Exposure
When I think back to the time before I left for this Global Fellowship, one word that I could use to describe myself is: dissatisfied. Now, I wasn’t unhappy, sad, upset, or anything like that, but I knew that my life was lacking something. I had school, extracurriculars friends, family- everything a guy could ask for, but for some reason, I wanted more. More out of life, more out of others, and more out of myself. There was something missing, and I think I have realized what that something was- perspective.
Culture. Throughout the United States, the Bay Area especially, I have met people with different beliefs, ethnicities, backgrounds, etc. and have had the privilege of knowing a diverse group of people. But one thing that lacked was the opportunity to truly immerse myself in the different culture. I am an Asian American and know a good deal of my own cultures, however, there are other cultures that I honestly don’t even know exist. My time here in Bolivia, while drawing to an end, has given me the opportunity to see a new culture, belief system, language, and even mannerisms that I have never been exposed to. The jokes, the language (good and bad words included), and even staring at “el chino” (aka me), have all been incredibly refreshing.
Career. When I had applied and accepted this fellowship, in my head, I knew that this fellowship had many engineering applications and I felt that it may teach me technical skills that I could use in my actual career. However, I was wrong. The main thing that I will be taking away from this internship is something that I would have never guessed: perspective. My goal is to create medical technology that has application and is available across the globe. However, while this is such, something that I never even thought about is: How am I supposed to innovate for groups of people I know absolutely nothing about? I may have ambitions to “change the world,” and “serve less fortunate groups of people across the globe,” but something I didn’t realize is that I know nothing about these people. I know nothing of their belief system or what is even available to them medically wise. I was ignorant of the fact that while I want to change the world, I know absolutely nothing about it. This fellowship, while showing me a very small portion of the world, has at least opened my eyes to the fact that I need to expose myself to places other than the United States.
People. I guess that culture and people can be tied pretty close together, therefore, since I have been exposed to entirely new cultures here, the same can be said for people. The people here, while described usually as pretty stern and serious people, are also some of the most kind and compassionate people that I have ever met. They seem to have this way of thinking that is deep and meaningful, yet has such connection to the world around them that it completely amazes me. Take, for example, Carlos Aliaga or Graciela Neira. Both are completely different kinds of people with different backgrounds and ways of life, yet at the heart of their actions, they really are just looking out for you. Similar things can be said for a lot of people I know in the US, but for some reason, here in Bolivia, it just seems…different.
Location. Now of course, since this is my first time traveling internationally, my perspective of space and location has been altered. The United States is no longer the entire world, but in fact, a very small portion of it. Here in Bolivia, I have had the opportunity to travel to the hot and humid rainforest to the freezing cold salt flats. I have been in caves, waterfalls, rivers, cactus islands, and so many different landscapes that I am eager to see what the rest of the world has to offer.
Challenge. This has been the biggest eye opener. Now, I can say that school work, college, etc. are, of course, challenging, but living in a different country where I can barely speak the language for a period of time that is longer than any time that I have been away from home…now that is challenging. But there is much more to the challenge than simple communication. The challenge of living with people that I barely even knew before for 7 weeks, the challenge of figuring out the currency here in Bolivia, the challenge of meeting new people, the challenge of transportation, the challenge of figuring out which food is good and which is not- essentially, the challenge of figuring out a new way of life. I have had to face this challenge while being here in Bolivia, and I can honestly say that it has been completely rewarding. Now the only question left is: What’s next?
