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I went to Africa as a kid, and it really altered my perception of how poverty works. I admit that I didn't travel to the poorest area of the country, but they had it pretty rough. A couple of things:
Most homeless people that I see have it significantly better than the average African I saw.
Despite endemic poverty, most people I saw were happier than I would have thought possible.
They found the colour of my skin genuinely facinating and would frequently ask me about it, yet modern concepts of race or what might be offensive were never brought up.
A kid, about my age, gave me a truck he made out of tin cans and a flip-flop he found on the ground. I still have it.
I'm not really sure what specifically the trip changed about my outlook on life, but I see it as a sort of early dost of reality in my life, something to keep me grounded. It was very real, if that makes sense.
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[–] SelfReferenceParadox 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
I went to Africa as a kid, and it really altered my perception of how poverty works. I admit that I didn't travel to the poorest area of the country, but they had it pretty rough. A couple of things:
Most homeless people that I see have it significantly better than the average African I saw.
Despite endemic poverty, most people I saw were happier than I would have thought possible.
They found the colour of my skin genuinely facinating and would frequently ask me about it, yet modern concepts of race or what might be offensive were never brought up.
A kid, about my age, gave me a truck he made out of tin cans and a flip-flop he found on the ground. I still have it.
I'm not really sure what specifically the trip changed about my outlook on life, but I see it as a sort of early dost of reality in my life, something to keep me grounded. It was very real, if that makes sense.