"My Eyes are starting to open"

How interesting is it to read about the experience of a Bolivian-born volunteer who lived most of his life in the United States?  

Christian writes about going away a on a little adventure to the rural Bolivia: 

"Man has this city opened my eyes and thoughts. As I try to observe myself in those little hours I have to myself at the end of the day I start looking back at my life back in the United States… This week I decided to go on a little adventure hours away from my homestay with a new friend I had made in Proyecto Horizonte, in a bus, no in a train, actually both. 

Excited to leave, we rushed to the Cancha (The central area for transportation, sales, and food) to catch our bus-train, unfortunately we underestimated how crowded it would be on a Saturday. Getting close to departure time we tried running but that was not an option for us as the fastest we could go was walking not mentioning getting lost in the way. Thankfully after getting out of the crowd we started running to buy our tickets and made it just on time. Astonished myself I have never seen a bus on train tracks and was excited for the trip I was about to adventure to. Unlike going on the roads we were able to see the rural parts of Bolivia which were beautiful in every way possible. Seeing the “Cholas” (Natives to Bolivia) in their natural habitats was interesting as a lot of families had farming fields, herds of animals, and mud houses. Of course there were some scary parts where the bus-train would start shaking back and forth violently as we cross bridges that are thousands of feet up high. 

Being able to see the different levels of Urbanizations as we visited many pueblos on the way to Mizque. The 6 hour train ride really made me reflect on my life seeing more than just a regular “American” lifestyle I’ve always seen. Seeing most of the people astonished and smiling because of a bus-train, kids playing around, and the many family driven jobs. I’ve been battling this thought my time I have been staying here, the thought of opportunity, emotion, and perspective. 

How many of the intelligent kids I come across with in Proyecto Horizonte never going to college because of opportunity, but at the same time live a happier life than the regularly stressed working American? Of course I do not speak for everyone but it’s something I hope to define more in the time here".

- Christian, United States