Don't go to Africa.

This Labor Day, I spent much of the day laboring... on a systematic theology take-home final exam. Yippee.

But I did take a study break... I went to see the Constant Gardener. It was great.

And I just have one piece of advice for everyone. Don't go to Africa. Not even for a measley 5 weeks. It messes you up, long after you've come back. It rips your heart out of your chest and plants it in the Kenyan Highlands. You'll find yourself loving people who can't offer you anything in return, and loving a land that's not your own. That's not normal; that's just crazy.

You'll never be able to eat food the same way again. You can't drive by big corporate buildings without thinking about worldwide injustices. You'll catch yourself feeling guilty about things that you never thought twice about before, like the things you throw away that someone in Lusaka would rummage for hours through garbage just to find such a treasure. Save yourself the remorse and heartache.

Oh, and you won't be able to watch movies about how MNC's screw Africa anymore. Because then you'll take it personally.

Okay, consider yourself warned. Back to "structures of existence" and "original sin" for me.