Iced tea

Last summer was the best summer that I have had. I went on a missionary trip to the Philippines that changed my life. I went with two girls that I did not know, stayed at a house that was teaming with mosquitos, and was engulfed in humidity and heat everywhere I went, yet I loved every moment of it.

In the Philipines, my job was to organize children's ministry and teach them about God. It was a big responsibility and I did not know if I had the courage or the abilities to reach these children. I was very nervous; I had done things like this in the past, but not entirely by myself.

My plan the first day was to go to the plaza, get to know the kids, and play games to win them over. So, with my gray backpack and a sun hat that screamed "tourist", I left for the plaza with someone that served as a translator

I was so nervous. But, to my surprise, the children were so willing to learn and to play. It was not only me teaching them what I had to give, them teaching me their lives. They showed me how they caught fish in the sea, the banana boats that they used to go everywhere, and unique, crazy fishes that lived in the water.

An hour passed, and two quickly followed. I lost track of time and continued to play with them. Then, one of the girls said how she was thirsty, and we all realized that we all were thirsty as well. I had water back at the house, but I did not have cups for everyone. As I was thinking of what we should do, I saw one of my kids with a huge jug full of brown liquid, followed by another child with another giant pitcher running towards us.

"Iced tea, Iced tea"

All the kids rushed to it and we were full of smiles and compliments to the kid that had brought the drink and we shared the tea among the 30 of us with only two cups.

They gave me the first cup of iced tea and As I was drinking mine, the children were all looking at me. Their eyes big and full of curiosity of what I would say. And as I was drinking my iced tea, I forgot that I had been thirsty. That iced tea served a deeper purpose than just quenching my thirst, it took on a meaning that united us together. The language barrier and the different cultures that we came from that proved to be major obstacles, all didn't matter. We were all connected by this simple mixture of powder and water.

I gave them a big smile and then they proceeded to tackle the rest of the drink.

It was the best drink that I had ever had, and now everytime I drink iced tea, I remember the Philippines and my kids.

Paper or Plastic???

So, I'm a tree-hugger. I recycle, I am vegetarian, I am the family member that reminds everyone to turn off the lights and water, the annoying friend that reminds you to recycle your plastic water bottle or shares articles that pertain to the deteriorating environment, that is me. So, when I was given this assignment, I thought that I had the cat in the bag; I had an arsenal of facts and was mapping out my writing in my head. But as I was looking for more facts and studies on the topic of paper bags or plastic ones, I began to reflect on the tree-hugger that I actually am. People say that paper bags are the way to go, but as studies show, there is little difference whether one uses paper or plastic. I saw how I was only digesting information that was being fed to me instead of finding out what actually is; I was a hypocrite. 

But the number one thing that struck me was a fact that I found out from www.environment.about.com:

"Discarded plastic bags have become so common in Africa they have spawned a cottage industry. People there collect the bags and use them to weave hats, bags, and other goods. According to the BBC, one such group routinely collects 30,000 bags every month."

This really struck me. I have been so focused on preserving the environment so that nature would be preserved and the animals also, but I totally forgot how it affected people just like me. I think that we as a society are just so comfortable with how we live that we forget that the things that we do affect people worldwide. This is not just our planet, it's everyone's.

So, I think that in order for us to cut down on our usage of paper or plastic bags, there needs to be something that affects us personally. If we are personally affected by the choice of paper or plastic, I think that people would be more apt to reflecting on their choices. One thing that the government can do is impose a tax, or give benefits if one uses a cloth bag or reuses a paper/plastic bag. 

I am a bit wary that this will happen, but as Sachs mentions in his book it is possible if everyone contributes a little to gain a lot.

Common Wealth Chapters 1 & 2

I really enjoyed these two chapters. I loved the way that he emphasized human problems that are so relevant but are subjects that we all try to ignore, such as poverty and overpopulation. I feel like in this day and age, there are just so many issues that are in need of our attention, but we are too emcompassed in our own thought and worries that we neglect other people's. I liked Sachs solution, but I feel like humanity, as a whole, is not ready to commit to such sacrifices, although the sacrifices would be only a little change in their lives. But, I love the idea that he keeps on reiterating- the fact that one person can make a difference. I enjoyed the quote he used form JFK. Although his solutions are ones that seem unreachable, he has faith that it is totally possible. I truly believe with Sachs that this is possible. If everyone made a small contribution, the Earth would be changed monumentally.
With the way things are going now, there is not much hope for humanity as a whole. Change is needed and I think that we as a society has to wake up and get our grips. The only way that the Earth and others will cater to us, if we cater to them first. We as individuals have duties and I truly believe that environmental protection and wiping out poverty are some of them.

Social Media and Higher Education

In today's society, I believe that we are focusing more on what we "think" we need instead of opening our eyes to what our necessities are. I mean, we're out there spending billions for war and nuclear development, yet we refuse to confront the problem of poverty. There are people that are dying everyday and we all know it, yet we are choosing to ignore that problem that is thousands of miles away.

I think that social media does this to us. What we deem as important has been told to us. Media encourages us to ignore those problems and gives us other problems to worry about that have no importance to us whatsoever. Not saying all media is bad, but it seems like people focus more on the superficial level of things, and not trying to dig deeper to what is happening in the world around us.

I really think that it is hard to break out of media's clutches. But I believe that it's possible with higher education. Education opens peoples eyes and mind, so that we can see what reality is and what truth is, also.