The View from Kenya

I just got back to my apartment after a nice 5-day break from school. I was able to make it back home and see my family and our lovely new kitchen. I didn't even feel like I was in my childhood home because of the drastic changes that had been made: beautiful new hard-wood floors, granite counters, a bar, dozens of new cabinets, two (!) ovens, and even a fancy-schmancy warming drawer. My mother's dream kitchen, I hope.

My ride home from the airport today is, however, what I would like to discuss. For some reason, chatty taxi drivers allow for the most superb of anecdotes. My driver was from Kenya, probably in his 30s. He had decorated his car with terrible pictures of his wife (eyes closed, double chin, just poorly-taken photographs: she was quite lovely) and other relics from his home country. He started with the typical questions: Where are you flying from? Is the weather cold up there? So you go to school at State? What do you study? etc. He was very interested in food science, although was confused as to how that tied into saving the world. I explained my version, and he quickly caught on, though stated that I could not save the world without seeing it. Of course, my answer was that I had been to 17 (I think) different countries and did in fact consider myself to be as un-narrow-minded of an American as you can get. This impressed him greatly. He said that I should get a head start on internships so as to get into the working industry quickly. I told him that I had just applied for three this past weekend. Again, he was impressed.

We then continued with politics, of course, and racism, of course, and ended on globalization. He said that he had moved here 15 years ago at a time where every country in the world wanted to be like the famous "America," and when the American Dream still rang true. Now, although people are still greatly influenced by our country's goings-on, nobody seems to like us. He said that he even had trouble with his own family because he is now living in a country that nobody from the global world seems to like anymore. I Wonder Whose fault that could be? (PS. that was a hint...)

I am glad that I was assigned taxi cab #042 today, because it gave me a little more perspective on life. I am having an extremely hard time trying to determine the first step in my career and unfortunately have so many good-looking options, my stress levels are through the roof. (But at least I will never be a chatty taxi driver.) I know that none of the options will ruin my life, but I worry, a lot, that I might miss out on an opportunity that proves to be "the one" for me. Do I want to improve a food industry company by making them more aware of the world hunger issue? Do I want to start up and/or work for a non-profit organization that is fighting the poverty epidemic? Do I want to take the governmental route and see what organizations such as the FAO and WFP are doing along the same lines? Or should I just get my PH.D. and develop my own way to save the world? All I know is that I want to continue traveling, continue to understand the global problems that I wish the eradicate, and then, hopefully (crossing my fingers, toes, and eyes) the perfect opportunity will present itself and I will lap it up with all my enthusiasm.

Peace.