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Kou yague dem yague guisse. In Wolof, the official language of Senegal, this means, "One who travels far sees much". As I take off for Senegal, West Africa today to visit my daughter's family I ponder this phrase. Journeys can be internal or external, and oftentimes, both. As we seek to expand our awareness of our external world, our internal world expands as well and vice versa. Traveling to a foreign country, where the culture and language is drastically different than our own, can bring up excitement, anticipation as well as anxiety and even fear. We then have an opportunity to bring ourselves back to the present moment and greet whatever comes up for us with open awareness and acceptance. Reminding ourselves over and over again, to breathe with consciousness, to be still, to notice, to accept things as they are, over time our unconscious reactions diminish and we can sit in a place of peace and tranquility, where ever we are physically in the world. Immersing ourselves in other cultures reminds us of the vastness of the universe. Seeing humanity in all its various and amazing forms invites us to recognize that we are all one, that despite out external differences, we are deeply interconnected to all living beings.