Different Worlds

I suppose it is safe to say that for the past year I have not really had a true "home." I haven't lived in one place for more than three months, and the list of places where I have been has included Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. To say I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel so much certainly seems to be an understatement. God has truly provided me great chances at seeing different worlds. But it is important to get past the excitement of travel and exploring new worlds and understand what exactly happens when one travels. I touched on this before, mentioning my need to rely on God during these three months. It is so easy to travel to a new country, experience a new culture, and then head home without truly understanding a culture. Understanding is very different from experiencing. And you don't need three months to understand a culture. You only need an open heart and desire to understand the culture.

Take, for example, the all inclusive resorts down here in the DR. Anyone can say they have been to the Dominican Republic (DR from here on out) but the fact is that few have. You can come to the DR and never really leave the United States. The moment some people get off that plane they enter their resort and never leave it again until their flight out. They don't have any desire to experience a culture.

But take this more personal example. The fact is that for the past two weeks I have been struggling with the idea that I truly love the poor. Does my commitment to three months here really mean I love the poor? Rosa, one of the loan officers thought so. But it really bothered me. I didn't think I did. But then a few days later it hit me: I wasn't allowing myself to love the poor. I don't know why, but I was guarding myself from them. I did love them, not even knowing them. You'd have to love them if you would choose to spend three months in a poor country, paying to travel around and listen to their stories. And I am not trying to lift myself on a pedestal. Ha, there are many things one has against me. But in all seriousness, I learned that I need to open more than just my ears to these people. I need to open my heart and mind. I need to go into these interviews not to just complete a journal for Kiva, or get a good enough story for HOPE. Rather, I need these interviews to listen to their struggles. And one by one, I will understand their culture better and better.

I need to leave my own all inclusive resort. I need to open up to these people. And then and only then will I truly experience true Dominican culture.