The Harsh Reality

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The main takeaway from this trip was that it was a great learning experience. I've learn more about black history and civil rights in this one week than I have in my entire life in school. 

This trip helped me realize a lot about our society. Mostly, it helped me realize the problems we've faced in our history are highly significant. I used to go around thinking. "first world problems aren't real problems". When I thought this, I was referring to how the struggles in developed countries like the United States aren't nearly as tough as in other underdeveloped countries. For example I'd mention how an average American complains about not having  WiFi, while children in poverty stricken countries aren't sure when their next meal would be. This thought lead me to not care much about "first world problems". However, this trip helped me realize all of the harsh and gruesome things that our people have gone through and lead me to appreciate our history, and most important, the people that fought for our rights. 

Besides the learning aspect of this trip, I enjoyed the sense of community that was present during this trip. Everybody was so accepting and respectful of everyone else. There were a lot of strong bonds and relationships made within this week. We also were all very open to each other and spoke our minds about personal things but also deep real world topics. In terms of our community, I also enjoyed the level of participation we all had. We sung freedom songs together, did activities together and all contributed to big discussions in one way or another. 

I really enjoyed this trip and I would recommend it to a friend. 

-Mohamadou

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