Rafaela Fiallos 2/7/12 Writing and Literature Professor Henderson

Wednesday, February 8, 2008 Pursue your dreams and fight for them this is what my mom would always say to me when I was a young girl. I never understood the complete picture until my senior class decided to travel to Somalia for our senior year. At first, I was not interested at all in going because it has never been exciting for me to be away from home, plus my friends were not sure if they could afford the trip. I had that same issue and it frustrated me every single night. My mom was without a job - a single mom - and I definitely would not leave her alone but one day she said something to me that would change my life and it gave me motivation to go. She told me that all her life she had wanted to live in Africa and help the needy. Also, in Somalia, she found out that her passion was to work as a nurse in an orphanage. She worked there for many years but had to return because her health was getting worse in Africa. My mom told me if I go there, I would see life differently. I changed my mind and I encouraged my friends to raise funds for the senior trip to Africa. We all got involved in finding ways we could get the money to go to Africa. Finally, we had the money and we were getting to have this new experience in our lives. I thought that everything was fine since my mom was excited for me, and her life in Africa gave her a better understanding of life. Having faith in God that something would change my life perspective in Somalia kept me thinking day and night, until it finally happened; a group of my classmates and my friends went as our Senior year trip to Somalia, Africa. We

decided to spend our first week in an orphanage helping the children and spreading the gospel and then we could take the other week off for recreation. My name is Florence Itzel and I am keeping you as my diary from now until I return to my home. I want to record all my personal experiences that happen to me during this time and be able to meditate on my thoughts when I get home. Well, I am an only child. I am 19 years old and I am finished with high school. Until right now, I have been trying to figure out what I want to do in life. I have found trust in my moms advice that nursing is an amazing career, but still Im not sure what life expects of me in a professional role. I am here in Somalia, Africa, bringing a new experience in my life that is going to make me think and challenge me in a different way. At least, this is what I expect.

Wednesday, February 9, 2008 Today, I went to ask for information about this villages history and I have figured out many things. The orphanage where we are now is located in a small and desolate village, where many old inhabitants have lived for many years and have never confessed the myths, legends and secrets of this scary and mysterious place, known as Chupahumanis. No one knows why it is named like this but definitely there is a secret. This orphanage is located nearby the village; boys and girls are sent here when their parents die or cannot afford to feed them anymore, and they are found in the streets. The orphanage has recently been opened in this village, but the curious this is that mosquitoes and bugs surround the orphanage. Many of the children of this orphanage have been sick because of the multitude of mosquitoes surrounding this area. I have shared this intriguing news with my friends and they have been interested in helping me to investigate what is happening and to help these children who are at risk. I began to understand my mothers saying - Pursue your dreams and fight for them and it began to have meaning in my life because I really wanted to find out the causes of what was provoking this. My mom called me in the afternoon and told me she was very excited for me because I was living in the

orphanage in where she had been working before, but I never mentioned to her that some kids have been sick because there is a multitude of mosquitoes around this area. I did not want to worry her but then I couldnt hide this from her so I told her. I told Cecily about my desire to investigate what was happening and since Cecily is my best friend, she is very intelligent and with a strong character, with a great talent of leadership ( I remember her she was the leader of volleyball team in high school) and determinate for what she wants. She is always supporting me and giving me courage to fight for what is right and giving me always words of strength when I feel down and need to hear God promises. She motivates me to be a better Christian with her example. She told me she wanted to be in the future a motivational speaker. Cecily most close friend is Tom and he is very sweet. She has told me she likes him a lot but he tells her she sees her as a sister. Tom is a nice and generous boy because when Cecily told him I did not have money to come to Africa, he decided to donate to me $1,000. He told me something I would never forget I am here for you and count with me that I will be there to help you whenever you need me. Ive always wanted to feel loved because I had never had someone made me feel that way but I know Tom is always been so close to Cecily, that I know he does not see me in a romantic way. Cecily has told me recently that she likes Tom and have to be loyal to her and not have this feelings towards Tom, I think is hard to handle emotions more when your bestfriend is attracted to the same person you like and this makes it worse when you feel uncomfortable talking to the person you truly trust of your feelings. Sometime during this time, I have to have courage to tell her about my feeling towards Tom. Tom looks way to please others and I can see some much peace in his life because the other day I was walking two boys were fighting and he calmed the situation and he is very humble even though he has a lot of money.

I have other two close friends. I have opened my heart to them because Ive seen that they are trustworthy and they are a very support system in my walking with Christ. They actually are twins Clara and Brian. Clara is my close friend and her personality is totally opposite from mine. She always makes me laugh and I admire her for her great sense of humor. She sees all things in a positive way even though life has been tough for her as she experience when her parents were divorced, she was rapt when she was little but her faith is tremendously strong. She told me she saw me as a lawyer in the future because I am always looking for justice and truth. I told Clara if she would wanted to be part of my project seeking the real truth of what is happening in this village and she is willing to be part of my team focus on helping here more than recreating in Africa. She is very outgoing and sociable. On the other hand, Brian is the opposite way, he is always composing music, hearing music and talks very slow but I have learned so much from his advices because he is very wise when it takes time to take decisions on life. He likes to write poems and I think he has feelings towards me because I heard from Clara that he is composing me a poem for Friday that is Valentines Day, he likes to give me things and I feel weird sometimes because I sometimes dont know with what meaning he is giving them to me but he definitely surprises me with his amazing gifts and the last time he gave me 10 books of the series of Left Behind which I wanted for my birthday. I see him as my brother but I think he sees me as wanting not I be more than a friend. I have been blessd with the friends God has given me in highschool which are Cecily, Tom, Clara and Brian. I feel very excited because tomorrow my friends and I will be staring our project with Mrs. Blanca that she is a social worker and also works in this orphanage and will be leading us with the investigation of this research. I need to sleep but I have tomorrow to tell you how everything went with the interviews in the village.

