Less is More

“Sometimes having more is really less. Take a look inside yourself and realize you’re really blessed” ~Shaggy, Keepin’ it Real

A month has flown by since I started this incredible journey of volunteering in the Peace Corps. So many components of my life have changed, I don’t even know where to begin. Simply because I don’t know exactly which part I find my favorite. But I do know why I am here.

The summer between my Sophomore and Junior year of High School, I was fortunate enough to travel to Guatemala for two weeks on a service trip. My life was changed drastically in that trip. I went there with the idea that I was doing good for them– casting broken bones, filling cavities, feeding the hungry, and building houses. It wasn’t until the end of the trip that I realized what they gave me was ten fold what I ever gave them. The things I did for them were temporary; what they did for me will forever stay with me. They taught me true selflessness, true love, and true compassion. They taught me to live life in the moment, to appreciate what you have, to share what you have, and to give yourself to others. They taught me how to bend over backwards for someone and how to put other’s needs first.  I witnessed their lives with ‘nothing’ compared to the privileges I grew up with, yet, for obvious reasons, discovered they had so much more that I did. Their souls were richer, their smiles were brighter, and their hugs were tighter. They had less, but really, they had more.

Being a volunteer in the Peace Corps had been a dream of mine since the day I came home from that trip to Guatemala. Since then, I’ve been around the world exploring, volunteering, learning, and growing. I turned 16 years old while I was in Guatemala; I am now 23 years old and cannot be more excited to have further opportunities of growth and discovery from the people I will meet here in Mozambique. After heaps of planning and preparation for the Peace Corps, I can never prepare for the way this experience will change my life.

And for that I am grateful.

Here’s to having less and coming home with more. Cheers xxx