Unbelizeable
Last September I didn't even know what the water crisis was, and nearly 11 months later and I have a tattoo of a jerry can on my shoulder. A jerry can is a typical container that many women and children use
to carry water every single day, sometimes for many miles. It also is the very thing that has filled my life with motivation and purpose and has pushed me farther then I thought possible. Throughout my fundraising for clean water projects, I dreamed of the day when I would be able to actually meet the people I was fundraising for, and that dream became a reality last week. I was able to travel with Solea Water, the non-profit organization that Billikens For Clean Water has been fundraising for. We brought water filters to two schools in the Toledo District of Belize, one in the village of Santa Cruz and the other in San Marcos.
Before my trip, I had envisioned giving people clean water many times. I pictured the people learning they would not get sick anymore and they would not have to walk long distances to find water for their families. I saw families smiling and embracing. I pictured myself being very happy because I was able to provide the gift of clean water to people who had never experienced it before. Life tends to throw curveballs, though, (you probably have figured that out by now) and my actual experience of giving people clean water taught me some important lessons that rerouted my path.
The schools where we delivered water filters already had hand pumps they were using to get water, but the water was not clean. If I drank out of one, I would probably get sick within a few hours. The students were used to drinking the unfiltered water, though, and were less susceptible to getting sick. This was a realization I had not really thought about before. So the problem that arises is this: how do you teach a bunch of children who are used getting water from a hand pump that they should now pour their water through a strange looking filter that some Americans brought before they drink it? This becomes even more difficult when not all of the children had experienced illness from drinking the dirty water. It is hard enough influencing a child to do a small task, but to change a habit completely? That is a different story, and one that is very difficult to come by.
My trip to Belize was like a person grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me, telling me to wake up. I left my ten-day trip scared to accept the realities I had experienced. Being in solidarity with people is one thing, but actually physically being with people who are experiencing the water crisis is something else entirely. Am I doing more harm than good by being here? How do I make these people understand I care about them? How do I make them understand the importance of drinking clean water? Do they want me to be here? These are thoughts I had that I am reluctant to share, but I think are important to acknowledge.
I have many unanswered questions that need fleshing out. I crave in the deepest part of my heart to understand how to connect to people who live far different lives than my own. If I could do anything right now, it would be to travel the world to meet people without access to clean water so I could understand how to best give them what they deserve. I am far from being in a place ready to do that, though. For the next few years, I want to be a sponge, soaking up as much information I can from peers, mentors, books, professors, the internet, and experience. I want to be able to travel to other countries and know how to implement clean water systems without doing any harm. I know everyone deserves clean water and that I am a piece of the puzzle in making sure that happens, but I am not exactly sure what that piece looks like. And I am okay with that. For now, I am going to take my path one step at a time and keep my eyes open for the inevitable bumps as well as flowers that are sure to come.
