Oh! the places you'll go!

When I graduated from high school, one of my favourite gifts that I got was the Dr. Suess book "Oh! The places you'll go!" After reading the clever words and the rhythmic paragraphs, you really are excited for the rest of your life. You get all excited about all the places you go, the experiences you will have, the things you will see, the ups and the downs, and everything in between. 

Today, we had a mbuzi choma party with our boys. We bought a live goat, slaughtered it and gut it (yes, I watched the whole thing), roasted it over a fire that we made, and dished it out to over 35 boys who gobbled it up in no time. This entire process happened just next to one of the biggest garbage piles in the entire slum. I sat and listened to boys yell and talk sternly with each other (which is the way of life here) while they chewed miraa and smoked weed and cigarettes. I saw all the innards of a goat and felt like I was in a World Vision commercial with all the flies roaming around my head. Kids walked around in bare feet and having peed all over themselves. The entire environment was a huge contrast to everything that I grew up with. 

I never thought that this was a place that I would go. I never thought my feet would be trudging through sludge and I would be hanging out next to a dump with a bunch of rough boys in a slum. I never thought I would witness a goat being killed by boys who barely eat enough in a day. I just never thought this was a place I would ever go. 

I bet my parents didn't think this was a place that their beloved daughter would go. I wonder if they had dreams of me cruising through slums and hanging out with major druggies. 

I bet my teachers in high school didn't think this either. I was a good student with good marks. Maybe they imagined I would finish some big fancy degree and have a high end job somewhere. 

OH! the places I never thought I would go. Ha. 

But God knew. He knew I would be here one day. He knew where my feet would tread. 

To be honest, there is no other place I would rather go right now. 

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.