Perspective

Going into the Alt Break Community Lunch, I wasn't really sure what to expect. One of the things I've liked since joining the program has been the effort to build solidarity between the trips instead of allowing each of us to stay isolated in our own small groups (not that I don't like my group!). So I was definitely looking forward to meet people from different trips and to hear about where they were going and what they would be doing there. I anticipated good food (which I got) and small talk, but not much else. What I got instead was a compelling insight into the driving purpose of Alternative Breaks and a new appreciation for what I have become a part of.

Traveling to an underprivileged region poses some definite challenges, made difficult by the fact that they are often unaddressed. Generally speaking, we don't like to talk about power and privilege in this country, which can make entering a place that has less of both a slightly uncomfortable experience. There seems to be a real disconnect between acknowledging one's fortune and accepting guilt for the lack of someone else's, which attributes to this discomfort. But in order to make substantive connections with other people--regardless of whether they're less fortunate than you or not--this disconnect needs to be reconciled and these topics need to be talked about openly.

So I was very gratified when one of the activities we participated in at the community lunch aimed to do just that. We moved around the room to indicate how much we agreed with various statements, many of which addressed those prickly, uncomfortable topics we're so fond of not talking about. They challenged us to think deeply about why we had chosen to go abroad and what we thought we could actually accomplish in doing so. They pointed out the fact that, whether or not we wished to be, we are all in positions of great privilege, something that could be seen from the simple fact that most of us would be traveling on airplanes to destinations where most people cannot afford a plane ticket. Most importantly, the questions made us engage in discussion with each other and start to see many different ways by which to understand the trips that lay before us.

Hearing everyone's thoughts and opinions gave me a new perspective of what awaited me in Haiti. The more people spoke, the more I could see my future trip take form--I imagined the people I would encounter, the things I would see--and I felt my excitement growing. I came away from the community lunch with renewed enthusiasm for what we were setting out to accomplish in Haiti and a new idea of how the trip could potentially shape my life.

Now I just have to wait for March to get here!

- Molly