"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."-Theodore Roosevelt
In the past four years I have been in many spaces in which I have been able to reflect on privilege. It was a huge focus of conversation and reflection in social work school and a main point of discussion in SEED.
Living in Libertad it was very easy to identify privileges that I have: being white, from the United States, and having degrees from universities gave me default power with which I was often very uncomfortable. I found myself in positions in which my opinion was sought after even though there were many others much more qualified to make the decision. Living these situations, recognizing them, and working towards shifting power given me to people who truly should wield it has been an important experience and something that I am still learning and working on.
However, being in the United States I am learning about and reflecting on another privilege of mine that I have not ever thought about before: the privilege of experiencing life in a small, rural community in another country.
On this trip, many people have mentioned the sacrifice that I am making in order to live and work in rural Colombia. With any decision one must make sacrifices, some more obvious or recognized than others, but we are all making sacrifices. However, I do not view my life in rural Colombia as a sacrifice but rather as a privilege.
Returning to the United States after being abroad is always very difficult for me. They call it "reverse culture shock." Moving between cultures as often as I do I'm not sure which way is reverse, but I do know that I often struggle with returning and having difficulty identifying with many of the opinions, values, and customs in the United States. Sometimes I get lonely because I don't feel like I can adequately share what I have seen and learned; sometimes I get angry because I see people focused on things that I no longer view as so important; sometimes I get depressed at the injustice of the ill-distribution of wealth and power in the world.
However, this time I am trying to focus on two points that have been really helpful in my returning process:
1) Having grace with myself
When I start feeling lonely, angry, or depressed, I let myself feel it, recognize it, and reflect on why and if there is anything I can do about it. It's hard, but just letting myself feel and be okay with feeling has been a very helpful step.
2) Recognizing my life in Colombia as a privilege
Living in a rural town in another country is an experience that most people in the United States never have. I have had the opportunity to live circumstances, meet people, ask questions about situations, hear opinions, learn about struggles, experience challenges, and reflect on ideas that would not often come up in the United States. I know others would love to have the same opportunity that I am living but for different reasons cannot. Living there and having these opportunities is a blessing and a privilege.
Recognizing this privilege is helpful because it helps me have patience and grace with others when I am in the United States. The ideas and opinions that have formed in me about justice, nonviolence, living in community, and love may not jive with the opinions of the general public or my loved ones, but I hold those believes because I have had the privilege of living somewhere where leaders are committed to working nonviolently towards peace and justice in an unjust system, sacrificing and struggling for the good of their family, their neighbors, other communities, and their country.
An example of these leaders is the group of women from Mampujan. (Here you can review my first reflections on working with the women from Mampujan: http://laniincolombia2.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-tapestries-of-mampujan.html) Recently their work was recognized by Colombia with the National Peace Prize. Being in spaces with these women, watching them share their experience and talents with other women, and being able to learn from them has been a huge honor and has undoubtedly influenced my formation. (For more information on the women and the prize you can read a great reflection by my friend Anna: http://thellamadiaries.com/2015/11/20/what-is-a-peace-prize/)
I am grateful for the privilege of living in community, being challenged, and learning from so many amazing people that I get to call my friends.
Generations of leaders:
Returning to the United States after being abroad is always very difficult for me. They call it "reverse culture shock." Moving between cultures as often as I do I'm not sure which way is reverse, but I do know that I often struggle with returning and having difficulty identifying with many of the opinions, values, and customs in the United States. Sometimes I get lonely because I don't feel like I can adequately share what I have seen and learned; sometimes I get angry because I see people focused on things that I no longer view as so important; sometimes I get depressed at the injustice of the ill-distribution of wealth and power in the world.
However, this time I am trying to focus on two points that have been really helpful in my returning process:
1) Having grace with myself
When I start feeling lonely, angry, or depressed, I let myself feel it, recognize it, and reflect on why and if there is anything I can do about it. It's hard, but just letting myself feel and be okay with feeling has been a very helpful step.
2) Recognizing my life in Colombia as a privilege
Living in a rural town in another country is an experience that most people in the United States never have. I have had the opportunity to live circumstances, meet people, ask questions about situations, hear opinions, learn about struggles, experience challenges, and reflect on ideas that would not often come up in the United States. I know others would love to have the same opportunity that I am living but for different reasons cannot. Living there and having these opportunities is a blessing and a privilege.
Recognizing this privilege is helpful because it helps me have patience and grace with others when I am in the United States. The ideas and opinions that have formed in me about justice, nonviolence, living in community, and love may not jive with the opinions of the general public or my loved ones, but I hold those believes because I have had the privilege of living somewhere where leaders are committed to working nonviolently towards peace and justice in an unjust system, sacrificing and struggling for the good of their family, their neighbors, other communities, and their country.
An example of these leaders is the group of women from Mampujan. (Here you can review my first reflections on working with the women from Mampujan: http://laniincolombia2.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-tapestries-of-mampujan.html) Recently their work was recognized by Colombia with the National Peace Prize. Being in spaces with these women, watching them share their experience and talents with other women, and being able to learn from them has been a huge honor and has undoubtedly influenced my formation. (For more information on the women and the prize you can read a great reflection by my friend Anna: http://thellamadiaries.com/2015/11/20/what-is-a-peace-prize/)
I am grateful for the privilege of living in community, being challenged, and learning from so many amazing people that I get to call my friends.
Generations of leaders:
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