At least once a day, a student at the ASYV would ask me "how do you like it here?" followed by "how does it compare to America." My answer to the first was always about the beauty of their country, the cleanliness, and the kindness and spirit of their people. And to the second question, I compared their flowering trees to our oak, spruce, and pine. I would draw maps to explain how varied the terrain, plants, and job opportunities are throughout the states. But now home, in a forest of skyscrapers, I wonder why I limited myself to those differences, why I didn't say more...
Our country is not about the trees, just as theirs is not about the clay homes. I could've talked to our freedoms and their limitations, the similarities and differences in our cultural interactions, our conflicting desire to be bold while needing to please others, and our admiration for their ability to live and work for what is needed.
Our lives are at two extremes, in two realities that I'm finding impossible to judge and hard not to want to from this side.
There is so much to do to find balance. To have created the ASYV with understanding and purpose was an enormous task, and one that feels very successful. But, there is still a long way to go, with jobs small and large, something that anyone could feel proud contributing to.
Our country is not about the trees, just as theirs is not about the clay homes. I could've talked to our freedoms and their limitations, the similarities and differences in our cultural interactions, our conflicting desire to be bold while needing to please others, and our admiration for their ability to live and work for what is needed.
Our lives are at two extremes, in two realities that I'm finding impossible to judge and hard not to want to from this side.
There is so much to do to find balance. To have created the ASYV with understanding and purpose was an enormous task, and one that feels very successful. But, there is still a long way to go, with jobs small and large, something that anyone could feel proud contributing to.
