SSU Travels the World

I woke up, breathed in the brisk, cold, New Brunswick air and forced myself to get out of my sleeping bag.  I knew that if I did not see the sunrise I would heavily regret it.  I looked over to see my friends putting on their extra layers of clothing, fearing that we could miss the sun awakening if we did not hurry.  I exited the tent, ignoring the sudden shock of the icy air hitting my face and ran to catch the new sun rising.  I ran along with my friends to the clearing on a rocky cliff overlooking the lake above the trees and looked into the clear sky.  I had made it just in time;  good morning sun.

As I sat in awe of the natural beauty surrounding me I thought back to one of the first days on my trip to Southeast Asia.  I was in the Philippines and had woke up early to watch the sunrise on top of a mock boat beside the house I was staying at.  The utter contrast of that moment to the one I was experiencing now was astounding.  In the Philippines the air was so hot and humid you could taste it, and the sun stretched over miles of green rice fields and palm trees.  The differences between the two settings of Canada and Asia are undeniably different, but in that moment I was struck by the realization that I was watching the same sun.  All of the sudden I was connected once again with the land that I had left behind, and the world as massive as it is, had become small.

As human beings we are scattered across the globe, separated by geography, ethnicity, and religion but in reality we are similar to one another and  also connected by the very things that keep us apart.  A child in Malaysia has the same desires for friendship and family as a child born in America, and a faithful Catholic woman in the Philippines is driven by the same stronghold of religion as the man in Canada.  Everyone in this world holds the same human value as the other, and the sooner this is globally recognized the sooner things will start to move forward into much needed change.  My goal upon returning from Asia has been to never forget the things that I learned, the places I experienced and most importantly the relationships that I had built with the people of each nation.  There is so much to learn from one another in so many ways, and I am determined to continue to acknowledge the value and worth in all people, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what they believe in.