{"id":62,"date":"2016-10-01T02:02:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-01T02:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/?page_id=62"},"modified":"2016-10-13T02:28:39","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T02:28:39","slug":"leaving-with-hope","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/leaving-with-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaving with Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Looking

Looking out onto the peaceful landscape in Malang (which we would paraglide over soon after this photo).<\/p><\/div>\n

Having been back from Indonesia for almost two months, I sometimes find myself in disbelief that the whole experience actually happened. I still feel surprised that I actually put myself on a plane to go to a country on the other side of the world, where I spoke none of the language and knew very little about the country in general. But it happened. It\u2019s real. And I cannot express enough gratitude for that fact.<\/p>\n

The work we did in the field and the experience of the fellowship as a whole has led me to so much personal, professional and spiritual development that its hard to know where to even begin. I can see, however, themes that struck me several times because of the way they inform my view of the world and how I hope to interact in it.<\/p>\n

\"The

The bulk of our work in the field consisted of interviews and surveys with community members or organizations.<\/p><\/div>\n

When I try to explain to people what I did this summer, it takes several tries and often I have to accept that there will only be a partial understanding between us. With this explanation comes the need for definitions \u2013 definitions of social entrepreneurship, definitions of action research, definitions of social impact assessment and much, much more. When I start to talk about these things I notice the speed and intensity with which I talk increases, as I feel that sensation that I can only describe as my heart aligning with my mind aligning with the world.<\/p>\n

Many will try to describe the work I was involved with in terms of a mission trip or in terms of studying abroad, both of which I have done and can firmly attest are distinctly different from what I experienced this summer. While studying abroad is mostly for your own experience and growth, we were certainly not there just to learn, enjoy ourselves, and soak in the Indonesian culture (although we were lucky to experience those things as well). We were there to work and to hopefully help. Thus, the mission trip is the next closest comparison. The reason I felt that this experience was so distinct from any mission trip I have been on has to do with the core values incorporated with social entrepreneurship and action research.<\/p>\n

During mission trips, I have certainly been taken aback\u00a0by the poverty of developing countries and by people who live with far less than they deserve. I would spend a couple weeks in a community, getting to know them, trying to do a little project or two, talking about God\u2019s<\/p>\n

\"One

One of Nazava’s filter users sits happily in her living room with her filter displayed as one of her main pieces of furniture and decoration.<\/p><\/div>\n

love that unites us and then we would leave. I would come back feeling guilty that we didn\u2019t fix their problems and they will continue to live on in those conditions long after I have gotten accustomed to warm showers and clean sheets. The discussions afterwards often centered on\u00a0how the people we witnessed were far happier and content than we often are when we are showered in blessings. Thus, we need to recognize that we are lucky to have what we have and we need to be more grateful.<\/p>\n

While I definitely think it is true that we, who live with so much, need to be thankful for what we have, I was struck by how much less the poverty seemed to drive that deep feeling of guilt gnawing at me after interacting with people in the various villages. We passed<\/p>\n

bedrooms with dirty mattresses on the ground covered in clothes as makeshift blankets. We saw homes with bugs crawling around or trash stacked in the corner of the room because they had nowhere else to place it. Yet, the guilt did not overwhelm me. At first, I was concerned that I had become desensitized to poverty in developing countries, accepting the fact that I have more materially and financially than they do. But upon further reflection I think (and certainly hope) this is not the case. I settled on the conclusion that it was because this experience, more than many other experiences, gave me the opportunity to see beyond just their physical conditions.<\/p>\n

\"We

We spent\u00a0much of our field\u00a0time sitting in people’s homes, asking them questions and walking them through the mobile survey.<\/p><\/div>\n

As we continued through the last half of our field work, we dove much further into the routine of interviews and surveys, walking around from house to house, sitting in living rooms, talking to people as their children often hid behind a nearby corner giggling at us. We asked them questions about their experience with water purification, why they were or weren\u2019t interested in Nazava, if they had any recommendations to give Nazava, as well as many other questions either through our interviews or our surveys. We asked to take pictures of them but, more often than not, they asked to take pictures of us or with us first, excited at the prospect of showing people their new foreigner friends.<\/p>\n

