Never the same again.

I've been back from my mission trip for about a week now and have just been trying to readjust to being home. I came home to all of my responsibilities of adulthood (boo!) and am milking the time until I run out of money! :-)

The mission trip has completely opened my eyes to so much and it's reinforced my aspirations for the future. I had the pleasure of being surrounded by such passionate and compassionate individuals, including MMI staff, volunteers, and patients. All of the people I've met through the mission have touched my heart in ways I cannot describe. The children were so beautiful and energetic despite being ill. We played, we colored, we did yoga and exercises and we taught them personal hygiene.

It was hard for me to believe people before when they said they felt like they gained more from their experience than their patients did. After the first day of work, I knew exactly how they were feeling. Our hands are so tied due to the lack of technology, supplies, and personnel so we all felt like we were inadequate. We could do so much more for these people if we only had the things that were so readily available back home. I especially felt like my hands were bound because as a Lab Tech, I am useless without better analyzers and test cartridges. I did the best I could with what I had. We just had to remind ourselves that with the little we had to give, it was still more than what they had to begin with. Seeing the smiles, the tears, and the hope on their faces was the real gift. Never have I felt so sure that God was with me.

With all that said, I was relieved to come home to my family, familiar food and a familiar bed. I won't say that the food was not good because some of it was good, but I also cannot say that I lived a foodie's dream. Keep in mind though, my daily menu consisted of rice, potatoes, and beef. We took advantage of the opportunities we had to get into town for dinner. The ceviche was amazing, rocoto relleno was spectacular, and the roasted chicken was delish. I don't mean to complain because I knew, coming into this, that food was not my priority. That is why I was so relieved to come home and have all those things I've missed available to me again. I was pleasantly greeted at the Farmer's Market with fresh, organic blueberries, melons, figs, red onions, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes! My mom's garden was also flourishing with fresh cucumber, shizo, mint, okra, and leafy greens!

Tonights menu: Seared tilapia fillets on a bed of roasted baby squash and baby zucchini in olive oil, garlic and lemon zest with basmati rice.