January 15, 2011

After going to my two classes today and my wonderful two-hour nap, I got to enjoy the ship’s gym and pool.  By the way, it is so hot during the day in the middle of the Caribbean… just to let everyone know at home who is currently freezing, not to rub it in though.  But anyways, ship life is incredible, and I’ve already found something that has moved me more than anything could ever do at home or at my regular campus.  Who would think that on day 3 of this voyage, I would be completely and utterly moved by an opportunity that I’ve been searching for a long time, but just couldn’t find a way to make it actually happen.  There’s this guy on the ship, named Andrew Briggs, who participated on a Semester at Sea trip about 9 years ago.  His story is so moving, and it is what I’ve been searching for a really long time.  He spent a good part of his lifetime after SAS traveling around the world, searching for a calling, or a place that he could help out in.  Finally, he stumbled upon Uganda, which seemed to hit his heart the most.  Long story short, he is the founder of Freedom in Creation, INC (which I hope everyone that reads this blog looks up on the internet to find out more information).  He simply found an area in the world, and implemented a plan to help these people in ways they could not achieve on their own.  He has built multiple schools, helped rebuild water pumps in many towns, which in turn has saved many lives in these remote areas.  I’ve been searching for my calling, and lately I’ve believed that being a part of a non-profit, or not-for-profit foundation would be a great way to start off my post-college life.  Later on today, my roommate, Jake Fitzgerald, interviewed this guy for his job position on the ship, serving as the Communications person onboard the ship.  During this interview, which lasted quite a long time, Andrew listened to what Jake had to say, which consisted of our dream of starting a non-profit foundation somewhere in the world.  His response, which absolutely blew my mind, was an invite to join this guy and his partner in his foundation.  I mean seriously, that would be the coolest job in the entire world, to travel with these guys, raising money for the foundation, and hopefully one day joining them in Uganda to help work and aid these people.  Anyways, sorry about spilling out my thoughts on this blog, but hopefully you enjoy what I’ve got to say!  I can’t believe this is day 3, and I’ve already felt like a changed person.  Peace out world, I’ll be visiting Dominica tomorrow and all day Monday.