After two neverending plane rides and a six-hour layover, reality set in, and the world around me felt surreal. The city bustle seemed louder and the flashing lights from every fast food joint that I solemnly missed appeared blinding. Every summer for the past three years I have chosen to spend two weeks in a foreign country along with my church to serve others, and the first day back from my first trip always seems to leave me speechless. My first trip was to Cambodia with a group of fifteen individuals who I now call family. When I returned home, everything seemed different than before. Even though I went on the mission trip to minister and lend a hand, the people of this country I volunteered in showed me such compassion and selflessness in trying to give more than they received. Through the bigheartedness experienced in Cambodia, it changed the way I saw my own life when I returned home.
Through my youth group, I was able to have traveled to three different countries: Cambodia, Thailand, and Kenya. Whether it was in refugee camps or orphanages, my time volunteering in these places taught me to not take the little things for granted. While each trip came with different experiences, the first trip I took was the most impacting for me. We had been preparing for the trip for months. As a team we raised money, and mentally prepared ourselves for what was to come. We left on July 8, 20I7, and returned on July 22, 2017. When I returned I had family members calling to see if I made it home safely and ask a litany of the same repeated questions to see how my trip went. Most of the time it was hard to answer these questions since I was still processing how I felt about the whole experience. Nevertheless, that mission trip gave me an eye-opening awareness to understand how privileged I am.
After arriving back home in the states, I reflected a lot on my experience abroad. The first thing I noticed when I came back from my first trip was how big my house was in comparison to the way it looked when I had left. Not only did I realize how fortunate my living conditions were, but I also saw how little things changed. My body had become accustomed to the smaller portions of food and the homegrown produce of Cambodia. I became more aware of the fact of how drastically different developing countries are through the hunger and lack of shelter I saw. The poverty I saw in each city and village I traveled to was shocking, but the strength in the joy of the community was inspiring. Most of the time spent in Cambodia was with the youth of the city. We had an amazing opportunity to host a three day youth camp where we truly got to know the people of the city. After spending some time in the capitol, the team and I ventured to a village about six hours from Angkor Wat. While in the village, my heart continued to melt for the people of Cambodia. Even though the people I met in Cambodia dealt with food shortages and lived in homes no bigger than the average living room in the U.S., they were the most joy-filled people I had ever met. The children who played with rocks and jump ropes made with connected hair ties seemed far more grateful than I could have ever pictured. Instead of allowing fear for the future to rise for the little they had, they found hope in each counted blessing. The people of Cambodia brought a new understanding for me in knowing that not everything I had I necessarily needed, which continued to unravel as I proceeded to go on two other mission trips the following two years.
The experiences in Cambodia made way for me to find a new perspective on life now filled with gratefulness for all that I had. Poverty isn’t just a definition, but a societal issue. In the world I live in, it's easy to go by waking up in a home and eating as I please while not considering how blessed I am to have these privileges. After coming back from my first trip to Cambodia, I came to appreciate simple pleasures I had taken for granted and learned to find joy no matter the circumstances. What began as a way of serving others triggered a new way of thinking about life for me.
Your narrative is very eye-opening, and you make wonderful points. Often while living in the states (and of course this varies, seeing as it depends on the individual and their personal experiences/circumstances), we, generally speaking, really do take things for granted and forget about the amount of wealth in this country. And, like you said, we get too caught up in the future, often forgetting to appreciate what we have now. Your narrative is so great and a very important one! - Sumbal Sharif
ReplyDeleteYour narrative is very eye-opening, and you make wonderful points. Often while living in the states (and of course this varies, seeing as it depends on the individual and their personal experiences/circumstances), we, generally speaking, really do take things for granted and forget about the amount of wealth in this country. And, like you said, we get too caught up in the future, often forgetting to appreciate what we have now. Your narrative is so great and a very important one! - Sumbal Sharif
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your narrative, very important as it allows us to see how much others have compared to some and how fortunate people can be.
ReplyDelete-Nikhil Rama
The thoughts your memories from Cambodia give you is just as how I think of my own home island, the Philippines. The messages at the end of your writing are the same I have gained in the Philippines as I drive by the open houses that have plastic water bottle chandeliers for lights, children who sell flowers alone on the streets to pay for their school lunch, and a many food vendors. Living in America really does have more of a futuristic mindset compared to the rest of the world I have noticed too. I is interesting to hear of your adventures and they not only seem fun, but greatly rewarding for you too!
