The Power of People
I find myself discussing my trip to Guatemala with friends and acquaintances almost every day. To say that my life has changed since my study abroad trip would be an understatement. I now have a new group of friends that I feel like I have known a lifetime and a completely different view of sustainability. For a lot of sustainability students the reason we have pursued this degree is because we feel it is our duty to protect mother earth, to preserve the natural resources, to save unique species, etc. We have a connection with the earth and feel responsible to stand up for it. As much as I believe in all of those things I feel like I have found a deeper responsibility and that is to protect the people that inhabit the earth. In Guatemala we encountered some of the most selfless and generous people and for them to act in this way with their current resources was a self-awakening experience. We were all shocked by their happiness and deep appreciation for what they expected everyday and they were probably even more surprised to find out that we were not as happy as they would have thought considering all the luxuries we have but do not pay much attention to. The difference was our expectations; they did not expect to have anything but rice and beans for dinner so when meat was occasionally on the table their reality exceeded their expectation.