The Opening of My Eyes by Calvin

The Opening of My Eyes by Calvin - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

"Boom!" The plane hit the ground as we were landing in the Asian islands of the Philippines, in the capital city of Manila. Here I was to serve a Church mission and spend two and a half weeks helping and serving the people. I did not that it would be the most 'eye-opening" experience of my life.
After meeting at the mission home for an orientation, we left at about 7:30 that night in silver vans as we were taken to our apartments. After we put our bags in the apartment, we went out to eat dinner. As we rode a jeepney, a mode of public transportation similar to an extended jeep, the culture shock began to hit me as I saw many things that I had never seen before. Small children and stray animals were on every street, digging through piles of garbage looking for food. After we returned from eating, I took a closer look at the apartment and found that we did not have a shower and would wash ourselves by using buckets of waters. We were also without any laundry machines, and would be required to wash our clothes by hand. I instantly began to realize how blessed we are in the United States.
As I met with the people in the Philippines, I found that although they had few material possessions, they were very happy. This made me wonder why many of us here in this wonderful country are so unhappy. i think that is because we want more, and are not content with what we what. As a philosopher once said, "The greatest wealth is to be content with little."
The greatest lesson that I learned form this experience is to always be grateful for what we have. We are so blessed here in the United States, and I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to grow up here. I hope that this lesson of gratitude that I learned will forever stay in my mind.