"Africa smiled a little when you left. 'We know you,' Africa said. 'We have seen and watched you. We can learn to live without you, but we needn't yet.' And Africa smiled a little, when you left. 'You cannot leave Africa,' Africa said. 'We are always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in the currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; our drumbeats counting out your pulse; our coastline the silhouette of your soul.' So Africa smiled a little, when you left. 'We are in you,' Africa said. 'You have not left us yet.'" -Anonymous

Two weeks ago I was hanging out with my boyfriend, him playing his new video game and I scrolling through Facebook. I saw that one of the men from NVS (one of the organizations I went through to get to Kenya) was having his birthday. It lead me to NVS's Facebook page which I scrolled through for a long time, showing pictures to my boyfriend (who I was trying to talk into coming with me for a second trip). One that page is where I found the above quote and started to tear up, in fact I started to tear up in the middle of an academic building while copying it into the article. This quote is not the reason I'm going back, I decided over a month ago that I would be going back in 2017 and about four months ago I decided to lead my own group in 2018. This quote did strike something with me though. And while it feel as if I have not left yet, I have yearning to get back and here's why.

There is more work to be done. I feel it deep in my soul that there is more work for me to do in Kenya. I know there will be a time when that is not true, but that is not yet. I feel that I can do better and I want to do better. I spent three weeks volunteering at Gihon Women's Empowerment Centre in Kitengela, Kenya. I (along with an amazing group of five other ladies) taught women of all ages, played with many kids, helped to make jewelry which they sell to support themselves. But there are more women for me to teach, more children to play with, and more changes to be made. I'm not trying to "fix" an entire community nor am I expecting that. I just want to serve my full time to this community and I believe I have yet to do that.

I have more to learn. Anyone who travels will tell you that you learn something while you are gone. Something about yourself; something about the place you are at; something about the people you are with; something about your home. In fact, there's a famous quote in travel community and elsewhere that says "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." -Unknown. Anyone who volunteers will tell you that you learn something while you are volunteering. Something about yourself; something about the place you are at; something about the people are with; something about your home The similarity between traveling and volunteering is amazing and when you combine those things you learn something. As much as my main purpose is to help others, I still want to learn. If you travel and volunteer and don't learn something, you are doing it wrong.

I want others to see what I saw. I want to show friends, family, and strangers what it is like. I want them to want to help like I do for a number of reasons. One is to get more help to people who need it and to help their lives. The other is because of the affect that traveling and volunteering can have on the person volunteering. I want people to come back to their home and talk about it. That's how things change and get better. The media makes huge impacts on movements just by how and how often they talk about something. People can do that too. This is why I will not be traveling alone this time, my boyfriend is coming with to do a separate project.

It has become a part of me. Travel has become a part of me. Helping people has always been a part of me and it has grown even more. Helping others is my biggest passion project and I believe everyone should follow their passions. I know many people will think it crazy to give up my time and money to help others (I've had people tell me it before) especially if the people I'm helping in another country (which is ridiculous). For those who think it's crazy, this is not the only way my passion project manifests itself. It is one of the ways , however, and I will always give up my time and money to help others.

I am a global citizen. The Global Citizens' Initiative defines a "global citizen" as "someone who identifies with being part of an emerging world community and whose actions contribute to building this community’s values and practices.” From the time I could grasp this concept, I have thought of myself as a part of the global community. In the airport last May, someone asked me about my trip and then shamed me for going to Africa to help my community instead of going to the poorer US communities. I was baffled because the people in Kenya are just as much of my community as the people she was talking about. I watch a TEDTalk last week that opened my eyes. I learned I am part of a large but unique group of people who consider themselves "global citizens."

I have a family there. No, I don't have any biological family members there, but I do have family there. I am attempting to live and work where I did last year because of that connection. Agnes, who runs the Centre, and I text at least once a week. Now she's helping me plan my 2018 trip so sometimes it's about that but most of the time it's just catching up and talking. Lucy, who I lived with, and the women I worked with at the Centre are my family too. I love seeing new pictures of them on Facebook or even looking through the ones I took. I miss them all very dearly.