R2

When I started my travels, I naively entered with a determination to help. Believing that the US was well situated and taken care of, the outside world "obviously" was the better recipient of my enthusiastic energy. And, with this, I began perusing a fruitless search of where and who could use my help… “Because, obviously, help is needed; no matter what the help is, it’s just needed”.

Quickly, the basis of my initial assumption was transparently altered. Though, ironically, it was one of those transparencies where everything around you is quite obvious, except to the one who is still making the assumption. I can still remember my first week in Guatemala. Thinking to myself how odd it was that I’d not been able to immediately, without hesitation, find people who were in need of assistance. Within my 3^rd – 4^th day, I met a woman who was plugged into the whole NGO scene in Antigua, and the surrounding area. I asked her if she knew of anyone in need of IT skills, assuming she would, I was quite shocked when she didn’t.

During my first encounter with the woman, and the further observations I began making throughout the travels, a question of ‘What is help?’, started overtaking my thoughts.