See and Feel

"You see some things I can teach you, some you learn from books, but there are things that, well, you just have to see and feel."

This quote is from the book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini (author of the Kite Runner) which I've been frantically trying to finish before I leave because I'm afraid it will be too bulky to carry with me. It was spoken from a father to his daughter, atop a massive Buddha statue overlooking their city of Kabul, Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation.

In all the excitement, the recent onslaught of emails about packing lists and last minute reminders, reading this book reminded me about how important this experince is. I chose to apply to this trip because I knew that I probably would not have the opportunity to go to Rwanda on my own in the forseeable future. Its a kinda overwhelming thought! That all these experiences I need to soak up quick for fear of never having another journey like this one.

While this trip is going to be amazing for so many reasons, I remind myself the reason for my journey--to learn about Rwanda and its recent genocide. This won't be a summer at the beach! My biggest concern is that I won't absorb all that's around me, that I will let once in a lifetime experiences and moments pass me by. I hope that I don't "lose my humanity" (for lack of a better phrase)--that I don't become desensitized by all the violence and unspeakable horror. I don't want to discount numbers. When thinking about the genocide, its hard to really imagine just how many people the statistics are talking about.

An unrelated subject but similar idea, Chris Jordan uses art to illustrate various statistics of social justice and environmental issues. (skip the first part about paper cups, it gets better)

Plus, I'm really want to try banana beer.