Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence. Must be 500 words or less, mine is 610. Help please!!
"I love my life, I love my life" Eunice sang as we made our way down to the well. Struggling to balance the small container of water I had, I watched as she effortlessly mounted the largest water bucket atop her bare head and let her hands float down by her waist. "Insanity", I thought, as she walked ahead of me smiling the whole way. She giggled each time I spilled. By the time we arrived back at the village my bucket was half empty and sweat was dripping down my face. She offered me a helping hand in setting the water down. "Med'ase", "thank you, Eunice", I said. I did not realize until later that she would be the strongest woman I have ever met, even if she is only fourteen.
Embarking on my journey to find what true happiness is and how to obtain it, or rather cultivate it, I volunteered at an orphanage in Akuapem Hills, Ghana this summer. Having grown up in a world where success is measured by financial reward and the goal of immediate gratification, I wanted to prove this stereotype wrong, that satisfaction does indeed come from within. It was in the small village of Kwamoso that I began to discover the path to long-term happiness.
After arriving in Ghana I was bombarded with hugs and the open arms of Ghanaian children. One of the girls, Eunice, took my hand immediately and led me throughout the village. Unaware of her actions, she began to uncover the bittersweet life of Kwamoso's people. Tangled up in the pattering of heels on the red soil, I watched as they swayed rhythmically to the sound of Eunice's voice singing a church tune they had heard on the "Jesus channel" in Twi. It was easy to get lost in the beauty of the moment, forcing myself to forget about the neglected wounds on each child's body, growing severely infected with each day because treatment was too far and too expensive. Without running water or electricity, keeping myself clean was a rarity. Who needs a bucket shower anyway when standing next to a half naked barefooted seven year old that smells of urine and stale yams? After savoring a few pieces of the sweetest pineapple I had ever tasted, Eunice called me over to play on the field that she made earlier that morning with the machete. I knew that she saw the volunteers drooling over the fresh fruit but would never admit that she was working on an empty stomach due to food shortages. I held out a jolly rancher in my hand. Seeing the corners of her mouth curl, showing her glowing white teeth against beautiful deep chocolate skin as she picked up the candy was empowering...a smile I will never forget.
If the children of Kwamoso can be happy living without the basic necessities of life, than anyone can. This enlightening start of my voyage to find unmitigated joy took on a new meaning for me and I came home with a new appreciation for my family, and the emotional relationships I have created throughout my lifetime. I went into Ghana economically secure but emotionally deprived, coming from a community so focused on obtaining more and more. Stepping on the plane heading back to New York, I could feel a transformation had taken place. I was one step closer to what Eunice had showed me, that happiness is not found in the external world of material objects. It is when we take a journey inside ourselves that we can begin to appreciate the nakedness of our existence, the one true gift that we were given: life.
Wow, you have a wonderful writer's voice, Roxanne! I think this is really good. I went ahead and made some cuts--see what you think of this version!
"I love my life," Eunice sang as we made our way down to the well. Struggling to balance the small container of water I had, I watched as she effortlessly mounted the largest water bucket atop her bare head and let her hands float down by her waist. She giggled each time I spilled. By the time we arrived back at the village my bucket was half empty and sweat was dripping down my face. She offered me a helping hand in setting the water down. "Med'ase", "thank you, Eunice", I said. I did not realize until later that she would be the strongest woman I have ever met, even if she is only fourteen.
Embarking on my journey to find what true happiness is and how to cultivate it, I volunteered at an orphanage in Akuapem Hills, Ghana this summer. Having grown up in a world where success is measured by financial reward and the goal of immediate gratification, I wanted to prove that satisfaction does indeed come from within. It was in the small village of Kwamoso that I began to discover the path to long-term happiness.
Arriving in Ghana I was bombarded with hugs and the open arms of Ghanaian children. One of the girls, Eunice, took my hand immediately and led me throughout the village. Unaware of her actions, she began to uncover the bittersweet life of Kwamoso's people. Tangled up in the pattering of heels on the red soil, I watched as they swayed rhythmically to the sound of Eunice's voice singing a church tune they had heard on the "Jesus channel" in Twi. It was easy to get lost in the beauty of the moment, forcing myself to forget about the neglected wounds on each child's body, growing severely infected with each day because treatment was too far and too expensive.
Without running water or electricity, keeping myself clean was a rarity. Who needs a bucket shower anyway when standing next to a half naked barefooted seven year old that smells of urine and stale yams? Eunice called me over to play on the field that she made earlier that morning with the machete. I knew that she saw the volunteers drooling over the fresh fruit but would never admit that she was working on an empty stomach due to food shortages. I held out a jolly rancher in my hand. Seeing the corners of her mouth curl, showing her glowing white teeth against beautiful deep chocolate skin as she picked up the candy was empowering...a smile I will never forget.
If the children of Kwamoso can be happy living without the basic necessities of life, than anyone can. This enlightening start of my voyage to find unmitigated joy took on a new meaning for me and I came home with a new appreciation for my family, and the emotional relationships I have created throughout my lifetime. I went into Ghana economically secure but emotionally deprived, coming from a community so focused on obtaining more and more. Stepping on the plane heading back to New York, I could feel a transformation had taken place. I was one step closer to what Eunice had showed me, that happiness is not found in the external world of material objects. It is when we take a journey inside ourselves that we can begin to appreciate the nakedness of our existence, the one true gift that we were given: life
