Just a little Inspiration...

So today as I am sitting on the couch, sneezing, blowing my nose and praying that my cold goes away before my long journey on Wednesday, I decided it would be fun to research some inspirational quotes. Having traveled abroad to a developing country by myself before, I know that it is not an easy transition. It takes a lot of inner strength, independence and confidence in yourself to succeed in such an endeavor. Not only am I going to a totally foreign country by myself, I will be assaulted by culture shock the moment I step off the plane in Antananarivo. When I was in Kenya it was very difficult for me to get over the poverty and suffering I saw in everyday life. 

I know these quotes may be a little cliche, but these I feel like these ones I chose in particular, pertain to my life now and the journey that I am about to embark on in a few days. 

This one really spoke to me- I felt so guilty for months when I got back from Kenya because I fell into these wealthier minorities. One of my goals in Madagascar is to study some of the causes of the world's unequal distribution of wealth. I hope that this experience will give me the skills and experience and knowledge I need to choose an appropriate grad school which will let me follow my passions :-)

~Much Love to ALL~

Oh and PS- I leave in three and a half days! 

Inspired

As I was looking at my friend Elisabeth's blog today (you can find her blog link on the sidebar "La Vita E Bella"), I came across a new blog linky party that she had posted. This one in particular was aimed to get me thinking about what inspired me. Well, the first thing that came to my mind was Africa obviously (I have an obsession in case you haven't picked up on it yet). So, I did some "stumbling-upon" to see if any sites that came up inspired me. A few posts ago around Christmastime I wrote about how lucky I am compared to many of the people in this world living in poverty. I used a personal experience of mine of when I was in Kenya to prove my point. This post can be checked out right here:

http://olivia-roadlesstraveled.blogspot.com/2011/12/and-there-wont-be-snow-in-africa-this_19.html

While I was stumbling I came across this site: http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/

This site allows you to compare your life to those living in different countries around the world. I challenge you to compare yourself to some of the poorest countries in the world. Try Malawi. Somalia. Bangladesh. Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Next time you find yourself complaining about the traffic, what "he said to her and what she said to you." or how long the lady in front of you is taking at the grocery store; check out this site. And don't forget how good you have it. 

More to come tomorrow: My adventures in Canada this weekend (and how I am so lucky to be able to do so!)