IGNITE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

There are many companies, organizations, and restaurants whose slogans do not hold true to reality. As it turns out, Red Bull does not give you wings, Faction isn’t only for the few, Jimmy Johns won’t actually deliver in seconds, and I can’t even remember the last time I went to Subway and got a five dollar foot long.

With that said, CGA’s slogan, “Ignite, Inspire, and Empower” has unveiled its actuality before my very eyes over these past 4 years.

IGNITE:

4 years ago I set out to Rivas, Nicaragua on my very first trip with CGA. I was among a total of 5 student volunteers who were the very first (students) to volunteer at Escuela Especial. I was challenged like never before, both inside and outside of the classroom so intensely that I had two options: to breakthrough, or breakdown. Thankfully, on one of my tougher days, during a home visit with local Nicaraguan child services, I met Julissa. Julissa is a 22 year old woman with Cerebral Palsy who is so shunned from her abusive family that the only reason she is still (barely) alive is because her family gets a small monthly incentive from child services that is intended for medical attention for Julissa, but is clearly abused by her family as they keep her in a locked, cardboard sealed closed with nothing to entertain her but a plastic bag. Thus, it was at that point in time, a small spark ignited a massive fire of passion inside of me. This passion was the desire to change, to make a difference.

INSPIRE:

That Fire kept burning inside of me for 3 more years as I traveled with CGA to both Cambodia and Tanzania in which I had two remarkably successful trips for both me and the group as a whole. It was at these places that I met people like Mr. Kimaro. Mr. Kimaro is a teacher at a private English primary school, a student of computer and technology at night, and a proud father of three. Mr. Kimaro does not have many tangible things. He struggles to pay bills and feed his family. But despite all that he is one of the most honest, hardworking, and proud men who keeps his core beliefs and values dearly close to him. It is people like Mr. Kimaro that inspire me every day.

EMPOWER:

These past two weeks I have experienced what it truly means to be empowered and to spark empowerment in others. For the first time in 4 years I took the concept of ‘be the change you want to see in the world’ into the classroom as well as during relief work. In the classroom I would observe, adapt, create, and teach with passion, excitement, and enthusiasm. No matter how tired, no matter how hot it was, this feeling of making a change, this feeling of empowerment kept fueling my body to achieve greatness. That is a feeling I will be chasing for the rest of my life.

I’m not exactly sure what I am going to do with my life. But I do know for sure I plan to ‘Ignite, inspire, and empower’ others as CGA did to me.

I plan to be the change I want to see in the world and I encourage you to as well.

A FOUNDATION

What do I desire?

As early as 1^st grade I’ve been told to follow my passion, to shoot for the stars, and to chase my wildest dreams. Thus, when someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would answer something elaborate like, “a professional skateboarder or a professional lacrosse player,” not knowing how unrealistic either of those truly was. My childhood consisted of answering many hypothetical questions about my future. However, not once has anyone ever asked me, “What would you do, if everything came crashing down?”

The people of Nepal have been forced to answer this question. Their homes, loved ones, and memories have all crumbled to the ground. So you would think that under such pressure, stress and loss that they would be so emotionally exhausted to the point that it would reflect negatively in their behavior. No, the people of Nepal continue to thrive and prosper with such vibrant positivity. Day after day, students show up eager to embark on a new day of learning. They come with smiles on their faces, questions ready to be answered, wearing their uniform with pride and greet us with a more than welcoming “Namaste.”

After experiencing this for about 7 days I thought to myself, how could they possibly be so happy?

So I tried to put myself in their shoes. I imagined a scenario in which my whole world came crashing down…

Then I asked myself, “What do I desire?”

The first thing that popped into my head was a home. I continued to ask myself, “Where would I begin?”

The foundation.

Our lives are like homes. The foundation is a mix of our core principles and beliefs; the exterior is our appearance, which only reflects the beauty of our interior. Each room in our home represents a new chapter of our lives, in which we hang memories of the good and even the bad. Of course each house has their own set of cracks, leaks, and creaks. Like it or not, they are each unique and reflect us as individuals.

However, sometimes life can shake our houses so hard that everything will literally come crumbling to the ground. It feels tragic, lonely, and sad, but you must always remember you have your foundation. You will always have your foundation on which you will rebuild your new home that will be filled with rooms full of memories, bathrooms full of regrets, and closets full of cluttered thoughts.

So remember, when it seems like everything is crashing down, look to your foundation and ask yourself….

What do I desire?

PERSPECTIVE

May 12th, 2015 - "At least 1,000 more people died on Tuesday after a major earthquake struck Nepal, triggering landslides, avalanches, and toppling buildings three stories high" (Fox News).

