Character Narrative

We've been in classes for about a month now and I was still getting use to the place. Baylor was now my home. I sat there in my Sociology of Medicine class thinking about how different my life was a year ago. I was in high school, trying to balance college applications and having the fun senior year experience. But boy was I glad I had applied for early action. The stress I had drove me crazy, but it was well worth it. I snapped back to reality when I realized the professor had asked me what I thought about the lecture. I twirled my pencil around my long, blonde air as I quickly pulled an answer out of thin air. He replied with a smile. Phew. 
After class, my dad called and offered to pay for my plane ticket to fly back to Santa Maria for a few days to visit because I don't have classes Monday or Friday. Since I wouldn't be missing school and I didn't have to pay for it, I figured why not. I flew in late that Thursday night and decided to hike Point Sal Friday morning. On my hike that morning, I ran into a couple in desperate need of help. The boyfriend had fallen and hurt his leg. I helped the panicked couple and as we were waiting for assistance we began to get to know each other. I had found out that the girlfriend, Courtney, was a fan of adventure and that we had a lot in common. She thanked me for my help and promised to stay in touch. I spent the next few days visiting with friends and family and then I was back off to college.
After being back at school for a few weeks, I was walking around campus when I saw a sign hanging from a bulletin board. It said that if we wanted to earn extra school credits we could go on a mission trip to Africa. I hesitated to call the number. Would I be safe? Would I be able to do it without all of my materialistic things? I should do it. It'll be good for me. I called the number and got all of the information I needed. It was settled. In 3 months I would be going to Kenya with my fellow students. Later that night while writing up a paper in my dorm room, I thought of the sweet, adventurous girl I had met on my hike back at home. I called her up and told her about the opportunity. A few days later she called me and had said she would be going to Kenya with me. I sat there in Starbucks smiling. I was now looking forward to the mission trip.
We all met at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with our passports and vaccinations in hand. We had our single carry-on bags with us filled with necessities. Electronics, anything that required being plugged in, and anything with a fruity scent were prohibited. 12 of us, including Courtney, boarded Kenya Airways for our 18 hour flight. Boy this is gonna be a long one.

We spent the next 3 months educating the people of different tribes on how to stay safe, we learned about their religion and beliefs, and we helped build schools and clean up their villages. I learned more on this trip than I thought I would. I went into this thinking that I would be the one making the difference in people's lives, little did I know they would make a difference in mine as well.