As the days turned to week each of our individual friendships grew. I could talk to a woman named Beth about things that I would never tell my grandmother or even majority of my cousins. We all ate together, cleaned together, and encouraged each other through the hard labour of working on a farm. By the time we commenced going our own ways everyone was a little sadden but we all knew it was time to continue on our separate journeys. Even if we are all going separate ways I will always remember Timo’s energy, Nick’s soul, Beth’s openness, Jake’s playfulness, Helen’s mind, Patricia’s spunk, Maeva’s kindness, and Hatem’s humor. I grew close to them in two weeks that I acknowledge them all as apart of my village —my world family.
I have asked you what a village is, now here’s the real question: Who do you consider to be apart of your village? This question stumped me for a while. Is it my blood relatives? Would it be the wives my brothers marry? Would it be close friends I have met on my travels and in the military? Who would I consider to be apart of my village? An a few days later the answer came to me. The people I consider to be apart of my village are the people who help me towards my future, the people who accept my beliefs, the people who make me a diverse, strong, and positively energizing human being. This is what I believe a village is, what do you you believe?
The first person we talked to was a young woman named Patricia. She played cards with me and my brothers, talked to us about random topics, and gave some of the strangest yet intriguing food advice. Patricia and my family instantly had a connection; she was a bright spirited person. Once we made friends with Patricia the rest of the camp members where easy to talk too. One by one most of them became adequate friends.