During the months of July and August I had the privilege of going to Mexico to meet my grandma and a few family members I have. Some may say it looked like I was on vacation but the way I saw it was more than that. To me the trip was not only a time to spend time with my grandma, but to also use the time I was there to reflect on my life back home. It was an eye opening experience that made me even more grateful for the things I have back home and a big reminder to appreciate the small things in life. I wish to go back better prepared than before with one single goal and that's to help those that need it, especially the children.

Before I came to the age of becoming aware of how other people live, whether it's in the U.S. or Mexico, I was raised by my parents where my mom from a young age always raised us to always be grateful for the stuff we have. However, when you are being raised in a household that has everything that's materialistic, you don't really know what that means until you are put in a position where the basic necessities are missing. That was the case when I first arrived in Mexico. Living for a month straight in an area where there are no basic necessities, like normal indoor bathrooms, free public bathrooms, free toilet paper, etc. compared to back home, that's when I finally realized the real definition of what it means to be grateful and appreciate the things you have. I had an idea of what it was like from what my mom would tell me, but actually being there is a completely different story.

Staying in Mexico for a couple weeks also opened my eyes to how selfless people are. There are many people who have barely anything and still try to give you so much despite their situation. It was a very heartwarming feeling, the comfort of being welcomed with open arms and offering us anything they had. It's something that, no matter how much money you have or materialistic things you have to offer, it's never going to be the same as the feeling of being welcomed with genuineness. This comes to my next realization I had, and, as cliche as it sounds, being wealthy is not about what you have or how much you have; it's about being selfless and having a big genuine heart.

Ultimately, this trip taught me a lot, from learning to value the small things in life to wanting to be more motivated about what I want for my future, and how I can succeed in life to help others all over the world. It was a great learning experience that I will never forget. Every kind encounter I had was a reminder that true wealth is not always necessarily something materialistic. Seeing the difference between the way people in Mexico see their life versus those who are in the United States was extremely eye opening. It again proved the repetitive saying that money can't buy happiness. I think we all at one point have thought about being completely broke, and truly happy is something we would rather have. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I'm sure others can say differently. To keep it short and simple, my trip was for sure a humbling experience that I'm so beyond thankful I was able to experience. There's no doubt in my mind that we all need to experience a humbling trip where we get reminded that we are very fortunate in this world, and that's all thanks to the hard work our parents do.

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