After All This Time, What I (Derek) Learned Discovering 'The World Beyond'

Yes, it's been more than a few months since we got back from South America. Yes, I have been meaning to write a summary of what I learned and what my favorite experiences were. Tonight I spent some time with Porter.  Talking with Porter this evening, telling stories and jokes from the trip made me think back even more than I normally do. As per usual, he drilled me about not writing my final blog post. I have been meaning to write for a while. However, I let 'life' get in the way. Finally, I was inspired to sit down and start writing.

For me, the entire purpose of this trip was to get away from the day to day I am used to and discover something new. I wanted to connect more to what was important in life. My whole life, I have taken the safe route in almost everything I have done. When I started announcing that I was about to trek across South America with some friends, some people said I was crazy but were in love with the idea of that kind of adventure. My parents were, much to my surprise, extremely supportive of the trip.

As Porter wrote so eloquently, all four of us have been very blessed in our youth. Safety, prosperity, and plenty were no strangers in our households. My Dad came from a rough childhood but now he provides very well for his family. Never can I remember a time that we didn't have food on the table or energy to light the house. I had also been very blessed with a good education, both in school and at home. With comforts such as these, the only thing that I really remember devastating me was getting a bad grade on a test. I have never experienced true gratitude for my upbringing and my current life until I left it all behind with my friends for a month and a half.

true strength is a result of true hope

True strength was redefined for me on this trip. The extreme poverty was sobering. While on an LDS mission for two years in Brazil, I thought I had seen extreme poverty; I was wrong. I remember a family on Lake Titicaca that said it was a dream of theirs to buy even half a kilo of red meat. I saw homeless people in the road begging for money or food from people who could barely afford to feed themselves. Our tour guide through the Andes Mountains in Peru would spend months at a time (mind you he would hike the 5 days up to MachuPicchu 3 to 4 times a month) away from his family to support them. The miners in Potosí, Bolivia would start working at the tender ages of 10 to find the few remaining minerals in the mines in order to scrap together a paycheck for their families.

I felt so bad for the people we would see, but there seemed to be a palpable sense of hope. They could only improve on what they had, so why not work for even the smallest improvement? That completely shattered the ideology of success and failure I had engrained in my mind. All the time in the United States we hear of people sinking into depression and letting themselves go because they didn't get the promotion they had been working so hard for; because they can't afford the newest toys on Christmas for their children; because they can't support their lavish lifestyle anymore and have to cut back on expenses.

Seeing so much hope amidst devastating poverty was eye-opening. I pray I will never again take all I have for granted. I personally have seen the difference between what I have and what others have. In our society some are compelled to compare themselves to others such as status and fortunes. I never bought into that paradigm but was reminded how superficial it is. We gain nothing from this, but we do lose the tender yet powerful attribute of hope. Hope fosters the strength to improve yourself physically, mentally, and/or spiritually.

lessons learned still echo in my life today

When I came back from South America, everyone kept asking about the trip. Words fail to adequately convey the countless breathtaking views and scenery. We saw natural and man-made beauty at every turn. Everyone expressed their amazement and surprise that we were actually able to accomplish a such a feat. Mainly asked what was the most amazing part. The answer is there is no one single part more amazing than the others. 

Rarely was I asked about the lessons I learned while abroad. Daily I find myself describing an experience from the trip and how it pertained to something I learned. I'm not a braggart; however I would do dishonor to myself and this trip if I didn't take every opportunity to share and apply what I learned during my six week experience. I learned things that can never be taught in a classroom or even at home. Some things in life need to be experienced, and traveling while being out of your element is one of them. You will question your real motives and goals in life. You will adjust your outlook on life and what direction you want for it.

That is what I wanted from this trip. I wanted a new perspective on life, and I got more than I asked for. Some of my lifelong goals have been altered and some new ones added. I will always treasure what I experienced and learned while discovering 'the world beyond'. This was one of the best decisions I have made in my life and highly encourage anyone and everyone to do something similar. The things you will learn are extremely hard to put into words, and shouldn't be. They simply need to be experienced. After all is said and done, I will go out into this beautiful world with these experiences and remember: the only limits in this world are those which you place on yourself.

- Derek