It’s easy to get lost in the sea of of new information, new people, and new problems that I am facing on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s easier to just put my head down and either get lost in the situation or simply bury my head in the sand. In the first few weeks in my community I had let myself fall victim to this trap. I was so worried about meeting farmers, learning the language, and figuring out how to be a teacher that I had neglected to take in the sights of the community around me.

One day after a hard day of school I sat on my porch commiserating about how the day went and looked up around and thought to myself, “Well it is a nice day, maybe it’s time to start running again.” I finally pulled out my running shoes from my suitcase, which had begun to to form a thick layer of dust. After lacing up, I trotted out the front door and decide to jog to the dam outside my community. After getting off the main road I ran though the school yard, past a cluster of small farms, and down a long dirt road.

Whist running I got caught up in all of the things that I needed to do and get done. The things I needed to teach, farmers I needed to talk to, and the list of goals I had for the 4-H club. All of these thoughts were clouding my mind until I, quiet literally, hit a wall. I had made it to the dam and hit a small retaining wall. After climbing up the wall I found one of the most beautiful scenes I have witnessed since coming to Ghana. In front of me was the small dam, Sankpala residence fetch their water from, surrounded by beautiful green grass as far as the eye could see. The sun was just beginning to set and casting a warm orange glow on the water. Not too far from me a young boy was tending to a large herd of long horned cattle, mindlessly unaware that I am amazed in how attentive he is to the animals.

With all of this beauty around me how can I get so caught up in the small things? Yes my school work is important and I am going to do my best for the kids I am teaching but I do not need to lose myself in the worry or stress that I had until this point. There are so many beautiful moments in our everyday lives that we lose because we are lost in the stress of it all. Sometimes the beautiful moments are sitting on the porch with a new friend, watching my students play football in the school yard, or losing yourself in the landscape that surrounds the community that is my home for the next year.

Kaylee received a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Chico State University. Before becoming an AgriCorps Fellow Kaylee completed an undergraduate research project that allowed her to travel all over the U.S.