Off to Africa
I’m laying on the floor, typing on the backlit keys of my MacBook Pro, waiting. In less than four hours, I will be on my way to Pearson International Airport—the beginning on my month-long journey to Africa.
I should be sleeping; but my eyes won’t shut. All I can see, all I can smell, all I can taste, is Africa. There is something that draws me to Africa. Am I nervous? Yes. But that nervousness is outweighed by a child-like excitement. A sense of wonder.
Yes, I will be missing what I believe to be one of the biggest WWDCs in the past five years. Yes, I won’t find about the 3G iPhone or the iPhone in Canada (pretty please) until July. But I don’t mind that at all. There is something inexplicably captivating about Africa; the people, the children, the faces, the smiles.
Music, typing, and waiting—completely enveloped by darkness. I feel like I see the world differently than before. Sure technology is exciting and captivating, but it can’t compare to a orphan’s smile or a AIDS victim’s laugh.
This may sound incredibly cliche, but there are things in life more important than technology. And that is why I am excited—not disappointed—to have the privilege of being completely disconnected for a month. No computer. No Internet. Sure I’ll have my camera(s), but only to capture the life-long memories that I hope to keep alive even after I return home.
The past five months have flown by for me. I started this website. I taught myself photography. And I’ve launched my own podcast—of which I still have lots to learn. I look at where I am today compared to 5 months ago, and see a totally different person with a totally different outlook on life. It may not be evident to my readers, or even my own parents, but I recognize it.
I see the change. I see the shift in focus. And I like where I’m headed. By no means am I perfect, but I feel that I am going in the right direction. And that path leads directly across the Atlantic.
I’m off to Africa; be back July 5th.
