A Real World Experience

My First Steps In India

India is a place holding great history, magnificence, and culture. Being born in the United States, my eyes were never opened to the world where there were struggles bigger than just studying for a test the next day. In 2020, I was able to visit India for the first time. I remember not knowing what expectations to hold when I got there. After the long plane ride, we finally arrived. I walked out of the large sliding airport doors and immediately saw several stray dogs running around. I looked to the left of me and as I observed the environment I was in, I saw a homeless woman and her young child sleeping against a hard pillar. I remember looking at my mom in worry, distressed about what to do. She told me we could buy the mom and daughter some food. As we walked over to the small stand, outside the airport, I kept turning my head to look at the woman and her daughter. It was a hot day and the sun was blaring down at my skin, they weren't even dressed appropriately for the weather. I started to wonder how they must have felt. In that instant. I looked around at what I did have and immediately grew grateful. Once we got to the stand, the man running it smiled at me with sweat all over his face. My mom asked for cut-up fruits, chips, and water bottles. The man was extremely fast and cut and bagged the fruit in the most fascinating manner that I have seen by far. My mom started talking to him and she told me that he had been running the stand on behalf of his family since he was 12 years old. I was inspired in this moment by his hard work and resilience. Despite the heat coming from the sun, he did not complain once about working. After we brought the fruit, chips, and water over to the woman and her daughter. The woman was so grateful when we handed her the food, and in that moment I saw her shed the brightest smile that made my heart melt.

A Trip That Changed My Life

The second I landed in India, my entire perspective on the world started to change. It was in this instance that I knew I wanted to help the community with all my power as best as I could. I now had my eyes opened to the outside world, I was now able to see people have greater struggles than being "too hot" and sweating from the sun. People in the world are starving, people in the world don't have a roof over their heads, people in the world are struggling to stay healthy, people in the world aren't in safe conditions, and people in the world are suffering. The community needs to come together to put an end to this terror people are facing daily, in and out of the United States.