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Visiting Africa, for me, is always a beautiful, but hard experience; I always miss the comforts of my home, my city, my friends and my family. I hate having that overwhelming sense of helplessness at each turn and each new issue these people deal with in their nations. However, the same time, there is so much beauty in their simple way of life.
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It wasn’t too long ago that we all lived in mud huts; where we had to hunt and gather, walk for water, eat from our gardens and truly WORK to survive. Somewhere along the means of survival, we in the west progressed, creating unimaginable comforts. Now we can’t go 5 minutes without checking our blackberry or downloading a new app. Do I love these modern conveniences…absolutely! But we for sure lost something along the way–what happened to community, hard work, persistence, and love and being the greatest value? and family? When did it become all about celebrity gossip, looks, get-rich-quick and ADD? How did we stray so far from our core of what it means to be human? Sure, we don’t have to worry about survival, but move past survival on the hierarchy of needs, and you tend to lose focus on the important things that truly matter.
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So, while it is always hard to take a month off from my life and live a sort of “alter-ego” existence, it’s a month of reflection on the things that really matter. It’s a month of fighting those “live fast” qualities that a life in NYC has ingrained in me. When in Africa, I allow the walls to come down. This month of “renewal” is what keeps me going back, despite these problems and hardships we see each trip. The people in the communities we help are a constant reminder of the values I aspire to have in my life, and I am forever grateful for their lessons.
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Alexi Panos
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