Around the World

My Travel Treasure is about an encounter my family and I had with a young homeless boy in Mexico 2010.

It was an especially eye-opening encounter for me. It made me really think about the things I have at home... Food to eat all of the time, a roof over my head to shelter me from unrelenting weather, clothes on my back and shoes covering my feet. This little boy, living on the roadside with his infant sibling and mother, was given a few pesos - the equivalent to a few cents in Canadian money - and he thanked God for it. Here in Canada, thousands and thousands of people complain that they do not have enough money or they don't have the most up-to-date gadgets - but 2,000+ miles away, there is a young boy begging for change in terrible conditions and being thankful for what little money he receives. That is a bitter sweet miracle, in my opinion.

We are told every day that we don't know what we've got, and we take advantage of the things we DO have... And I think it's hard for people to actually realize that without seeing the other side of the coin. It's hard for people to see just how good they have it here because they've never seen how bad some have it elsewhere - at least, not in the flesh. And those real life experiences are often extremely shocking and, in turn, eye opening - like this one was for me. I was - for lack of better words - lucky enough to see the other side of the coin.