The Other Side

I have always known that America is a disposable society, but only recently understood what this really meant.

When traveling home we had an unexpected cancellation of the flight from Chicago to Des Moines. We were so close, but had to get a hotel room in Chicago and leave early the next morning for Des Moines. When we got to the hotel we were all exhausted and grumpy because we smelt bad and had been traveling for 45 plus hours. At the front desk the lady in front of me asked for a disposable toothbrush. Not knowing that they provided those for free, I also asked for one.

The toothpaste is already on the brush and ready to go when you simply add water. It is only meant to use once and toss in the trash. In fact, the lady in front of me asked for two so she could have one for that night and one the next morning. I kept thinking about all the Rwandans that have never owned a toothbrush and the ones that do, cherish them for years and years. I gave one to a little boy at the market and he looked at it this alien object with his eyes squinted trying to figure out what it was.

I used my disposable toothbrush that I requested at the hotel once and then I set it on the counter. I couldn’t throw it away. I had such heavy guilt in my stomach, but felt helpless.

Seeing the other side of the world has changed me so much in ways that people will tell you it will, but you can’t understand unless you see it for yourself. You can see starving children on TV and watch documentaries on the hardships other countries face every day, but it becomes real when you watch it through your eyes instead of through glass.

I really appreciated that we lived like Africans and ate local food while we were there.
If we would have stayed in nice hotels and only visited the poor villages, our experience would have been completely different—it would have been more of a vacation. I wouldn’t change anything about the trip—so truly special to live side by side with Rwandans.

The only difference though is that we were able to leave. Our time there was done and we got in a plane and flew away to out familiar life—yet everything looks a little different now. Who knew a handy toothbrush at a hotel when I was tired and stinky could have provoked such an emotion. The word Disposable keeps coming back to me.

It’s so important to understand that the Rwandans can learn so much from us and gain a lot from our donations, but we have just as much to learn from them and they have just as much to offer us in return.