Travel Lightly

The first dose of anti-malaria meds are in my system, my hardly used backpack is filled with clothes, school supplies, a sleeping mat, and an insect-repelling sleeping bag, and I am readying myself for a four layover, eventual red eye flight to Haiti. I love going places, I was, after all, made to move.

A few weeks ago, I was unnecessarily nervous to meet up with a new friend. As I talked to my good friend in Texas about my nerves, he gave me what would become resonating advice in my life. He said, "Natalie, follow the story." As someone who loves to write and loves to go into unfamiliar situations, this advice plucked the strings of my being.

Many people have asked me, "What will you be doing in Haiti?" My most common response is, "learning the stories of the country. Essentially, I get to hang out with the people." Of course, while I am there, I'll be helping in a school, helping out in English classes, doing varying service projects that need hands, but I am going to Haiti to learn the stories of the people and allow them to write my own for a time. I am following the story, the story that is this adventurous life.

I've learned that sometimes the best expectation is no expectation at all. Rather, I approach things with the idea that life will take me, humanity will teach me, and through Universal trust, I will learn and grow and I will experience goodness. Tomorrow, I leave for Haiti. Tomorrow, I follow the story that will begin a new chapter in this life.