We Are The World

We are the world… if we know the world.

I define global awareness as how well a person knows the world. It can be measured by how many different places you’ve visited in its simplest form. Or in a more complex way, it can be measured by how many people you’ve interacted with- and even become friends with- from different cultures or different parts of the world.

The world is about people. I have worked with and developed relationships with people from all different cultures, locally, nationally, and internationally. A culture in itself is Eastern North Carolina, with which I have the most experience. From growing up in small town ENC to moving to the “big city” of Raleigh, I’ve seen it all (and LOVE it all). Nationally, I’ve traveled a good chunk of the United States- but mainly the east coast. Internationally, I’ve spent a week both in Haiti and Guatemala. A week doesn’t seem like that long, but I’ve never learned so much than in that amount of time. The people we met and the stories we heard were truly amazing. Here's a shot of some sweet kids from Guatemala.

My favorite local experience is called Erasing the Lines. It’s a week-long mission camp with a mission to “erase the lines” between different communities in a very small town- my hometown- Kinston, N.C. Sometimes being globally aware could mean just going to somewhere in your community that is polar opposite from you. Maybe the people you meet and develop relationships with could show you more about the world than you would ever expect… it sure did for me. If I could challenge you to do anything, that would be it.

I have only begun to break the surface on knowing about the world, which is why I’m so passionate about knowing more and more. I can only imagine how this trip will help me in my future teaching career. I’m so thankful for this opportunity to travel to yet another place and meet more incredible people.

“When two worlds collide,” there is a beautiful display (quote taken from artist TobyMac). I can’t wait to see that in Brazil- for 5 whole weeks! I’ll let you know how much more globally aware I become from this experience when I get back :)

-Kathryn