“Dude. We’ve got some beautiful people in our lives.”
This is what my friend Colleen said to me as our entire squad piled onto a bus at 5am in Hyderabad, India. We just finished 4 days of travel to 4 different countries in three very different regions of the world (Africa, Middle East, Asia). I smiled at her statement because I really do love these people. Even though a few minutes later half of the bus was meowing like cats… (Did I mention it was 5am?)
Fun fact about me, if you didn’t know this already, I am an introvert. I enjoy talking with people and getting to know them, but I definitely prefer smaller groups and people tend to drain my energy rather than me feeding off their energy.
This whole living in community thing has been an interesting experience for me. First it was just me adjusting to living with my team which is only 5 other people. It was hard at times, the first month especially, but we’re starting to learn more about each other. We’re starting to know each other’s likes, dislikes, and needs.
But last month in Swazi our whole squad lived together. I shared a room with 11 other people and a kitchen and two bathrooms with 28 other people. Meal times were always hectic and when it rained I had nowhere to go to escape the crowd. It was really tough for me. Especially in the beginning.
I slowly learned of secret places to escape to and with time I started to learn how to balance time with others and getting enough time away from people. I knew it could be the only month where our entire squad was together so I wanted to enjoy spending time with everyone and getting to know people on a more personal level.
It was a battle all month long and I know it will continue throughout the year, particularly on travel days, but by the end of last month I developed a deeper love for these people.
It came to a point where I’d be in the bedroom and could hear everyone talking and laughing in the kitchen. And every time a huge smile would spread across my face because it brought joy to my heart just knowing they were happy. We’ll have good days and bad days, but we’re all in this thing together.
These are my people. My squad. And I want to fight for all of them. To know them better and to call them out and to challenge them to become even better versions of themselves. And I know they want the same for me.
I’m extremely grateful for these 47 people who are now my family. I really can’t imagine life without them.
