What is a personal journey? A personal journey is the way a person changes throughout a series of events that take place in their life. In the beginning of the book, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, Salva was just a young boy who attended school daily and depended on his parents for food. But when war struck his village, he would have to be separated from his family and live on his own until he found them again. By the end of the book, Salva had grown into a much more mature person. Salva’s personal journey impacted him by helping him become more independent, shaping him into a leader, and strengthening his abilities.
Throughout Salva’s journey in A Long Walk to Water, he became more of a leader. He led himself and the lost boys across Sudan and away from the war attacking his homeland. On page 80 of the book, it states, “Crowds of boys followed him. Nobody talked about it, but by the end of the first day Salva had become the leader of a group of about fifteen hundred boys. Some were as young as five years old.” “He organized the group, giving everyone a job: scavenge for food; collect firewood; stand guard while the group slept. Whatever food or water they found was shared equally among all of them. When the smaller boys grew too tired to walk, the older boys took turns carrying them on their backs.” Salva led himself and the boys out of the war-strewn Sudan and brought them all to safety. He directed them all in order for them to survive. When he had moved to