I never thought that in my life I would take such an unexpected turn. Heading to Zimbabwe was not part of any plan that I had previous to going there. College was part of my plan. Traveling to Africa was more of adistant hope. Now that David and I have been to Zimbabwe twice in the past two years, I cannot imagine such an experience not being a part of my life. Heading to UNC-Chapel Hill and majoring in sociology, I thought, were going to be what made me into who I was going to be - a teacher. It is my dream. Most of my immediate family is or has been involved in education, so it has always been a part of my consciousness. I even served a term on the Board of Directors of the National Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) while at UNC-CH. The trips in 1997 and 1998 to Zimbabwe were probably the capping forces to the decision to teach young minds. Meeting the students in Zimbabwe has been a residual blessing. Witnessing their poverty, experiencing their joy, and listening to their dreams have brought me to a different level of consciousness, sensitivity, and excitement. There are doors of my heart and my mind that have been unlocked and a world of undiscovered thoughts and feelings have come rushing out. Much of my effort now goes to containing myself. Those students may never truly understand the change that has occurred in me. When we give presentations on the lives of these students and on the highs and lows of our journey to a land once unknown to us, but now so very familiar, I feel as though I have not left Zimbabwe. The streets of Harare remain quite a vivid image in my head. I can still hear the rich music of Bulawayo. Even being thousands of miles away, though, I have the comfort of knowing that I can be there in the speed of my imagination.