What I Didn't Expect

I realized during the week of March 9^th, 2014 how much bias I had without even being aware of it. I learned how to be a citizen of this world. I learned how to see every person as another human being despite how they look, act, or say.

It was Spring Break. Some people go home, some jet-set off to Cancun or Florida, some visit friends or family. I did not do any of these things. I went on Alternative Spring Break.

Alternative Spring Break (fondly referred to as ASB) is a service program run through the Office of Residence Life at SU that is focused on exposure to and combatting homelessness and hunger. I applied because I thought it would be a cool experience, I like volunteering, and we got to work in Washington D.C., one of my favorite cities of all time. What I didn’t expect was to be changed forever.

On this trip, we came face-to-face with homelessness and hunger. Through our reflections, service work, and interactions with the homeless, I realized that we are all people. People on the streets are people, just like you, just like the President of the United States and so on. They see, think, and feel just the same as I do. Before ASB, I was always scared of the homeless, felt uncomfortable, and always kept my head down as I walked by. I was neglecting to treat these people like human beings and acting as though I was better than them. I learned that just saying “Hello, how are you doing today?” or even just a smile can change a person’s day. Just giving people the courtesy they deserve and seeing past labels is what we owe to the people we inhabit this Earth with. It is what I call being a good citizen of the world. I am not just talking about the homeless now, I am talking about everyone.

Before, I would judge people solely on their appearance or an isolated conversation. I also was not really used to seeing very visible poverty as I came from the suburbs. However, my suburb is outside of Rochester, which has a high poverty level that you never see driving to main city attractions. After ASB, I became aware of other people. I was much more understanding of others, and if something happened, I would always think of a more positive reason why someone reacted a certain way or did something. Sometimes, I find myself slipping back into this mentality, and have to remind myself of ASB and that everyone is fighting some sort of battle.

My biggest takeaway from the trip is that change starts at the individual level. A person cannot dream of changing history but not know how to treat the people around them. It isn’t even about changing the world. It is about tolerance.

The people I went on this trip with also inspired me in more ways than I can say. We all opened up to each other in such a natural way and I consider us more of a family than anything else.