it’s the “little things”...

Bonjour tout le monde! I hope that everyone is having a great day wherever you are in the world. As for me, I am still here in beautiful BENIN! My home for the next 22 months. This country is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to. It did take me a little to understand and recognize its beauty, but now have opened by eyes to this amazing culture.

I know that it has been a while since I have written a post, and I really wanted to write a post about all the people here in my life that have made me feel welcome. But that is way too much to share in just one post, so we are going to save that idea for a different day. I think today I am going to focus on a short but sweet blog about a few of my reflections over the past month because let's be honest its impossible for me to write everything down. So as I was deciding on what I wanted to write about for today, I thought about the “little things” that I have experienced in my life over the past few months, and I decided that I might as well start there.

First I propose these simple questions, “What is happiness to you?” and “What brings you happiness?”. Now take a minute to reflect. Over these last few months I have realized that it’s the "little things" that make me happy everyday. I cherish the moments that surprise me, make me laugh, put a big smile on my face, and especially the moments when I fell like I have really connected with someone. In the US, I feel like I never focused on the “little things” because I was always looking at the big moments instead of focusing on the small ones leading up to that big moment. I also think that is because my life used to be more consistent and more predictable with the tasks that I accomplished on a daily basis. Now, I am living life a completely different way and nothing feels consistent anymore. It is truly an adventure, and trust me it has not been easy. I have really struggled here. It’s hard to change your entire life. It’s unnatural for us to change, and it feels really uncomfortable. I still believe that my growth throughout the next 2 years will be worth all the hard days. I also want to mention that everyone has hard days no matter who you are or where you live, so this is why focusing on the “little things” has helped me. When I say to focus on the “little things”, I mean both negative and positive. Take all your experiences and learn from them. Then you can take all those little experiences and lessons and create the best version of yourself and create the life that you want to live. But don’t be mistaken, the little experiences never stop and the learning never ends. One of the biggest things that I have learned here in Benin is to take is day by day. I am always being told “kpede kpede” or “un peu un peu” which means “a little a little”. Even though this phrase is only two words it gives me the biggest feeling of support. Finding happiness in the “little things” is something that I never imagined learning from this culture, but it is one of the aspects that drives me to continue on this journey.

Now I want to share a few of the “little things” that make me happy in my life today. First I have to share about happiness that comes from music. Whether it be watching the kids dance during soccer practice or being woken up on Sunday morning to the sounds of people singing at church or watching Papa Paul (my language tutor) do a little jig to his ringtone every time his phone rings. Those moments bring me joy. Another aspect of my life that brings me happiness is the relationships that I have made. Whether it be having the courage to talk to a new person or finally getting a joke that was told in French or especially when I have a meaningful conversation with my coworkers. Those moments I cherish. Some of my favorite relationships that I have made are with the children in my village. Even though I get frustrated with them because they never leave me alone, and they are always asking me for things. It truly brings me happiness when they ask me to sit with them while they prepare dinner or when they run to give me a hug as soon as I get home or when they finally called me by my name instead of “yovo” (local language word for white). These are the moments that make me feel at home. Now there are so many more moments that I have had, but these are just some of my favorite.

As I leave you, I just wanted to say thank you for reading and following me on my journey. I can’t wait to share more with everyone!