Things are not always as they appear to be...

Things are not always as they appear to be.  This is a very important thing to remember in all we do in life, but it will be crucial to remember as I along with my fellow Beyond Border students make our way around the world this summer.  Keeping an open mind about situations we find ourselves in is vital to getting all that we can from our times away.  

Try this illusion.  

If your eyes follow the rotating pink dots, the dots will remain only one colour, pink. 

How ever if you  stare at the black "+" in the centre the dot turns to green.  

This illustrates the fact that we do not always see what we think we see.  

This summer we will be put into situations we have never been in before.  We will be pushed and stretched in unimaginable ways.  Ways that will make us frustrated and uncomfortable.  However it is when we feel frustrated that we know we are growing.  

Throughout the summer it is vital that we keep our minds open.  That we are receptive to the different cultures we find ourselves a part of.  There are likely going to be things that we will disagree about, things that are so strange and foreign to us that we simply cannot come to terms with it no matter how hard we try.  For me there is one situation I know I will have a problem with... caning.  I personally am not a violent person.  I believe in dialogue and working issues out with words.  However this is not the belief shared by many education institutions in Ghana.  Caning is a fairly main stream punishment and some people who have been through the Beyond Borders program in Ghana have come home with stories of their struggles with this issue.  I know that if faced with this in my placement I will be very frustrated, and most likely a little outraged.  However, I do realize that I am not going to Ghana to change how things are.  I am going in order to gain a greater world understanding, build personal relationships and be immersed in a different culture.   There will be struggles and frustrations, however I do believe that they will come with new understandings and a greater learning experience.  

Throughout all of our experiences this summer it is crucial that we realize that things are not always as we see them to be.  We need to be very careful to hold our judgments and be open to new situations and experiences.  We are not going to change those we interact with this summer, but rather we will be changed and transformed by the things we see and are taught this summer.  This does not mean we will agree with everything we see this summer, but it does mean we must ensure we do not pre judge and situations.  We must remain open and receptive to different opinions and experiences.  This is the surest way to be transformed by our experiences this summer.  Always remember that we do not always see the entire picture, and things can (and often are) very different from what we think we see.