Looks Can Be Deceiving

Being on this service trip has really shown me the true meaning of the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Behind everything here – the people, the places, and the culture – there is a story. With each story, there is a different depth and new emotions. One of the best parts is being able to see these things without knowing a lot about what is behind their image. The better part is longing to know the whole story.

                Our home visits are a great example of this. Monday afternoon, Krissy, Keelin, Sophia, AJ, and I visited a teacher’s mother’s house. The teacher, Madame Juliet, is bright, colorful, energetic, and beautiful – inside and out.  At first glance, all you see is how happy she is every day. When we got to know her story, it turned out that there is so much more to her. Living in the house was Madame Juliet’s mother, Patricia, and three of her nieces and nephews. They live with their grandmother because their mother left the family and their father, Madame Juliet’s brother, is jobless and can no longer support them. As a teacher, Madame Juliet is paid just enough to get by, which is very little. Regardless, she supports her grandmother, her niece, her two nephews, her brother, and her own family. It is not an easy task, as they are constantly in survival mode, but because Madame Juliet has such a big heart, she carries on with the challenge and manages to keep it all going. Seeing how hard she works is really inspirational, but it is hard to understand unless you have heard her whole story yourself.

                Another great example are the students at LOAMO. Take Noela for instance, who struggles through so much, some of which she knows very little about, and yet she carries herself as if she has everything in the world. It is also visible within each student in the classrooms. This week, I was honored to help out with Class Five. Each student is unique and different and has their own talent, but not all of them are open about it. The majority of the classes consist of the teacher writing a lesson on the board, having the student copy it down, and then the teacher checking to see if they have correct answers. There are the students who don’t pay attention, and it is noticeable when checking their work. There are then the students who can answer all the questions and everyone knows what they are capable of. Then there are the quiet students who don’t seem to mess around and don’t seem to pay attention. When going around to check the work, it is the complete opposite; they are the first ones finished, with only one or two wrong. It really puts into perspective the student’s perceived image, and what is really true.

                Being amongst a culture that prominently keeps things in and is much more closed off is a huge contrast to home. It has my mind working full-time by trying to imagine everything that is hidden behind a smiling face. Although it is hard to immediately find the background of a person, place, or piece of culture, discovering the final story is truly fascinating.