AHA- Sarah Houge

It's past midnight and I really should be sleeping but I wanted to write a quick note about my AHA moment today... we've been working really hard all week with the deaf campers here in Kolkata playing games and doing different activities relating to communication, culture, empowerment, etc. Today, I remembered WHY I entered the field of international development... why I want to work with deaf people all over the world, especially in West Africa, and why I leave the comforts of my home and am exposed to great injustice and inequality, poverty and suffering... seeing things that should not be happening on this earth. Today, we worked with the campers, empowering them to solve their own problems and sharing their solutions through artistic expression (drama)... I watched each group going through their own AHA moment, understanding the situation at hand and what needed to be done, and their excitment in showing their acting skills, being part of something... my eyes welled up more than once today! It was so inspiring as I sat there looking at 40+ campers on a very dusty stage in the middle of a city in India being excited about the activity, working together and simply enjoying their time with us. It was a beautiful day :)