“This is the type of program which our world so desperately needs”
It may have only taken two weeks, but the journey certainly felt like a lifetime, and in more ways than one.
It’s hard to appreciate beforehand, no matter how many times Garry reminded us, how absolutely exhausting the experience would be. It was often hard to keep up with our incredible (and incredibly energetic) chaperones – Kamila and Agata. Waking before the sunrises and not resting until long after it has gone to sleep now seems perfectly normal! On the one hand waking up for school may be a bit easier next year, but I’m still looking forward to more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night XD. From packing presents, to dragging our suitcases all across cobblestone towns, to assembling electrical cars (and actually repairing our bus), the work never seemed to end.
But the work wasn’t only physically exhausting. On a mental and even spiritual level, waking up each morning and putting on a face ready to face the trials of the day was its own challenge. Having a mindset ready to interact in our group as well as with the children we visited, staying positive, cheerful, and ready to spend time with them in the way they deserved - this was more difficult than any physical tribulations we faced. Perhaps the greatest inspiration in this area, for myself at least, was the type of spirit I witnessed time and again in the very kids and families whom we visited. The love, the hope, and the determination in the children we met, the will to live, is something that will stay with me forever. The courage they held to surmount their fears, their perseverance against daily struggles which I could only begin to imagine. Where I struggled to put on a happy face when facing the day ahead, they did so in facing a day which may soon have been ripped away from them. Inspiration comes to mind.
Reflecting on the experience, I now am just starting to appreciate the uniqueness, and the true benefits, of Journeys for a Lifetime. Seeing kids very much like myself, full of life, with dreams and aspirations, it starts to finally sink in. I am just like these kids – I could be one of these kids. The difference lays solely in the context within which they were born; one of poverty, of sickness, of an hourglass ticking away. Where the justice in this lay, I’m not quite sure. But their example has shifted my view of our world. I think I’m finally starting to appreciate how connected we all are. Our societies may be divided by nationality, religion, culture. But at its essence, we are all human. We all have needs, and this may be an age where we need each other the most. Picturing myself or one of my family members in their shoes, my own trials and conflicts start to seem so… insignificant. What is having homework, compared to never having homework again. And it’s so hard to appreciate, surrounded, enclosed, in my world of pleasures and luxury. It’s easy, so easy, to forget about the rest of the world - but pushing something from your mind does not make it go away. There is work to be done, help to be given, and this is something that I will keep firmly in my mind.
In this, lies the true benefit of Journeys for a Lifetime. A certain saying comes to mind, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” The charitable work we accomplished was incredible – if we were able to better the life of even one of the children we visited, I would consider the months of preparation and work to reach them well warranted and the trip a success. But what is even more powerful, and where I’m starting to now understand the true purpose of Coalition for Kids lies, is in the impact and change in perspective which my group and I have experienced, the way this journey has changed our lives.
Similar to the earlier saying, Journeys for a Lifetime not only gives kids the opportunity to accomplish charitable work, but provides them with an experience which teaches them to seek out such opportunities, impassioning them towards a new sense of purpose and direction in their lives. Having seen a glimpse of what the world holds, we walk away form this journey with a new will – one to better our world for those living throughout it. We are in a position with so much power, with so much capability for good. I can no longer remain apathetic of the realities which encompass my life, and I truly feel I have Coalition for Kids to thank for it. Through myself and all the kids who have participated in Journeys for a Lifetime, through the examples we set by our actions, and those who take note, through our own children, and the generations to follow us, Coalition for Kids will continue to work miracles. Journeys of a Lifetime has presented us with a crucial starting point towards bettering our world for countless lifetimes to come. This is the type of program which our world so desperately needs – not only providing for those less fortunate, but teaching others to do the same. And if enough learn this powerful message, well there may be no end to the good we can do.
