Inspring Person #1

India's Slums in Mumbai

   Walking in India is often a safety hazard on its own, but with only your cousin and at night is a death wish. It was by pure chance that we ended up near a makeshift school set up on the sidewalk. My cousin told me that it was a school for slum children ran by a kindhearted man who lives below the poverty line. He gave the kids a meal that they might not get at home as well as an education. The man never asked for any cash donations for his school, all he asked for was plates and utensils for the children.            

   Inspired by the poor yet kind man I went out and bought twenty five plates for the school. I never realized that I take the simplest things for granted. In my house, if I break a plate it is easy to go to the cupboard and get a new one. For the children in India a reusable plate is a luxury. It means that they do not have to eat out of their hands. When we delivered them, the teacher thanked us enthusiastically and told us how helpful it would be for the school. I noticed that he put the children above himself.

   Growing up in a prosperous country, I take my education for granted. I am similar to almost every other child; I complain about homework, teachers, etc. Until I saw this school, I never realized that I am one of the fortunate ones. I will probably get some of the opportunities that perhaps I do not deserve, just because I was born into this life. After I saw the children and their willingness and eagerness to come to school at night to learn, I thought about how spoiled I really am. Being spoiled isn’t necessarily having the best clothes, nicest cars, or biggest homes. Being spoiled is a way of thinking. It’s never appreciating what you have. Compared to some of the children in India who wonder when their next meal will be, I am spoiled. It saddens me that people who are well above the poverty line don’t give back. Some people with money don't appreciate what they have while people with barely any money know what struggle means and accept people for who they are and not what they have.

Photograph. Indian Adventures: One Year Abroad. 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 9 Jan. 2012. <http://audreyandthane.wordpress.com/tag/tourism/>.