Choices

Everybody has to make millions of choices per day.

Getting up in the morning, taking a shower, getting dressed are examples of simple choices which we include in our daily routine. However, we can choose not to get up, not to take a shower and not to get dressed. But then, if we choose not to do it, there will be consequences : we can miss work or school, we can get fired, we can fail an exam … With all this consequences, comes one of the worst feelings ever – disappointment.

Disappointment is related with high expectations and it comes not only from the others, but also from yourself. We are pressured by the people around us to make the right choice, but actually the right choice isn’t the same for everybody.

When I decided to be a full-time volunteer, many people around me didn’t see my choice as the right one. They wanted me to pursue my studies and enrol a Master’s degree. Some said that going to Africa was not for me. They knew that this was a good thing, but there were afraid of its consequences. I would have a completely different life in a completely different place.

For me, this was the right choice. I wanted to be a volunteer, studying and  living in community, so I could help others in Africa. I felt really motivated to make a difference, so I enrolled the 18 months program at CICD.

When I came to CICD, I realize that living in a community is very different from living in a student accommodation or in a family house.  You live 24h/24h with the same people. Plus, everybody has to co-operate in daily tasks such as making breakfast, lunch, dinner, dishwashing and cleaning. When you live in a community you’re part of a big machine : if you do it wrong, the machine won’t work. A community life is based on trust. You have some rules and you expect people to follow them.

Once again, people make choices. It’s very easy to get disappointed. People are not all the same, we have different reactions. We are not perfect. We get disappointed with ourselves. We make mistakes and we learn from them. We find solutions.

A community life is a different life because we leave our comfort zone. It’s different from all you’ve known before. Sometimes it seems that we lost our motivation and our focus, but in fact, i believe if we really want to do something, we never loose our focus and our motivation. Another times, it looks like a dream come true. Sun is shinning and everything seems bright and cheerful.

The most important for me now is always to keep in mind my right choice and never let it go. Of course, it isn’t an easy task; I make mistakes, I make good things, I cry, I will laugh, I ask myself what I am doing here… Nevertheless, I know that if I follow this right path, I will grow as a person and become a better human being.