Just a few years ago I took a trip to Ecuador with a small group of people from my high school. Before we went, we were reminded that we were going to a third world country and to not expect much when it came to luxury and cleanliness.
When you think of a third world country, you tend to envision the impoverished towns and people in tattered clothing as depicted in the media or from stories you’ve heard. Truly, we didn’t know what to expect. Overall, we were imagining a, very beautiful, but very grim environment for our community service as we were told that the quality of life in Ecuador is much lower than we are used to.
My group and I were tasked with building a classroom for a small school in Tena as a community service opportunity. Getting to work with the Ecuadorian children there and get to know them for the few short days we stayed there was overwhelmingly everyone’s favorite part of the trip. As soon as we got there the children starting picking flowers for us from the gardens and putting them in our hair and in our pockets. These children were so rambunctious and full of life, and all they wanted to do was help us with building the classroom for them- something we constantly reminded them that they did not have to do.
After being in Ecuador for only a few days, it was clear that it was very different from life in the United States. Specifically, the people living there were happier than anyone I had ever met in my entire life. Not only that, but they were also the most welcoming, friendly, and selfless people, as well. Everyone that I encountered was so hardworking and proud of everything that they had earned, and so proud of their country. All around were some of the biggest smiles I had ever witnessed.
Upon returning to America I had a completely different outlook on developing countries. It seems as though you only hear about the bad parts of their societies, and never enough about what the people are like or any aspects of their culture. So what if some people don't have access the latest iPhone? Or if they can’t watch the latest Game Of Thrones episodes? They don’t need those things to be happy or live exciting lives. They find their happiness in the smaller, and more meaningful things in life- something that everyone could learn from.
