Rethink, Revamp, Revise, Redo....Learning How to Create.

Day four in a hospital in Bolivia and I've had a lot of time to think about stuff. Bedrest is never fun, but after a month of travel, I got hit hard with something on Christmas day. Such is life, and as usual life is an adventure which has it's good days and it's bad.

I still think it's pretty good, I was lucky I was in a big city with access to proper health care. Back at home I would take this for granted, but on the road I have been visitng many towns where the clinics have very little to offer in case of emergency. I am on the mend, but sad about only being able to see the rooftops!

I have so much to be thankful for and sometimes travel is a great way of remembering. It's also made me want to rethink about how I could make a difference in this world. It is strange to

think that in the 21st century so many people struggle to meet the basic needs.

Food, shelter, health care and so on are basic human rights, but so many people don't have them.

Walking down the street and seeing child after child begging is much more powerful then flipping open a magazine, seeing an improvished family and then turning the page. Travel is a great education, but you never need to go far when you are looking for poverty.

My original plan was to work on buidling libraries and I still want to do that but now I see that there are greater needs then books. Libraries are incredibly important but perhaps in more established communities that have the basics covered and a strong support network.

Like photography, there is always the cause of re-inventing the wheel. I am working on another plan but will have to revise, revamp and rethink. That is part of life. You can always keep changing things to improve and it may be a gamble, but it's better then never taking a chance.

So for now, I'll keep looking at the rooftops from my hospital bed and re-thinking, but in 2011, it's time to make a change.

I wish everyone a very prosperous, safe, healthy and happy 2011.

May your cameras always be on the go!

Angela

Photo credits: Angela Ostafichuk.