Meaghan won't sit around and wait for answers to come.

Meaghan (in middle) asking the challenging questions

This past weekend we attended a human rights workshop put on by Africa Unite, and it was a really great experience. I was not sure what to expect going into the weekend but I learned a lot of things while having a lot of fun. The workshop was held at a beautiful olive farm with unbelievable views where all fifty of us stayed in various rooms and houses. The mix of people in attendance came from South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and obviously the United States. It was so interesting to see the way so many people, from such varying backgrounds, all came together for conversations and learning. One of my favorite exercises done throughout the weekend involved splitting up into five groups that each represented a different country. The idea was that we had to settle on a new planet, and with one country getting there first it had to be settled how things would run and who would be able to do what. One of the things that struck me was how incredibly frustrating it can be to deal with such a large number of people all with different opinions they want to share. This is not to sound negative however, because it helped me learn so much about how difficult it is to handle global matters when everyone across the world holds different values and ideas. I also really enjoyed the downtime we had each night where we were able to hang out and get to know people better. Unfortunately with so little time and so many people I can’t say I was able to get to know everyone, but I really enjoyed meeting those who I did meet. We played a lot of different games that now seem a little childish, but at the time were really fun. Not to mention, the dancing and singing we got to observe and participate in (when not too embarrassed to) was really fun. It makes you wish that American culture could embrace it because it seems like a great source of unity.

As I have struggled before, I am again questioning where to go from here. With a deeper understanding of human rights, civil rights, refugees, asylum seekers etc., I have this power of knowledge and need to put it forward. I am realizing now, that the answer I am seeking, where do I go from here, may never be directly given to me. The struggle lies in finding out how to do it on my own. Otherwise, I may spend my whole life wondering how I can help without helping at all. I think one of my main priorities will be to find opportunities at home where I can co-educate about these issues, but also find others interested in them. Part of the reason these problems are not fixed is because people do not take steps to change them. I can’t sit around and wait for the answer to come to me anymore., I must go out and find my own ways to change this.