So there I was, on one of the escalators of the gigantic Heathrow Airport.

I turned around, and peered at the girl behind me.

“Is it just me,” I said grumpily, “or is there a serious lack of garbage bins in Britain?”

She stammered and muttered something incomprehensible.

Thinking it might be my Canadian accent, I moved my hands and pointed towards my pockets. They were visibly lumpy. I pulled out a mess of receipts, tickets, candy wrappers, documents, and pocket lint.

“I’ve been here a good four hours, and I swear there’s not a single garbage can in this shopping mall of an Airport.”

She stammered again and said something about “You’ll find it if you look hard enough…”

I just hurumphed and that was that.

I guess I should explain why I’m in London.

A few months ago, I decided I’d like to volunteer with the Global Volunteer Network this summer. So for a month, I’ll be a math teacher for young secondary school children in Dagoretti, a small poor village located in the slums and outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

And the question everybody asks me is “Why?”

I think it’s an age thing. Being still a young rascal very much in his early adult years, I suppose I still have that naive outlook in life, you know? I still have that notion that I’m able make a difference in this big ol’ world.

Actually, bleak cynicism doesn’t set in until your mid-20s. That’s a fact.

And having just completed my Master’s and taken one more step towards that odd real world people keep referring to, I think it’s become more and more important for me to find my niche in life. It’s become important for me to find a way to make my mark in life.

But how? Am I to inspire children to learn maths as a teacher? Am I to devote myself to research and hope to make my mark in the world of mathematics? Or am I to become a professional blogger and provide inane ramblings for the rest of the world to read?

What’s my place in all this? I’m not sure.

But maybe the answer lies in Kenya. Maybe I’ll have flash of inspiration and maybe my life will become clear after this trial. Do you think?

I hope so.

Sorry guys, I’ve got to run. There’s 1 min 30 seconds left on this retarded internet station, and so I have to wrap it up. It might be a day or two until I can find my way to another computer. But I will. Love y’all.