Thursday, February 10, 2008

Today, we went and find out that all this mosquitoes are getting all over this village and producing malaria to many people. They have ran out of nurses and this is going to affect our group from getting to visit other places in Somalia because they have gotten sick and now is not just affecting the kids but my classmates. I feel I want to cry because I feel frustrated of not knowing how to handle this situations. Tom is getting sick and I feel jealous when Cecily is always helping him to put wet towels in his head, giving him water and I am unable to do that because we dont hang with him as much as she does and at the same time Cecily is my best friend and she deserves respect so I am telling her today. Today we went to make the interviews and guess what? Mrs. Blanca has find the truth of why there is so many mosquitoes surrounding this place and she did not wanted to tell us and she wanted to fake she didnt know so we find out by ourselves. I think all things happens for a purpose because I have find myself in this place, Ive developed love for this people and I want to be a nurse and I want to serve and help this kids, because today I saw 3 boys dying from malaria and hepatitis from all the viruses and infections this environment is giving to this kids. I have heard that Mrs. Blanca told the director of the orphanage she want to keep in secret the main factor that is causing this orphanage and the village to be surrounded of tremendous diseases. I am astonished of how this director is handling all this situation and I really want to do something for this community, some my goal is that we figure out what is this causing it, find help and then I want to get some nurse training because I am inspired to fight and radicate this disease and preventing them from happening again. During the day something impacting happened. Tom discovered everything! He shared to all of us the truth of course that without Mrs. Blanca knowing anything. He found out with Charles, the gardener of the orphanage, as Tom interview him , that the orphanage in the past had been before a cementary. We were all in shock and Cecily and Brian become scared and find themselves as liking each other when they began to talk of how similar they are to their reactions in their different experiences of life. I confess this day to Cecily that I

wanted to apologize because Ive been having feelings toward Tom in the past few months and I had not told her. Cecily forgave me and she gave me a hug and told me, I have also hidden things from you and I feel terrible. I have to confess that Tom told me he has never seen me as a girlfriend in the future but a sister in Christ and he has also declared he wants to ask you to be his girlfriend but hadnt had the courage to tell you. So I asked her, Is that why he donate money for me to come to this trip?. Yes, is his way to say to you how much he loves you, Cecily respond. I was in shock and did not know what to say so I just hugged her. Then we sat and find ways to fundraise money and get medicines to this village. Brian and Cecily worked in sending emails to ask for help. During that day I saw Brian different with me and getting more along with Cecily. Tom and I worked the legal and medical area. Clara ask for help to her parents as they are part of the founders of the orphanage we were. Next day, Tom parents that are lawyers know lawyers of Somalia and his friends came and they put in prison to Mrs. Blanca and the director of the orphanage for being negligent towards all the things were happening and giving bad salaries to the nurses and teachers that worked in the orphanage. Clara parents decided to find a new location for the orphanage and hired my mother to be the one in charge of the nurses and health program. I was excited because until this day, I felt productive and feeling that I was pursuing my goals with passion and solving problems that would impact Somalians lives and rescue them from death. My mom decided to come and I waited for her and she told me she was going to come in Valentines Day. Everyones parents were working as a team as we as best friends we also were working hard for this new orphanage for the benefit of the community. February 14, 2008

I am so excited, I have waited for this day for so long and it is here and I have so much to tell you! Today has been the best day I have ever experienced in my entire life. I had not written you because we as a team had to dismiss the group that came just for recreation to the airport and only my best friends: Cecily, Tom, Brian and Clara as a team have stayed to finish resolving the problem of pollution and diseases of this area, because it really it has touched our hearts. I have been very busy but now Ill tell you how this beautiful day went. My mom came and she has decided to live her which was one of her dreams in life. Then, Cecily has told me she now loves Brian and she wants to study with him something oriented with missions trips and leadership because they have enjoyed a lot this experience and have got in loved with the country. Clara wants to go back to the states to study Public Relations and she wants to come back just for short missions. Tom proposed me to be her girlfriend in Valentines day and I just remember his beautiful voice when he said to me this words when I knew him which are going to be stuck in my head forever: I am here for you and count with me that I will be there to help you whenever you need me. Today he repeated those words but he ask me first what it meant to me have him as a friend and I said, It has been the best experience in my life being able to come with the help of a generous heart you made a way so I could come here and discover what is my purpose and ministry in life, you have contributed to change my life with your generous heart and know I would love you continue doing that but not as a friend but as my boyfriend. He kissed me and embrace me with a tenderness that is indescriptible. He said with conviction he wanted to have me as the mother of his children and he wanted to get old along with me. I started to cry and we began to pray and that day I saw myself confident that God had brought me with a purpose to the trip of Somalia not just to find my true love, strength my friendships, contribute to the communitys health but overall finding myself in the future serving others as a nurse. I knew that day what ministry God had called me for and I was sure I was passionate to fight it for. Tom decided he wanted to study to be a lawyer and I encourage him

that in Jesus everything is possible and I reaffirmed him that even though is 21 to start college, Never is to late to fight for what is important, and he smiled me and kiss me with a passion love and care. The End