In reality since I left school I have learned more than I ever did when sat behind a classroom desk.
Dumfries, for those who don't know, is a town in Scotland. It's a place for the judgemental. Everyone is out to please others. It's a place where you can be surrounded by people but still feel alone. Don't get me wrong it is a great place to grow up, I have made amazing friends and memories there. Even though it was a great place to grow up it's an even greater place to leave. I think every teenager feels like that when it comes to their hometown. 
The first thing I did when I left school was throw myself into work. I loved working. I was motivated to get out of bed and do something that reaps rewards at the end of every month. However, it made me realise how much I want a job I could love! I never want to be stuck doing something that doesn't excite me. It shouldn't be about the paycheck. 
The Gambia has been a game changer. I've been more confident than ever. Before coming here I was hyper and bouncy but confident wasn't a word I'd use for myelf. Others translated my bouncy nature as confident but it's never been how i felt. Here i can sing hakuna matata to a thousand kids, dance like crazy with a skirt covered in bottle tops, a wooden hat covered in beads and feel completly at home. Before I would look at a plate of food and judge it before taking a bite. Since I've arrived here I don't even bother asking whats in the dish before digging in. 
Working in the school has been so rewarding. Especially this one girl who couldn't write or read english at all when I arrived and yesterday she wrote out and read to me 'my name is Fatou'. Ah I could of cried at that moment.
It makes me wonder of what other changes im going to see in myself after all my travelling is over because this is only the beginning. Making a difference is the most rewarding feeling ever. I want to continue to do good work that makes a real change in peoples lives. 
I've really thought about the lifestyle I want when I get home. I want to be healthier, happier and just be me. I want my life to be full of colour. To be surrounded by people who are postive. I don't want negativity in my life anymore. I've turned to God in a way i never have before. I'm constantly praying and looking to his word for guidance. I want this to carry on once i'm baptised. Acts 2:21 says 'and everyone who calls on the name of the lord will be saved'. Well im finally calling out loud and clear and ive never felt better. Being a lover of God has made me let go of things that don't matter. His love has given me joy and refreshed my heart in a way that paul talks about in the book of Philemon. 
I love being immersed in the culture here. I am ecstatic about the changes in my life that are to come. I try my hardest to help others and be a person I can be proud of. I am praying that I will walk the path that God has laid out for me.
I know there is going to be hard times but you learn from every bump.
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