Although I learned a great deal while in Haiti, my education did not end when I stepped foot in the U.S. On the flight from JFK to Detroit, I was fortunate enough to be seated next to a criminal defense lawyer. Not only did she have a pretty cool career, but I also learned that she spent her entire childhood and teenage years in places like Uganda, Kenya, and Indonesia. It was interesting to compare our experiences in Haiti with her life in third world countries. I enjoyed discussing things like the standard of living and value of life in different parts of the world, but her parting piece of advice was what really stuck with me: "Get an advanced degree. Learn as much as you can. Because at the end of the day, no matter where in the world you are, the one thing no one can take away from you is your knowledge." This made me realize that my education is a valuable, precious gift rather than a burden or requirement to be fulfilled. She reminded me not to take it for granted as I had before.
As I adjust back to regular life full of classes and community, I can't help but contrast my life and possessions to that of many of the Haitians we met. The trip opened my eyes to situations of poverty and food insecurity that I have only read, written, and learned about in the past. I truly believe that now that we have seen, we are responsible for sharing our stories and using our skills to better this crazy world that we live in. We have such a magnitude of information, technology, and connections at our disposal, and I am beginning to see the great potential in that. I am anxious to reassemble our team tonight so that we can begin to process through some of the issues we encountered in Haiti!
Molly
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave a message for our team!