Being on the other side of the world we are really only fed numerous accounts of second-hand information through the media. This is why it’s so difficult for someone, like myself, to put the severity and actuality of the situation into perspective.

Since the first shake I’ve been trying to anticipate and comprehend what I would be walking into, but as time went on and newscasters started to focus on other “TOP STORIES,” my initial thoughts of how severe the earthquakes were and how it would affect the country of Nepal would slowly dissipate into the rest of my newsfeed.  

Today, on June 6^th, at ground zero, I was forced to put everything into perspective. The six of us, speechless, were placed into what looked like a scene from ‘American Sniper.’ A ghost town of abandoned, hundreds of year old buildings that are literally crumbling to pieces as the day goes on.

Even more heartbreaking, in order for residents to obtain money from the government in order to rebuild their home they must do two things: pay all their taxes, and tear down what is left of their humble homes. The physical challenge of tearing down your home is somewhat unbearable, not to mention the emotional and dangerous aspects of it, which is where WE come in.

We set out on a project, simple but ambitious. Our goal was to help, in any way shape or form. And today we found ourselves tearing down a widow’s home. Despite an obvious language barrier, and a whole lot of dust, we tore down two stories of wood, bricks, metals and memories.

With that said, the Nepalese people are not looking for sympathy. They have hope and are among the strongest, bravest, proud, and most beautiful people in the world. The people of Nepal will rebuild, they will grow and if you don’t believe me, you can ask 11 year old Sjyina and she will tell you, “I am proud to be Nepali, and nothing, no matter how big, will never ever tear this beautiful place down.”

I am not exaggerating when I say we were the only people in Durbar Square doing relief work. It is obvious that the people of Nepal desperately need manpower, supplies, and economic support. Please do not leave the people of Nepal behind with the rest of your newsfeed. Even though you are literally on the other side of the world, you can help. The Nepal that exists today is undeniably different, but with our presence, a mere 6 human beings, we’ve already offered a new sense of hope to those we’ve impacted. Great change is possible, but we need YOU.
Here is where things get a little complicated, I can't give you a step by step program on how to help. Right now I have an incredible opportunity to be here in Nepal. So I'm focusing all of my time and effort for the next 9 days to do what I can to help the people of Nepal rebuild. I'm asking YOU to be proactive, be intuitive, get creative, please if you truly want to help the solution will have to come from within you. It is far from easy but if you would truly like to make a change, it is achievable. 

Living On One Dollar

I have a tendency to spend a good portion of my free time on Netflix. Just recently I was browsing and stumbled upon the documentary called “Living On One Dollar," a short film about two college students (Chris and Sean) who travel to rural Guatemala to see for themselves what it’s truly like to live on $1 a day. Here are my thoughts on it:

While watching I was often surprised but what I found most profound was the amount of research and commitment these young men gave to this social experiment. These guys thought of nearly everything, including an organized “random pay day” that would simulate what it’s like to be paid like a day laborer. Not only were they organized, but when they came up with a plan, they executed it with heart and purpose. These guys took an idea and engaged it with full force, not holding back. They were committed 110%, they even made a transition from a lifestyle filled with nearly everything to a lifestyle filled with remotely nothing (materials). And to me, making that transition would be the hardest part, but also maintaining it when having the clear option to opt out for an entire 56 days.

While watching this documentary, I felt that I had similar personal values with the Guatemalans of Pena Blanca. I have to thank CGA for this because over the last two years they brought me that opportunity. Over the last couple of years, I have developed the personal values of a strong and trustworthy community member, a reliable individual, and an individual who gives it all thanks to my service trips to Nicaragua, Cambodia and Tanzania with CGA.

When watching films I tend to tell myself “Oh I could do that” or “psh that would be easy.” However in this instance, I sat down and seriously reflected and thought what it would truly be like if I set out to live life in which every day involved the battle to live on $1. After a long, well thought out fantasy trip in my head I came to a conclusion…. I think I would die.

Let’s get down to the basics. If I were to live in the rural village of Pena Blanca, I would most likely be a day laborer. I would be fueled by a rigorous rice and bean diet that would give me roughly 1600 calories for me to burn through while working hard manual labor for an entire day. Presently, I eat about 10 times that amount in calories and produce about 1/18 of the manual labor that laborers do in Pena Blanca. I’m 6’2” and barely weigh 130 pounds. Plain and simple, I am not cut out to survive that life. If I was put into that lifestyle, I would most likely be taken down by parasites or disease.

After breaking down the reality of that situation, that is “If that was me, I would be dead”, I've come to realize the reason I go on these service trips. Every day I strive to push myself for those who can’t. My drive to do new things comes entirely from the inspiration that someone else simply can’t. 

I plan to use that 'can't' as fuel to take advantage of the life that I live EVERY DAY.