Milica Komad

One of the last classes we had before the break was silent. It had something to do with creating a Mongolian timeline. Now, before you gasp and think to yourself, “that horrible student! She doesn’t even know what she’s learning!”, note that I don’t think the class was really about what we were doing. Rather, how hard it was to do it. Because without words we were lost. 30 teens, each trying to be heard without speaking. It was pretty rough. Some nearly didn’t make it.

We discussed how to communicate over in Mongolia without using words.

But the other night, as I was walking home it dawned on me that this mini project we persued may have brought up a smaller thought. That there is this universal truth everyone knows and can share without words. And although we will not speak the same language as the mongols, in two weeks, we’ll have something shared between us. I have no clue what it will be, or what it will look like. I have a feeling these things happen naturally and are not forced, such as our panicked grunts, desperately searching for silent words. It will be our own understanding of each other.

These photos were taken from an organization called “Before I Die”. All three photos above were taken in Delhi India. The photos taken in America stated such things as:
“Before I die, I want to…become rich!”
“Before I die, I want to…visit the playboy mansion and have a sleepover!”

The first thing that caught my eye about the children and there wants, was the cry for education and schooling. Granted, there were those rare few boys that said they wanted to own cars and drive them, but most just wanted a future. To think that children in Mongolia and all over the world are dreaming of education while we sleep in, dreaming away our education, is sad.  This school will provide the answer for some kids in Mongolia. These kids, they’ll provide some answers for us.

Maybe the Western world’s lack of need also creates a lack of integrity. Maybe, the less we need, the more we are blinded with what we want. I can’t begin to soak this in.

This may be the world’s greatest tragedy.

But we will finally see.

This summer I had the amazing privilege of speaking, well mainly listening, to a Swedish man named Carl-Gustav Severin. Just months after being accepted into the Global Perspectives program, I honestly felt like I could conquer the world. I would be a history-maker. And this man, instead of solidifying my ambitions, instead brought me back to earth. But with it, he also brought hope. Maybe I wasn’t going to change the entire world, but for one person, I could change their entire world. It was a different type of hope.

Growing up, our parents, adults, and mentors feed us lies. As children, we eat them. And for the rest of our lives, we work to untangle these lies, and desperately try to make sense of them. 2+2=4, and the family dog went to a farm. And when we grow up, shocked and confused we realize the answer can be positive/negative four and the family dog, died and possibly went to hell…Similarly, people always tell you that you can change the world, and as we grow up, with us grow these silly notions that we will in fact all be mini Mother Teresas. I’m not saying we shouldn’t dream big. We should. I am a firm believer that you should always shoot high and miss, than aim low and hit. But is it possible, that it may be okay to not save the world? And more absurd, is it possible that it may be okay to just change one life? One random, unimportant life? Yes. The answer is yes.

This wise little Swedish man went on to tell me two important stories that will forever continue changing my life. The first was about two Swedish missionaries, who in 1921 headed to Congo to change the world. Only they didn’t know how to help people. The only person they ever told about God was one small, unimportant boy selling fish. The woman went on to become pregnant, and nine months later, died during childbirth. The husband, angry and bitter, left his newborn in the hands of two Americans and went home to Sweden feeling like he made no difference in the world. Over the years, he became an alcoholic, and vowed to never speak about God again. His daughter grew up in America, and one day came across an article talking about a boy from Congo who heard a story about hope, and went back to his village and repeated the same story to 600 people. This village, full of hope, went on to build schools, start churches and change lives. All because of a young Swedish couple, not even aware they were making a difference in the world they wanted so badly to change.

The second story was about a Jewish prisoner during the Holocaust in a concentration camp and a worker forced to work in the camp. The worker did not enjoy talking to big crowds of people, so she would talk to the Jewish prisoner, and everyday the prisoner would reject her friendship. Eventually, the Jewish prisoner came down with Tuberculosis, and the commander decided to send her to Auschwitz to be gassed to death. The worker was a trustworthy woman, and convinced the commander to let her take the prisoner home, and help bring her back to proper health. The commander agreed, for whatever reason.  For eleven months, this worker looked after the Jewish prisoner, desperately trying to bring her back to health.  The same day that this prisoner was scheduled to go back to the camp, World War Two ended. Going home to Russia, this Jewish prisoner went on to have 11 children, 75 grandchildren, and 147 great-grandchildren. One worker, not capable of talking to big crowds, took the time out to change one woman’s life, and instead changed the lives of nearly 400 people.

These stories got me thinking about Mongolia and the difference we’ll each make there. Maybe some of us are going with the expectation that we will change the world, or even the fear that we won’t change anything. But if we just reach out and attempt to change one life, we may change one world. And with the hope we pass on to the Mongols, they may possibly go and change others villages, help build other schools, and help change other lives. We don’t have to be the chain binding this world together, we can be the link.

So with every person we meet in Mongolia, lies this opportunity to change the world, one life at a time.

Everyone is out there either dying or searching. Me? I am searching. For something bigger, something better than both you and I. I’m not sure what it is yet, but hopefully I’ll find it. For now, I can only hope to catch a glimpse of it. I know nothing. But only through experience can I discover. Mongolia will be my experience, but also my discovery.

There is nothing in this world that I am certain of. But with everything I have in me, I sincerely hope that there is an undeniable good in everything and everyone. We just have to look around. Only when I see will I know. So with this entire trip comes my entire expectation. To find what I’m living to find. To share with strangers half-way around the world this universal need. For truth.

Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.
–Thoreau

In class everyone was assigned a certain personality trait, be it a boss, or sabatoguer. We were to walk around and socialize with people, while incorporating our new personalities. It was a disaster. People were speaking over each other, butting heads and nothing was being done. From start to finsih, we remained at the exact same point. After a class discussion, we observed that because there were so many different personality types and everyone was so focused on themselves, no one was able to focus on the bigger picture, getting along. And this is the way life is. Not everyone will get along with everyone, and some people’s personalities may not suit your own. Even similiar personalities can conflict with each other. The important thing to remember is that you can be polite and work together with the person, putting aside personal differences. So this was our pilot episode, a rough draft if you will. Hopefully, after experiencing this, we’ll be able to handle ourselves better in Mongolia. And that’s that.

I miss being ignorant. When everything seemed to be done by magic fairies, or elves. Take your pick.  Because as a child, and even up until about a year ago, I viewed everything done in life upfront without looking or thinking about what had to happen for me to be seeing it. I never realized how much effort went into cherished things. This past weekend I volunteered at a summer camp to help keep it maintained during the off-season. I built a road in the rain, and though it taught me a powerful lesson in staying humble, and painted a picture of just how hard I will physically work in Mongolia, it also made me realize that what we see isn’t always what we get. People invest time and effort into putting things together, and going forth with the silent auction, carwash and bottle drive, I have now realized that. Maybe my ignorance was able to shield me this far in life, but there comes a point where realizations ruin everything. I’m glad it ruined my apathy for things like this. And I hope the future generations realize it too. You need to trade something in order to gain.  Whether it be love, work, labour, or time. And I am glad I am putting mine into this program. Because I will and have been reaping the rewards.

*Note: Tony – Manually edited for it to show on Global website.