Why am I here again?

To break up my preachiness I will start a new entry. So I imagine that many of you are thinking….not all the people in the states have these incentives (including many reading this) and by ALL MEANS you are right. Honestly I could have chosen to do something like City Year/Teach for America or just got my ass a good non-profit job in Boston (though BU calls itself a non-profit..that horrible machine that runs like an rich white gentalmans club is nothing of the sort). I could have stayed and MY country better instead of going to another and “helping” them.

This is where my selfish incentives come in (I never said we weren´t all selfish….there are many flaws in my previous arguement, I know!) along with some incorrect perceptions about why I am here. I came because I love other cultures, I love learning about them, especially first hand. Meeting people and learning their cultural perspective is infinity rewarding. I love learning new languages, and I am sure as shit doing that right now! That is part of why I came here…

But why did I come here to “help” these people? I didn´t. I came here for them to help me. They have a TREMENDOUS amount to teach me about development work, about community involvement, about NGO´s, and about their social values. I have come here to learn from them, about them…and about myself.

I think that one day, if I do have the skills worthy enough to better a community or peoples lives, that I would like to do it in the US. I would like to be able to carry my social values around with me and not just stay in a country that is has closer social values and hid myself in them. That is the easy way out.

Note: Okay, brutal honesty. I know that I have been talking about leaving the country for years now, but I am glad I didn´t. I don´t think that I would have truely had the maturity to leave before now. And I wanted to thank all my amazing friends and family for their amazing patience and support!

No todos que vagan, son perdidos. Not all that wander, are lost.