I can honestly say that I've learned the true meaning of human compassion. Being in New Mexico I have met so many people that have changed my views. Here are some examples:
From the man who feeds his chicken even though they don't lay eggs, the woman who lives by the saying "life is good", the man who met me at 8:30am to give me a ring he custom made for me since I fell in love with it in the wrong size, the 9 trip participants who paid for my ring because they knew how much I loved it, the 5 men and women who volunteer their Monday through Friday to serve over 100 people at a soup kitchen, the woman who saves everything for her compost in order to give back to the earth that gives her so much, the group of 60 sixth graders who helped us plant beans, pick weeds, and pick fruits and the community farm, the tribal elder who drove 4 hours to share stories, songs and a meal with us, the man who walked 10 women around New Mexico while putting up with our picture taking and chatting just so he could show us the beautiful sunset.
The people I have met here and the experiences I have had at the soup kitchen and the community farm have taught me what human compassion is. True, undeniable compassion in its truest form. I am going to miss Santa Fe and the laid back "get here when you get here" attitude. I feel like even my pulse has slowed down! It was amazing to take a minute and relax, close my eyes and reflect. What I decided was that we are lucky to be on this earth and we should treasure every day.
We have seen so much in the short amount of time that we have been here! We saw the oldest house in the US to a church without steeples (because they were too lazy to finish them, haha). We also saw the "Indian Schools" which has been renovated now but used to be boarding schools that the Native American children were ripped from their families and forced to attend at as early as the age of 6. We have seen rivers that do not contain any water...which was confusing at first! And we have seen beautfiul mountains, sunsets and stars.
I feel blessed to have made the friends I have in Santa Fe and I can not wait to travel to Shiprock New Mexico tomorrow and see what they have in store for us! (like outdoor sleeping tents!)
-Lauren Zanfardino, IIM Student Leader, Class of 2013
