Eyes Wide Open

I know that traveling around the world to seek out personal growth is an act of privilege, but I do not intend to grow at the cost of exploiting others.  Opting to create an artifice of a life of adversity - while others live that life daily and would never choose it willingly - I hope to no put a wedge between my fellow feminists and me.  I will keep privilege, intersectionality, and cultural differences at the forefront of my mind and try to be aware of the lenses through which I view the world.

I refused to go on a solely English-teaching mission.  I use the word "mission" very deliberately; I know that teaching a child in the developing world English can give her or him a better chance at "success," as defined by Western capitalist culture.  While I work within and was educated by that system, I would not impose those values on others.

What I would like to provide in my work with children is better health and feelings of trust, security, and self-reliance.  Interestingly, I think the latter three will be reciprocally taught to me by teaching them to youngsters.

I am excited to learn a new language, make new relationships, travel and live on my own, and have an adventure the likes of which I have never experienced.  I look forward to being uncomfortable, and learning how to deal with that and resolve it.  I would like to learn to meditate.  I would like to learn to be a better listener, and unlearn being someone who makes assumptions about people.

Meeting a variety of people living in the city and in rural Nepal, I will try to distinguish what seems more intrinsically human from what is socially imposed upon us in Western culture.  If possible, I'd like to learn about the role of and treatment of the mentally ill in rural Nepal.  I'm sure many of these assessments will be made subconsciously, so all the more reason to scrutinize every observation.  This trip will make me a better scientist.  

Most of all, I will keep my eyes wide open.