1. “Give and you shall receive.” I had never fully understood the true meaning behind those
words until our adventure to South Africa. To be honest,I amnot sure if even those who preach
those words unto others fully understand. Coming froma small town in Oregon,neverin a
million years would I ever think I had even the slightest opportunity to step foot on the continent
of Africa in my life. Frankly,at the time, I casually thought that this trip would just help me cross
off one more thing frommy bucket list. Little did I know,I was in forfar more than that.
Immediately after getting off the plane in Johannesburg, I got the sense that this would be
one of the best trips of my life. That feeling even remained when the 20+ of us were thrown into a
van. A very cozy van. While riding to K’Shani Game Reserve,I couldn’t stop peering out the
windows. Whetherit was because it was impossible to sleep with Valentine’s elbow digging into
my side or if my natural curiosity was just taking over, I could not stop looking at the faceswe
were passing by.In a way, what I saw in those unfamiliar faces could be seen in every single one
of ours. At the moment, I wasn’t sure what specifically it was that drew me in, but I knew they
were facesthat I wouldn’t forget. After driving for5 hours (and then some),we arrived at our
dormitories.
It’s not everyday that you see buffalo drinking out of your swimming pool. But to those
who lived in the area, I suppose it is. This put into perspective howclose to the wildlife we really
were. This wasn’t some 5-star Marriot hotel 10 miles away fromthe safari. It was far better than
that; we WERE part of the safari.
Arriving to the Siyakhula Orphanage forourvisit, I had mainly prepared my self for at
the most, some paint stains on my t-shirt. I ended up leaving with more than just prints on my
clothes, I left with imagesof Elizabeth and the children’s faces imprinted to my memory. When at
the orphanage, I remember usspotting children who were at first seen sitting on straw mats in
the shade,seeming emotionless. Naturally,we all wanted to play with the children.But we had
assigned work to do,which we all then started.
While waiting for the first coat of paint to dry,Sherrie, Taylor B, and I stepped outside.
Being the teenage girls we were, we couldn’t help but go up and approach the little ones. We fell
in love with themwithin the first few seconds, and needless to say, we never did end up returning
to the painting job until quite a while after. It was impossible not to love these children,though
they initially had no smiles on their faces,and showed no soundsof laughter, and despite that the
language barrier kept usfromspeaking with them, every single one uson the trip knew that these
kids just wanted to be loved.And that was exactly what we did.

2. It didn’t take long forthe children to warmup to us.By the end of the day,they were
grinning fromear to earand laughing theirinnocent laughs, and looking up at us with bright
eyes. Looking into their eyesyou could just not only see, but also feel howthey felt. We all felt the
love and compassion, and warmth fromthe children. It was as if they were relieved that finally,
someone is making an effort, and that someone out there cared.That wasthe moment that I, and
probably many others,realized why we were really here.
Our trip continued with many more unforgettable visits to the orphanage and the primary
school. Ourexperiences with the kids at the primary school could to say the least, be described as
hectic. I have never been swarmed or trampled by children in my life, up until the visit to the
primary school. In a strange way,it was flattering to see their reactionsto ourgroup. It really
showed the hospitality and theirwillingness to welcome outsiders,and theiracceptance of others.
Throughout the rest of the trip, we experienced a handful of more safaris, van troubles,
uniquely secured snack shops, Kudu stew, plenty of birthdays, marshmallow roasting bonfires,
African dances, sweeping endlessamounts of sand, wild segumas, frogsin the dorm, baking ideas
fromCosmo magazine, and so much more.
This trip, I realized; hasbeen farmore than something to check off my list. It has without
a doubt been the most eye-opening experiences of my life, and every aspect of this trip has come
to show that with all that you give, you will receive in return. We have all given time and effort to
all the wonderful people we’ve met on this trip, even if it was just a mere week of ourlives,and in
return, have all received an indescribable learning experience that we will all take with us from
now on.