I moved into my new dorm yesterday, and it's super nice. John Carroll needs to step it up, just saying. Then we went on a tour of the township, the area surrounding downtown Grahamstown and the poverty was absolutely astounding. People were living in shacks, if you could even call them that. There were holes in the roofs, if they had roofs at all. But the weirdest thing was everyone was happy. It was unbelieveable, a happier more optomistic bunch you really couldn't find if you searched until the cows came home! It made me readjust my entire way of thinking. These people had absolutely nothing, but they were willing to share anythign they did have with the people aroudn them. They were so excited to see us. People, children especially, literally ran out of their houses when they saw us coming just to have us take a picture with them or to hug us or to just talk with us. It was absolutely mind-blowing. All I could do was stand there in awe of what was going on around me. Words couldn't even describe the feelings that were going through me. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry or to sing or shout, I had no logical reaction for what was going on around me. There they were in such poverty, with no way to overcome it and they were happier than almost every American I have ever met who has at least 100x more than these people. It was tough to see but it gave me so much hope to see that they weren't giving up and that I shouldn't either.
Anyways, classes start tomorrow morning, and more students are starting to arrive on campus. Stay happy and stay positive!!
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