ReplyDelete- Chloe Baronia
I like the personal story you tell from going on these mission trips. I've definitely thought of each of these individual ideas, but I like how you confidently and authoritatively state each of your experiences in how they affect your outlook on life. Your title is also very well chosen, something that very few people know how to properly do. -David Roebuck (P. 3)
ReplyDeleteHi, I enjoyed reading your narrative, as it was very insightful. I like how you recognized your privilege and realized how we take things for granted all the time. I also had a similar experience when I visited Haiti. This was a great narrative!
ReplyDelete- Darren Domond
Hii, I really enjoyed reading your writing. I like how you explained your mission trips thoroughly which made me feel like I attended the mission trips. When you compared your home to before and after you left is very eye-opening because sometimes it is nice to know how grateful we should be compared to others.
ReplyDelete-Brianna Cordova
Hi Vanessa, I loved how you highlighted what you learned from your trips with acknowledging your privilege and seeing how poverty is a issue. I think trips like these are unforgettable and really impact people's view on the world. So Thank you for sharing your story. -Elisea Armado
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your narrative. As someone who moved here from a third world country, every time I went back I always remembered how much better we have it here. There, there were mosquitos everywhere, cars constantly honking, cities were densely packed, with everyone doing their best to make a living. Whenever I returned to America, you could feel the difference in the air, how organized and neat the traffic system was, and how we could not only afford to survive, but to live. I'm glad you wrote this, I needed to be reminded of where I came from, and how thankful I should be for where I am now.
ReplyDelete-Ronneth Kennedy
I really like how you wrote this reflection, as I can visibly see how much the trip to Cambodia changed your perspective on poverty and privilege, and how much love and passion you hold for helping others. This was very informative, as the reader is able to learn more about the conditions of those who live in Cambodia, and how the lives of Cambodians differ from those of who live in the U.S. Well done! - Angelique Maylad
ReplyDeleteI liked how you described the differences in your perspective after the trip and that you had to acknowledge your privilege to open your eyes to how other people live. I feel like we often forget how fortunate we are to not worry about basic necessities even though those problems are also prevalent in the states too. -Ruby Treto
ReplyDeleteHey, I am really glad you have not only got to travel and serve others but ultimately became more conscious of your blessing. Often times because we are stuck in something I like to call the spot light affect and caught up in our own lives we lack gratitude and do not understand how blessed we truly are to have all we do. Really enjoyed the piece-Kasaia Gray
ReplyDeleteI love to see your perspective on these things like traveling. It seems you make the most of whatever you have and I think that is a very good mentality. - Luke Phillips
ReplyDeleteYou can really see how much travelling has let you see the world in a new perspective. I love how the reader can follow your thought process and can understand how you arrived to your conclusion. I love how this can not only be a lesson for you, but to others who read this blog as well. - Neomie Tulac
ReplyDeleteThis piece stood out to me because of the traveling portion but more importantly how you reflected upon yourself returning home. You were able to understand how it is in places with less opportunity and adjust to that way of living, being aware of things like this is important for us.
ReplyDelete-Natalia M
I admire your dedication to faith, it is not something that I could replicate.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the imagery of feeling excited after flying in a plane for hours. I liked how you had a variety of sentence structures that made it feel as if you were telling a story. I appreciated how you were able to realize how you have gained from the experience and how appreciative you are of your own lifestyle. I liked the theme that you pointed out to your readers, “I came to appreciate simple pleasures I had taken for granted and learned to find joy no matter the circumstances.” It made me feel grateful myself. Great piece, Vanessa! -Laylah Perez
ReplyDeleteAs a person who enjoys traveling, it was great to read another person's perspective on traveling. I really enjoyed that you included how your trip to Cambodia changed your perspective on privilege. I realized how we ignore the amenities we enjoy and chase after materialistic things. Your writing was awesome. - Arnav Singh
ReplyDeleteVANESSA THIS WAS SO GOOD! Your writing style truly captured your selflessness and strong compassion for others. The value that you give to your experience helping people in Cambodia and how you were able to reflect and make a comparison between the U.S and underdeveloped countries is so inspiring as it sets a reminder for how much privilege we take for granted. Your narrative was very effective on how you saw the joy in the people of Cambodia - despite what little they had - and only made it more heartfelt and genuine. I want to hear more about your different travel adventures! - Keilan Hooper ^^
ReplyDeleteI really like this work. The details on the people of Cambodia as well as your mission trip are well-written and nice to read. - Caden Minniefield
ReplyDeleteI think it is crazy how different another life can be compared to yours and seeing how another is living can impact your vision on the world. Thank you for sharing this! Great Job.- Aidan Tapia
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated this story because it helped me to open my eyes up to how fortunate we are to live in a country like the US where most of our basic needs our easily attainable. This was truly an eye opener. Thank you :) - Kevin de Lama
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