CHAPTER 1
Our Why
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference. And you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.
-- Jane Goodall
Hailey Gail, age fifteen
Chaos: a simple word to describe a frenzy of activity and emotions. The market streets of Udaipur, India are not something to enter without preparation. They present themselves like a game in which you need to keep a level head to avoid falling for the ripoff prices given to ignorant tourists, pickpocketing, and the feeling of exposure as you walk, surrounded by a unique culture. While walking the narrow sidewalks, you are overwhelmed with cars and men on motorbikes speeding by, only inches from where you walk. You are forced to dodge cows lounging in the streets and watch your feet carefully to avoid falling into man-sized potholes. Men and women, who aren't shouting at you to buy their wares, gape and pull out their phones to take pictures of the white people in funny clothes.
The dull colours of the worn cement streets, littered with garbage contrast with the vibrant saris of every colour, shining with glittering beads. Women draped in this exotic attire trudge their way through, carrying stacks of materials on the tops of their heads, their backs poised from years of practice. It is impossible to fully see and take in everything as you walk past stores with bizarre trinkets and clothing while avoiding the dangers of the street. Hand-painted postcards, depicting the Indian god Ganesh in gold paint, with intricate detail in each stroke, hang on stands outside the stores.
Heading in and out of shops, you realize there are never moments of silence, as the busy streets outside demand to be heard. Locals shout as they barter, and donkeys led through with sacks on their backs cry out to participate, as well. Cars and motorbikes honk their horns as a way of communication, which is something unusual to those from North America. Honking can say "I'm passing" or that you are coming around a corner. Some drivers seem to honk simply to add to the excitement of driving through the busy streets of urban India.
The pathway crumbles, creating uneven footing, and you feel every crack and break in the rock beneath your feet. Scarves and harem pants hang from the ceilings of stores, allowing you to brush your hands through them as you walk underneath. The materials feel thin and silky within your hands, and trying them on, they drape lightly over the curves on your body, leaving a slight breezy feeling on your legs. Sweat pours down your face, as the blistering heat and humidity engulf you in a bone-cracking hug. Clothing sticks awkwardly to your skin, and anything above your knees needs to be covered to be culturally appropriate.
The hot food stands only contribute more to the heat and wafts of the greasy local cuisine appeal strongly to your appetite. Platters stacked high with samosas and other fried foods attract customers with their strong smells of Indian spices that dance through the market. A strange mustiness accompanies this scent, almost buried behind the aroma of tasty treats, but is certainly still there. The food tastes as spicy as it smells, burning your lips. You notice that everything in the market is full of spices that leave a sharp sting on your tongue, as the flavours erupt in your mouth with each bite.
The overwhelming spices of the local food only complement the rest of the excitement that is a part of the Indian market. Your initial impression of it all is chaotic, as everything moves in every direction, but it is chaos within a system. It is all part of an everyday routine that has always been natural to the locals living there. The market streets of Udaipur, India are full of excitement, sights, smells, and feelings that create a strong sense of beautiful chaos.
Our Why:
There was never one specific moment in our lives when we realized our need to help others; it was more a series of events that compiled over time, drawing our attention to the issues plaguing the world. These moments, so small, and yet so significant, brought us to where we are today. Moments like Samantha, at the age of eight, learning that our young friend living in another country had no juice to drink to help her emotionally recover from a life-threatening surgery, while our fridge at home was stocked with multiple different flavours. Or Hailey, at age thirteen, coming home from a charity event, devastated that children her age were not able to attend school, while she loved and valued it so much. Or even a young Kathy, defending her kid brother from prowling bullies in the schoolyard. Examples like these take up little time in our lives but have shaped our vision into everything it encompasses today.
As a family of three women, we have always strived to educate ourselves on the struggles facing others across the globe and made it a priority to be socially conscious in our everyday lives. We started small, by making our house a safe space, open to discussion and questions of any kind, allowing us to become aware of, and form opinions on, current world affairs. We worked hard to form a strong relationship between the three of us, creating a foundation for world issue awareness and how we could potentially help.
Here is where we come to the big question: Why? Why do we choose to dedicate our time and effort to being socially conscious and making a difference in other people's lives? The answer is really quite simple, as it is a part of what makes us human. It is known that humans naturally strive to survive and seek conditions in which we are most comfortable. However, it is also a component of human nature to have empathy, and to fight for others when their lack of resources makes them incapable of fighting for themselves. Our why is that it makes us happy to know we can make a difference; we can be the change we wish to see in this world.
The idea of changing the world can be overwhelming; admittedly, the world is a pretty big place. Although, even if something seems small or insignificant in your eyes, it can make a world of difference to someone else. Just helping one individual can have an everlasting effect and bring you one step closer to global change. In the deepest depths of each of us is a drive to contribute. We all want to know we have played some significant part in shaping the world around us, and that we have made a...
