Last week, we talked about our new friend, Cat, who is yearning to break out of her current lifestyle in order to try something different – something that allows her to tap into her altruistic side. Tired of friends and family who aren’t being supportive, she’s been talking to us for further inspiration to take the plunge and to make the change she is pondering. Change can be tough…especially when you’ve sort of settled into a way of life.
In an e-mail this week, Cat asked about the biggest “take-away” from our international volunteer experience. She was wondering what stuck with us the most and provided the motivation to keep exploring the world and giving back. That’s a toughie because, of course, we gained a lot from the amazing experiences we had in South America (and Africa).
More profound than anything, though, is the fact that we no longer have the ability to act as though extreme poverty and suffering only burden nameless people in far away places. Some of these masses of people, who we could once easily write off, are now our friends. So, what is most powerful – the greatest gift we received – is an understanding of the people in whose communities we have worked.
People who are living in poverty are, above all, people. They are not ghosts. They are not the “problem” of some distant government or aid organization. They are not their income. They are not their lack of food or water. They are not AIDS or malaria or dengue fever. They are simply us, living in very different circumstances.
Latest posts by wearekandc
- Reality Check Via a Credit Card - January 15th, 2010
- Here's to Courage - December 11th, 2009
- International Volunteer Day - December 4th, 2009
- From South America to Samoa - November 27th, 2009
- Take Action in NYC: Mercy Corps - November 6th, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #5 - We're All Connected - October 21st, 2009
- Help Keep the World Amazing: Blog Action Day 2009 - October 15th, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #4 - "Wow" Moments - October 13th, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #3 - Living With Less - October 1st, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #2 - Language Non-Barriers - September 25th, 2009
Hey I received an email from Idealist and spotted the South America reference. What perfect timing. I’m actually in Sao Paulo now at the beginning of a 3 mth human rights internship. I’ve been here 2 wks and am already trying to plan what to do next. I’m 28 and know, only now, that I want to get into some kind of international development/human rights field of work. Beyond that, who knows? The thought of returning to England to do the expected settling down and starting a family just doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t want to do any of that until I start fulfilling my own (I think unselfish) desires. I am an idealist, sometimes a cynical one at that, but I definitely believe that those of us lucky enough to be born into good fortune – with at least basic human rights – should be looking and acting beyond our levels of comfort and doing what we can to spread our fortunes. Glad to see I am not alone in my way of thinking.
I think seeing other people, in different circumstance from those you’re used to, as People, IS the greatest thing you can take away from these experiences. Especially when your presuppositions have taken a nose-dive.
Two men I’ve met who seem to have the greatest internal sense of pride, are two of the poorest I’ve met. One is a gardener/farmer, the other a firewood-gatherer. This rather stuns me, but if I were to guess, I’d say they know what they are capable of, how hard they’ve travelled, and yet their families are still intact….and in school.
What a great realization.