We're no longer an island

I just returned from two weeks in Africa. It was the trip of a lifetime, not only for the safari, but for the hope I felt coming from the people there.

We visited a school in Botswana, an HIV-ravaged country, yet the people there feel proud. They told me they are a "rich nation," and the school was impressive. The students learn English in third grade. They're well behaved. Their curriculum is similar to ours in the states. These are future leaders in our world.

In Cape Town, South Africa, we visited an orphanage, again affected by the HIV epidemic (half the babies, toddlers and teens are infected at the orphanage), yet there is hope - people are pitching in, they have tolerance for each other and are fluent in at least two languages.

As an old codger, I've looked at the USA as the center of the universe. It's humbling and inspiring to see that the world is much more than just us.


Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com