Joel in Zambia

Kibusiwu! (Which either means 'good evening' or just 'evening'... I'll have to ask once I get there!)

There are some twelve hours left before I board a bus that will start my trip that will take me far away from Canada. I'm nervous and scared. My heart races at the thought of leaving. Rather than being completely overwhelmed at times like these, I try to keep in mind that 'things are the way they are because this is the only way they could be'.

I can't say that I own a lot of stock in 'fate'. I like the idea of deciding and choosing rather than having a passive role in my life. That said, I think that action and reaction play a bigger role in the world than just in Newtonian physics. Everything that we do, say, and think now plays a role in what we do, say, and think next. If I choose to try eating a particularly fragrant cheese, I may find that I love it. That experience could lead to trying new cheeses. That eagerness could lead to opening my own fromagerie which would lead to all sorts of other things. If we rewind and I decide not to try the cheese, the entire chain of events that follows ceases to be possible in that way.

But back to the cheese. What would make me decide to try the cheese in the first place? Having tried new foods previously? That could have been caused by my personality which could have been caused by my upbringing and genetics, and so forth. Each reaction came from a previous action which was the reaction of yet another action. 

Keep that in your mind for a few moments. Where I am right now - at this very moment - is entirely defined by each preceding moment, thought, and action. And each of those by their precursor. 

What does cheese and genetics have to do with going to Africa? Well the reason why I'm embarking on this journey is because of every moment that came before it. My choice (!) to go is the result of an absolutely enormous chain of events. Did I really have a choice to go? I like to think so. But really, the decision that I made was the result of that same chain of events. 

So now here I am, sitting at my laptop, feeling a lot less nervous. I am leaving for Zambia tomorrow because everything in my life (and before it?) has led me to this very moment. And why be afraid of the future? The future is just a continuation of this very chain of events. It will be the way it will be because that's just the way it will be! (Say that a few times fast!)

I'm going to Zambia tomorrow. Seriously! How exhilarating! I promise that I will keep you posted. I know it's not the same as actually joining me but I'm so glad that I can bring you with me in this way. 


Kakubona ape! (Good night!)