“It was my sister Erin’s idea to go to Africa for a mission trip; initially just for her to go. It ended up being Erin, my mom, my grandparents and myself going to Embangweni, Malawi to help in anyway that we could. We could not contain our excitement.”

“Where exactly did you go in Africa?”

“Embangweni, Malawi for a week and Zambia for a safari.”

“How were the people that you met?”

“Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. At first, it seemed like people were confused, but once we would wave at them they would wave back. People even invited us to have dinner with them, and it felt like I was at home.”

“Did your experience change you in anyway?”

“In Embangweni the people just had a good sense of what a community should be. I wish that our community could be like that in a way.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, most people go above and beyond to help others and I almost envied their lifestyle. It is simple, yet hard. For example, the towns people have to walk seven miles to get water, but they still are so appreciative that they even have water available. After seeing how the people live in Embangweni, I tried to be friendlier. In the hallways I try to just simply wave to more people than I have in the past.”