Going the extra mile, literally…

Recently I met with an inspiring young lady, following the ever-hectic academic path to social work. As you can imagine, university is full of busy days; study sessions, lectures, tutorials, loads of expensive but necessary text books surrounded by student know-it-alls, student slackers, student in-betweeners and if you’re as unlucky as some, the smallest campus in the world where the only food outlets close at 3pm. Now for Kate, 18, university is this and more; it’s her stepping stone into her future career, and her recent overseas trip to India has given her a push of real world inspiration to see her through the next semester.

In July a total of 26 Griffith University staff and students set off for their 14 day journey of cultural immersion. The group, representing the school of human services and social work and the school of public health, took the opportunity to experience the culture of India and to build an alliance with the staff and students of Christ University in Bangalore.

Kate, nursing a sore throat with a hot cup of Lemsip, the remains of her henna tattoo still showing, shares the details of her extraordinary trip, including the brief but heart wrenching glimpse of one small, beggar boy in particular, who had been scalded. She says that after seeing the feature film Slumdog Millionaire, it’s hard to tell whether these children have been deliberately injured to gain more sympathy from passers by. As we sit in the only cafe on the campus, I guess it’s hard to imagine a lifestyle that would allow such vulnerable children be mistreated. ‘Although,’ she continues, ‘if you need money and food that’s what you do.’

‘I feel like I have compassion’, Kate says, and with a family history of caring professions, she says she’s known what she’s wanted to be since she was in year 10. Kate’s academic journey, she explains, is best way for her, personally, to make a difference. Whether it’s worldwide or locally she doesn’t mind, but just having the knowledge to make an impact in the lives of ‘broken’ people is where her dream career is at.

The remainder of the trip was spent by experiencing day-to-day living for many of the families before going on to visit a range of non-government organisations (NGO’s) including a family village, a HIV/AIDS clinic, and rural villages. Kate shares a few more snippets of the lives of people in Indian slums as I sit avidly listening to the passion in her words.

Despite the cultural and communication barriers, Kate explains that there was no problems in connecting with the people there. For instance, ‘Kids in Australia can’t handle anything less then an Xbox and yet when given an imprint of a stamp on their hand, the children in India felt as if they were given the world,’ she says.

After speaking with Kate I certainly have a greater sense of appreciation for the lifestyle that I am allowed to have in Australia. To me, Kate is an inspirational woman and after speaking to her, my faith in human kind is reignited. It most certainly makes me think that if she can make her dream career happen, then anyone can, and while you’re there, why not get a bit of real world experience?

Have you had an amazing, life-changing experience like Kate’s? Comment below and tell us all about it!