I love getting to know people and hearing their stories. I come from a family that values building relationships with people. I have been taught to love others to the best of my abilities. I have also been taught, no matter the situation, that people are people, and our job is to love them without stopping to ask why.
This month has been both physically and emotionally exhausting. I believe there are about 5,000 or more refugees at camp. Because there are so many people, we volunteers are busy running from one task to another. Besides being busy, there are also rules/boundaries we are expected to respect/follow as volunteers. Some of these boundaries are the following: you need to have at least two feet of distance between you and someone of the opposite sex when having a conversation, you can’t have extended conversations with the opposite sex, you can’t give them hugs, etc. I feel like I have been so focused on tasks, boundaries/rules that I actually forgot to focus on the most important part: relationships. My favorite moments at camp have been the ones where I got to hear people’s stories and interact with them.
The other day I was working at the info table. It was during the morning so there weren’t very many people crowding the table. One gentleman walked up to me and said, “Good morning.” “Good morning,” I replied and asked him to show me his papers. However, he stopped me from going any further and extended his hands out to me. I smiled and shook his hand. He asked, “How are you doing”? I told him how I was doing. He asked for my name and which country I am from. Then he finally handed me his papers and asked me what he wanted. Most people that come up to the table are angry and frustrated. If I was in their position, I would probably feel the same way. But, this gentleman cared enough to ask how I was doing even though I was so focused on my task and didn’t take the time to ask him how he was. He noticed me. He saw me as a person, not as some kind of machine that stands behind a desk and asks for papers.
I know we all have our busy lives. Some of us have work, school, and some of us are busy raising children and taking care of our families. But, how many times have we stopped to noticed people and love them for who they are? How many times have we stopped to say a simple hello? How many times have we stopped to ask people how they’re and be interested in hearing their response?
A simple hello might be all a person needs in a given day. We don’t need to spend hours and hours talking to people. But, we can take 30 seconds out of our day to smile and say hello. It seems like each day these people at camp are teaching me new and valuable lessons. This gentleman taught me to focus on what matters more: people.
I don’t want to be remembered as the girl that did her job well. I want to be remembered as the girl that loved people well and cared for their well-being.
