This week, I wanted to take time to reflect on my study abroad experience with Semester at Sea that took place almost two years ago. It seems like just yesterday that I decided to go on the trip with my best friend, Mary, and then we boarded the MV explorer. However, It was not easy to get there and I think about how fortunate I am to have gotten this opportunity. It was not about being a spoiled, rich kid getting whatever they wanted. My mother lost her job just prior to boarding for the trip. I contemplated not going because I was thought money would be too tight.
Specifically, I realize that most college students do not get these opportunities and most people in the world would kill to be in my place. Traveling is a truly unique experience because it is viewing other people's daily lives in sequence. What may seem extraordinary/"weird" to me, may be completely commonplace for another person. What struck me was how many people in the world are living in poverty and are fighting to make a living. I wanted to share a few types of people that I met that made an impression on me-- not that I will be able to change their lives overnight but I think awareness is a key step to understanding people.
The first men I thought of were actually cheering on the World Cup in 2010. This was in the midst of my first trip to France which occurred prior to Semester at Sea. I was just in high school and I opted to go on a school sponsored trip with my dad. The plan was to take the group to visit the Eiffel Tower. Little did we know that the crowd would be fierce and raging: a recipe for trouble. It was incredibly dark all of a sudden and out of the blue, we lost a girl. We thought the worst. Turns out she rode back to the hotel with a couple she knew in a taxi without telling the group. A few girls in our group were brazen and curious enough to wander off. Story has it that some African men circled around them and were about to use them to their advantage. This may or may not be true. Why would they willingly put themselves in harms way? The Africans were trying to celebrate a victory after all.
In Portugual, a similar experience happened to my group of friends. I knew better this time. A group of men approached us on the bridge overlooking Lisbon. They were trying to sell hemp bracelets, intricately weaving them on our wrists as they got through their sales pitch. I tried not to look or encourage. Polite was not really an option. But who was I? In the end they were trying to feed their family. Their daily life involved a piece of mine. My friends tried to engage in conversation, trying to have empathy but I was uncomfortable for a good 60 seconds.
Of course, I cannot forget the gypsies at Notre Dame in Paris or the Parisian vendors at the Eiffel tower selling mini-Eiffel tower key chains. My dad seems to attract these people more often then not. But does that mean I have a bias if I differentiate them from myself? Are we all really that different? They have a normal way of living too. They deserve my respect, but not my complete submission.
Lastly, there was a man from Barbados trying to sell jewelry to us on the street. This was the day it was pouring down rain and we were just trying to find a restaurant that served Flying Fish. It would be easy to just ignore and not make any eye contact. But for once, we stopped. And listened. He was kind, compassionate and really good at what he did. We didn't have money (or at least no money we were willing to spend) and so we slipped away just in the nick of time. We respectfully declined his offer, but not soon after he moved on to the next person and the next. And his life went on.
Back home in Madison, I started to notice these beggars a little more. I started to wonder why they got there and if they would be there forever. Why do we have a them vs. us anyway? Each individual has a contribution, a routine, a method of living their life in the best way they can. There's nothing to change, but I think our humanity begs us to understand.
