The Truth about my Week

I’ve been trying to figure out how to broach this subject all week but haven’t had time to think about how to process it till now. I will aim to do so without overemphasizing, exaggerating, or coming across crass. But the truth is I’d be remiss of if I didn’t mention it because it was a huge aspect of my week.  The volunteer who arrived the same day as  me and was assigned the same placement with me had a physical challenge. She depends on two braces/ crutches attached at the arm to walk and often requires help getting in and out of cars and Tuk Tuks, help walking up and down stairs (with or without bannisters), help walking on wet floors, etc. She’s also an elderly assertive adult who speaks her mind, speaks a lot, and may not always pick up on social cues. This combination made for an interesting dynamic, which mostly our host and I had to navigate all week. 

When you choose to go on a solo trip through a program with “random” people, there are a hundred unknowns you are stepping into and in a lot of ways you are stepping out on faith. My experience this week was greatly tied to this woman’s because we essentially shared the same itinerary. The places we visited were not accessible and many places in developing countries are not. There is surely a need for improvement in order to empower differently-abled people. However, it is still worth acknowledging that, had she not been here my experience would have surely been different. Although, I can say that about a lot of things. If it rained everyday or if I had a different host or if my sore throat never went away, my trip would have been different. 

The good thing about travel is you learn something everywhere you go. Well I didn’t get as much opportunity to explore independently as I had anticipated. But my  eyes were opened more to the world of adult caretaking, the absence of accessibility, and how dynamics change as a result. There were also social norms and personality dispositions to navigate. Truth is I definitely had my manager hat on all week being mindful to include her in activities at the school and with the village kids while also providing “feedback” as needed. I mean I could have chosen not to wear the hat but I think it helped and I was able to support our host. I will never look at a set of steps, a vehicle, a wet floor or path of rocks the same way again. This is on our walk to get to the village kids each day. 

There are two sides (at least) to every story of course, and I’m sharing my side. I think I handled things gracefully this week and created boundaries when I needed to, while expressing my point of view to her and others in a diplomatic way when concerns were voiced about her situation, safety, etc. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be at the airport heading back to Bangladesh but I wanted to squeeze this post in before heading out for the day. About to get dressed now!