Today was our second day working with an organization called Lutheran Social Services, where today we traveled to the Center for Language and Culture. We had the most amazing privilege of meeting an individual named Hind. I could write for years about that hour and a half we spent with her, so bare with me as I try to gather my thoughts about this touching experience. Hind is an immigrant from Morroco who in just a short period of time opened up to this group of 14 strangers explaining her life and her intellectual input on being an individual in a new country who doesn't speak the language. Hind spoke from her heart which in today's society isn't common. It seems to be that we tend to have a bias towards others, and we don't truly love life for what it is or acknowledge the true meaning behind situations, therefore the true meaning is clouded but judgement.
I sit here and I try to discover words to describe the words and emotions that Hind lent to us, however it's hard to grasp my thoughts around it all. Hind had us imagine a situation where we were all thrown in China with an emergency and we were unable to speak the language. This was the beginning of our discussion. We were put in the shoes of those who we are working with all week. Obviously we are unable to fully understand the concept unless we have truly been there ourselves but in all honesty this was a breaking point. This point is where the conversation sparked. We continued to discuss refugee and immigrant populations and Hind began to share her story. Hind simply put into perspective how we can be the world for one individual even though it seems that in this world one person can't do much. I left our conversation today a different person. That says a lot about a time period that was less than 2 hours. I have a different outlook on the simple things that I seem to take for granted each day.
Lately I've been questioning my life and where I will be going after college but today I realized that I know. I realized that I want to be the smile that can change someone's world. I want to be the one who is is passionate about my work. I am challenging myself this week. I work everyday to find a new challenge that I can work with after the week and today I challenged myself quite a few things and I look at these challenges with an open mind, and with the knowledge that they aren't going to be easy to accomplish but I can get there. If I have strong perseverance like Hind than I too can get to where I want to be.
"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
You will change the world for so many people, as I know firsthand you already have. Keep doing you, and keep letting yourself find that hope, passion, and perseverance. You're awesome.
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