Over the course of the next few days, the group to which I had been attached continued to envelop themselves in the projects they had designed. A computer class, operating in the school’s new lab, aimed at teaching software fundamentals (excel, word, powerpoint, and a painting program), and an English class, for which a dwindling supply of teachers was in dire need of support. 
The group consisted of both graduate and undergraduate students, LSU graduates waiting to begin doctorate programs, and members of the LSU staff. Overall, it was a mix of individuals that had come together with a common interest.
The group formed on LSU’s campus as a club designed to promote community awareness and was fully engaged in the belief that collective volunteer work benefits multiple parties. One being those who are in need, and the other being those who have decided to give their time to help. LSU does not require its students to complete service hours. Each member was there on their own volition, looking to give back in some way and hopefully, to learn something about themselves in the process.
On our third day at the school, I found myself starting to question our purpose for being there. Was this volunteer work merely cloaked selfishness aimed at granting us some bit of immediate gratitude, Whereupon returning home, all that remained of our journey were the stories of our good doing? Stories often told to persons with a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Merely a way to procure Instagram posts and some likes?
Just before lunch, I was at a corner of the pavement square that made up the school’s center playground watching a group of youths wind a string around a top. The game was simple. 
Who could make their top spin the longest? In fact, to call it a game might be an overreach. There is no score, no teams, and the only sliver of competition appeared when a student would try and catch the top at its point between his two fingers and subsequently toss the top towards the clouds. The goal is to have the top rebalance itself on the pavement and continue its spin. I am not sure why watching these tops spin brought forth so many questions, but I do know that it provided some answers.
Many would linger long after my South American pilgrimage had ended. As I watched the young students rewind and throw their tops, each of them competing with one another to see whose top could spin faster and for longer, I came to a worthy conclusion.
The purpose of our journey had become clear. The interaction between volunteers and students resulted in an exchange of both mind and soul. As the days continued, both parties began to understand what it meant to be a global citizen. The duty is simply to interact with those around you. To learn about a simple game not necessarily because you were interested in watching tops dance across pavement but because somebody else had grown interested in you and was excited if only for a moment, to bring you into their world.
It was a mutual exchange. Even the students, at such a young age, had shown interest in relationship-building far above any I have seen before. A trade, if you will, that takes effort. They understood that strong relationships are built over the course of time – from just a few hours to months or even years.
No photos can capture these moments. Nor can personal Instagram advertising. No video to convince others that you made an impact. The only thing of any importance are these moments of interaction between people young and old, friend and family, countryman and foreigner that make our purpose on this tiny blue planet just a bit clearer.
To read the first post in Charlie’s series, click here.
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United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
