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My Experience at the 2009 PeaceJam |
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Posted 10/11/2009 at 4:21 PM by Monja M |
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I'm not even sure where to start. For the longest time I though that I wasn't normal because I disagree with war, I can't even kill a cockroach, I feel guilt every time anything negative comes out of my mouth and because I study religion and yet I cannot find one that I believe in. I felt that I just think differently than other people and when I signed up for PeaceJam last spring, I thought I would help mentor some high school students into believing in change. Though I absolutely believe that PeaceJam changed the life of every student that was at the conference, I was really surprised at how greatly I was affected. Before PeaceJam, I knew that I wanted to travel and learn about other cultures and perhaps even live outside of America. After being inspired by so many amazing people, especially Betty Williams, who have done so much good with their lives, I realized that what I really want to do and what really hits at the core of my being is working with human rights. I am an immigrant and have been in America for almost twelve years now and when my family left Bosnia we had to leave behind all of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, pretty much everyone. My entire life I have felt guilty that I got away and that my parents had to give up the lives that they grew up with. Everything I do, I mean school, work, travel, all of it, I do for them. Nothing will ever fix the fact that my family had to be in a war-torn country while I was safe and for a long time ignorant. But what PeaceJam made me realize is that I can use my experiences as fuel to help others who have had to go through or are going through the same thing. I want to dedicate my life to human rights and just because everyone else may not want to, doesn't mean that my thoughts and feelings aren't valid. |
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