During these interactions, I got to see a little peak not only into people\u2019s homes but into people\u2019s lives. I heard them talk very confidently about the problems they faced and the strategies they had taken to overcome those challenges. I heard them talk about what they were looking for in a product and the things they were considering before their purchase, such as whether it would save them valuable resources, like money or time, and whether it would be safe for their family.<\/p>\n

All in all, I saw strong people standing before me, working hard every day to thrive in the<\/p>\n

\"A

A woman sits with us, sharing her story and experience with water purification.<\/p><\/div>\n

midst of challenging circumstances. Despite the fact that I would leave that home and they would still be facing those same issues, I did not feel the overwhelming guilt I was used to. I saw capable, empowered people solving problems not to help themselves alone but to help their children, their families and their communities. They did not look at me to fix their problems in one fell swoop. They looked to me to listen. That was my job. What a gift that job is.<\/p>\n

The people we spoke to invited us into their home, gave us their time, shared their experience, constantly offered us little treats and tea and asked nothing in return except that we hear them. They placed an enormous amount of hope in the power of us hearing their story. I believe this is because they understand we are in an extremely fortunate position, able to send that story out far beyond their own circumstances, all the way across the world to Santa Clara University to be exact.<\/p>\n

\"One

One of Nazava’s resellers sitting proudly in her home, smiling during her interview.<\/p><\/div>\n

That is exactly what we hope to do. Having the blessing to listen to people\u2019s stories rather than coming in with a plan of how to fix what I would assume their problems were is something that made this experience so distinct. There is a difference between pity and empathy. There is a difference between fixing and solving. The latter approach is what I got to exercise through this experience. Through it, we connect with one another on a place of equal footing, first understanding the responsibility we have toward one another as human beings.<\/p>\n

Each person who spent time with us shared a piece of their story with us, entrusting it to us with the hope that we can do something beneficial with it. They exhibited through their care for one another and for us that they understood the interconnectedness of humanity, that we do not live in isolation pursuing our own goals and that to live that way is harmful to everyone including ourselves. What we do affects one another, for better or for worse. We have a responsibility to one another to utilize what we have for the benefit of all. The<\/p>\n

\"One

One of Nazava’s resellers taking our mobile survey as her daughter gazes up at her.<\/p><\/div>\n

people we talked to used what they had \u2013 their valuable resources, their intelligence, their work ethic, their love \u2013 to advance the wellbeing of the whole. I see that wherever I am I must follow their example. For when I seek to use what I have, either outside or within me, to help another, I am acknowledging my innate connectedness to that woman sitting in her living room with her children in Dampit. I am reaching out to the little boy who greeted us with a kiss on the hand in Kupang. We do not live in different worlds even though it is embarrassingly easy to forget when you arrive back into the United States.<\/p>\n

When I left Indonesia, I did not feel guilty because I didn\u2019t fix everything. I felt hopeful because of the work that will continue long after I\u2019m gone through Nazava but also through each of the community members we talked with. I felt inspired by their strength, resilience, insight and hope. When I left Indonesia, I left with the knowledge that this experience was just a small part of something much greater than myself. I left with the comprehension that we must work together for these common goals for good, eagerly listening, actively using what we have been given and constantly acknowledging our undeniable and beautiful interconnectedness. I left with the understanding that this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n

\"A

A kind and generous woman from the village insists on giving me a massage when she notices I’m not feeling well. She is just one example of the kindness and empowerment I witnessed from the people I met in Indonesia.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Having been back from Indonesia for almost two months, I sometimes find myself in disbelief that the whole experience actually happened. I still feel surprised that I actually put myself on a plane to go to a country on the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":757,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"qubely_global_settings":"","qubely_interactions":"","kk_blocks_editor_width":"","_kiokenblocks_attr":"","_kiokenblocks_dimensions":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-62","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/757"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62\/revisions\/83"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/meghancarlsengsbf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}