The Pitch...

Although it did not take too much effort to assemble my presentation, my thought process behind the whole project was going out of control with ideas. Like I said during my pitch, I've been looking for an outlet to present this idea of ZEEBags in America for a long time.  I was surprised at how eager people were to buy bags, and that gave me newfound hope that my ideas could actually work. I looked at my phone after I presented, and 3 people sitting around the table had already contacted me about helping me make this a successful feat here on campus. I'm amazed at the outcome of my simple, humble pitch, and I'm proud to have been the one to present it. Just the reassurance that people are excited about these bags makes me feel like I'm aiding the problem, not putting a bandaid on. It's a good feeling.
I take this entire ZEEBag project almost as a duty to those women, and to Zimbabwe. I go on and on about my life back home, all the service I've done and all the people and places there that I love. I wouldn't be justifying any of what I say if I wasn't making an impact from this far away. I had the opportunity of talking to the Vice President of Zimbabwe-- Amai Joyce Mujuru-- and we had hours and hours of conversation on women's empowerment over multiple cups of tea on her tobacco farm in the rural areas. Not many people get that opportunity. The topic at hand was such an intense one, and we talked so freely about it. Her being a strong women's activist herself, urged me in later email to continue the work I do with women, and lift them up. In the last email she sent me, she said "Us women, we have to work double the time our male friends do my girl.You know why, it's because we are the chosen ones to nurture people of the Universe biologically,birth,teach and grow them.That needs a heart with immeasurable love."
I'm going to be committed to this project. There are so many factors propelling me to make it successful.
I remember saying at the beginning of the Fall Semester that all the knowledge I gain out of Africa, I'm going to take it back, and implement it there, and make it better in any way that I can. This si still my goal. At the beginning of the year I struggled with moving, and finding device groups that I clicked with instantly, the way I did back home. The problem was I was trying to do service exactly the same way I did there, and that's not how things work in this country. There are more rules, more safety features, more authoritative figures and a larger plan or structure that I had to follow. Now that I've learned how to do that, and service here has become a huge passion, I think I am ready to implement "African service" back into my life. I now know how to balance these two lifestyles, and I know how to incorporate service there into my life here. In doing so, I feel like I am fulfilling my duty, and that motivates me to do the best I can.
Thank you to all the facilitators for such an eye opening experience. No two immersions are every quite the same. Our individual projects were a great way to rap up our events and keep the spirit of this immersion alive for a long long time.