Cannot Sleep I'm So Excited!

I've been tossing and turning in bed since 5:00am this morning thinking about all the millions of things I want to get done before I depart on Thursday!!! I finally decided to be one with the millions of birds outside my window and wake up with them.

I began packing last night, and it has got me so excited--but also nervous. I had to buy a bunch of kashi bars, luna bars, nuts, etc. for extra nutrition and the times when I just cannot stomach anything else (lets hope this doesn't happen). Staying true to myself, I got really excited once the food was in my cart, and lets be honest this is not food I would normally swoon over. Yet somehow, food has become so intertwined with life and our experiences that it is much easier to imagine yourself in the future if you try to picture an eating experience. I've noticed this to be true in several occasions and it even seems to comfort my thoughts of the future. I am not talking about emotional eating, but instead the ability to connect future events by imagining a concrete, sensual experience that has become a staple in life. And this realization continues to reconfirm that I have chosen an industry (food) that runs deeply through our (and the World's) existence. At the same time, it also brings to mind that many do not have this positive relationship with food. In fact, although my relationship may be positive, one of the main reasons I would like to enter this industry is because so many people just within the U.S. have a very distorted and unhealthy relationship with food. This is in large part a product of the products that most of the food industry manufactures. In addition, many people in Africa have no relationship with food--but it seems whether it is positive, negative, or non-existent, food is responsible for intense outcomes and emotions.

My main focus during my time in Africa, however, is education--in fact I have raised almost $1,000 to contribute to children's ability to both attend school and learn at school--because I believe that education is truly what enables a country to raise itself out of poverty. A population, however, cannot learn on an empty stomach, and this in and of itself demonstrates many of the cyclical problems that belie Africa. I know that I will not be able to solve any of these problems while I am there, but I hope to report the facts and the true emotions behind these problems because questioning and understanding often lead to solutions. I even hope to make a lasting difference in these areas, somehow, someway.