And Here She Is...

Some days I stop and think about how hard I have been working and when I am going to fit in enough sleep so that I don't feel exhausted each day. So far I have yet to get more than 6 hours of sleep per night, even when the next day is technically my day off. I guess that's what I get when I work full time, am finishing my last semester of school and am teaching dance twice per week.

But today was different. I read through my childhood friend's blog. Right now it is her only means of communication to the world she once new in the US. She joined the peace corps. Andi, the girl who hated bugs and would never have dreamed of sleeping outside is volunteering in Panama to help with agricultural needs. My perspective on 'hard' has suddenly taken a drastic change.

I work hard, I spend long days on my feet, dealing with customers that are trying to nickel and dime me for anything free I can give them. Come on people, you are spending $2500 on a 50" LCD and you want the HD cable free? Really? Don't get me wrong, I love my job and plan on being with the company (Best Buy, for those of you that didn't know) indefinitely. After reading Andi's blog, I realized that what I do to work hard is nothing compared to what she and her host site do. They are trecking a 45 to 50 degree slope where the corn crop glows, carrying manuer on their backs to fertilize and sometimes working all day without food or water. When the sun comes up, so does she, when it goes down, she does Andi.

All this without running water and electricity? I like to think I could do it if presented the situation, but I couldn't say that I would want to. Andi wrote that she had her first hot shower in over a month when she went to town to meet up with some friends- she cried.

For everyone out there, stop for a minute. When you're paying that massive electricity bill or complaining about gas prices, think for a moment what you would do if suddenly the luxuries we take for granted were gone. I know that we don't all choose to join the Peace Corps, but there are people in the world who don't get the choice, they are born there.

I'm not usually such an activist, but it feels different when there is someone living that way so close to my heart. Good Luck, Andi. Have a safe 2 years away from home!