the food, never realized how good everything taste since coming back.  After soaking in the luxury of what America offers, my mind would continue to race back to Sierra Leone, and the less unfortunate natives.  Spending 4-5 months in Sierra Leone, it really has opened my eyes.  True inhumane poverty doesn’t exist in America.  Sierra Leone suffers some of the worst medical conditions that many other fortunate countries don’t even face or even know about.  Poverty in America is living like a king in Sierra Leone.

It is really hard to explain what I saw and how I feel while living in Sierra Leone.  Many people can’t grasp the conditions that the people in Sierra Leone go through.  Maybe the only way to fully comprehend the conditions is to experience it firsthand.  Sometimes I question if people even care about the environment that other people suffer through.  As if people don’t want to look, because in doing so, they will feel guilty about their own lifestyle.  However, at the same time, maybe people aren’t willing to adjust their lifestyle in order to help people, because they are more concern about their 'wants', instead of other people 'needs.' 

The last thing I want to be is judgmental when I arrive back home, instead, I want to continue to help the less unfortunate and be content with everything I have.  I want to appreciate the gift of life, and continue to grow in my Christian faith.  Its been an amazing journey, something that will shape the rest of my life.

When not extracting teeth, I extract trash and barnacles away from the filters underneath the ship.  The clearity under water isnt all that great either.