NEW CHAPTER

LEAVING SOUTH AFRICA AND RETURNING AND READJUSTING TO THE STATES HAS REALLY BEEN COMPLICATED...IN THE SENSE THAT MY EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA HAS REALLY OPENED MY EYES TO A LOT OF DYSFUNCTION IN THE UNITED STATES IN GENERAL. WITH THE PEOPLE AROUND ME MY COMMUNITY, MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND AS A WHOLE NATION. BUT WITHIN MYSELF, I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT BEING APPRECIATIVE AND NOT TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED. MY SELF CONFIDENCE AND PRIDE SHIFTED IN WAYS THAT I RENDERED INVISIBLE BECAUSE OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE TO COPE WITH. NOW THE IMPOSSIBLE EXPRESSES POSSIBILITIES IN THE LONG LIFE AHEAD OF ME. LITERALLY IT IS LIKE I EXCHANGE MY OLD SET OF EYES WITH NEW ONES THAT OBERSEVES MORE CONDITIONS IN THE WORLD TODAY...ALSO AS A SIDE NOTE: I TAKE A CLASS ON DEVIANCE IN SOCIETY AND WE LEARNED THAT SOME CONDITIONS AND INSTITUTIONS ARE RARELY SEEN AS DEVIANT BECAUSE THE POWER AND HIGH STATUS THEY ARE PERCEIVED WITH. I RELATE THIS TOO HOW MUCH AMERICA(N) HAS SO MUCH POWER THEY ABUSE IT AND THAT IS WHY MANY EVENTS RESULT IN SUCH TRAGIC MOMENTS. SO MUCH SOCIAL CONTROL TAKES PLACE IN OUR LIVES THAT DRIVES US BIZZERK PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY AND THAT IS WHAT CREATES AN UNSTABLE SOCIETY. UNLIKE SOUTH AFRICA EVEN THOUGH THEY JUST RECENTLY ENDED APARTHEID-THEIR SOCIETY SEEMS TO BE AT A STABLE STATE WORKING TO RECONCILE THE TRAGIC EVENTS. WHEREAS AMERICA WE SEEM TO HAVE LITTLE OR NO COLLECTIVENESS TO BECOME UNITED. THANKS TO THIS EXPERIENCE I CHANGED MY WAYS OF LIVING AND THINKING TO HELP BETTER NOT ONLY MYSELF BUT ALSO THE WORLD...IT STARTS WITH THE INDIVIDUAL AND THEN A GROUP-MICRO TO MACRO LEVEL CHANGES THAT HELP A SOCIETY!!!... I RECONSTRUCT WHAT IS AND WHAT I CONSIDERED THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS IN LIFE INTO POSITIVE WAYS TO HELP GET OUT ME OUT THE SITUATION...FAR TO LONG I LIVED IN MESSED UP SITUATIONS AND THOUGHT NEGATIVE ABOUT THEM AND TO THINK ABOUT IT IT ONLY MADE THEM WORSE; SOMETHIMES GOOD AND DISTRESSFULL. BUT WHEN I LOOKED AT SOUTH AFRICA IN GENERAL AND THOUGHT TO MYSELF "MAN THEY MAKE THE BEST IN EVERY SITUATION" SOOO LITERALLY I TRAINED MY WAYS OF THINKING INTO POSITIVE THOUGHTS AT MY MOST STRESSFUL AND HARD TIMES. OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW. THIS WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR ME IN ALL WAYS...ACADEMICS, PERSONAL/INTRAPERSONAL AND FUTURE GOALS. EVERYDAY IS LIKE I LEARN SOMETHING NEW; EXPAND MY BRAIN AND THE KNOWLEDGE. THIS EXPERIENCE WAS ACTUALLY AN EGO BOOSTER IN THAT EXTENT I FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AND HAVE MORE PRIDE IN LIFE AND ACTUALLY TO WANT TO HELP THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT TO HELP THEMSELVES...I SEE THIS ALOT IN THE COMMUNITY-LACK OF HOPE OR SOMETHING. AS ALMOST IF THEY ARE FOLLOWERS OF FOLLOWERS AND NOT SELF LEADERS. I TEND TO THINK I AM A LEADER AND ROLE MODEL TO MOST PEOPLE AROUND ME AND THAT IS A GREAT FEELING TOOO HAVE OLDER ADULTS YOUNG ADULTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN LOOK UP TO AND REFER TO ME AS A POSITIVE AND INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODEL. THANKS SOUTH AFRICA FOR THIS EYE OPENER AND LITERALLY SEE YOU LATER!!!-LOVE ALWAYS N'YKEYIA N.CHAMBLISS