Moment of Reflection

Been a long time since I've written, no? Not to worry, I've only been losing myself in the continuous pleasure of living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world! Playing tourguide to three tour groups in a row (first, my dear Mom, aunt, and grand-mother; second, two of my favorite Austrians; and third, one of my best friends flown in from Sevilla) has only deepened the connection I feel with Valencia...and given me kind of a confidence boost on how much I can find in Valencia.

(Maybe I CAN pay attention and take photos at the same time, Professor Valle!)

Many have asked if I ever want to leave. It's so tempting, when sitting in the grass under the sun with a banjo playing near you, to just imagine a chill life as a churro seller in Spain. And to think I thought the US was cool! Forget it, I'm going Spanish. What could be better?

And then, thanks to my friend's e-mail, I finally watched the KONY 2012 video.
(For the few of you who have an awkward I'm-not-on-the-bandwagon look on your face, here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc. You're welcome!)

If you don't have 29:59 minutes to spare out of your day to watch, this video is the epitome of what our generation, regardless of nation/origin, can do. Invisible Children is raising a war for peace, to stop Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, from continuing his 20 year streak of abducting, raping, killing children in Uganda. It all started because a small group saw a possibility for change, coming not from the top of the food chain, but from the people. All KONY 2012 needs is for the news to spread.
We are all interconnected (we spread gossip, party notices, and prof pics faster than I can fly home), but it moved me to tears to see that we can also use this global connection to spread awareness, hope, and movement.
This is the country I come from? No, this is the world I live in. This is the generation I am a part of. The one that sees, plans, and acts to help, not in self-defense but in proactive search for change. Out of all the joys of experiencing a "new" country, developing a "new" identity in Spain, the joy of seeing that it is the GLOBAL community that is bonding together in this new future gives me hope, for so many things. KONY 2012!

I'm not saying I won't end up selling churros, or living in Spain, but how great it is to know we all, somewhere at the basis of ourselves, are willing to move in symbiosis to better the entire, boundary-less world. This is the future I want.

Besos,
Roxy