By Sydney Reese
Through the incredible program Global Glimpse, many Westmont students, including myself, were able to travel to different countries around the world. I ended up going to Costa Rica for two weeks and learned about a different culture while making lifelong memories. One of the biggest lessons I learned firsthand was the importance of understanding different cultures.
About halfway through the first week, our group went to the local park in the town of Turrialba. We were walking past the basketball courts and watching some of the little boys playing soccer. With tattered shoes, ripped clothes, and a soccer ball patched with plastic and rubber, the boys were having the time of their lives.
Another group of tourists were there, also realizing the overall wear in the condition of the boys soccer game. They bought the boys a new bag of soccer balls, thinking it would improve their circumstances.
I remember thinking how cool it was that the group of tourists were helping out the community. However, when I looked over at a local mom, she had an angry and tired expression on her face. I asked our leader, Memo, why she looked angry when the kids were getting new soccer balls. I would think that she would be excited that they could play soccer with better equipment. Memo walked over and asked her in Spanish.
She said that while it was considerate of the tourists, these boys hadn’t eaten in a few days. If they had bought the boys pizza or pasta instead of soccer balls, it would have been more helpful.
I didn’t realize how important understanding the depth of another culture is until that moment. When traveling to another country and spending time in a different culture, I think an important lesson to keep in mind is that understanding should come before action. I think anyone who plans to serve another country should go in with the mindset of “What do they need?” vs. “What do I think they need?” What the community actually needs and what we think they need might be two completely different things.