Hi Nicole, I know that you had good intentions with this post but I had a hard time reading your words. You’ve placed a lens of ethnocentrism over your experiences on your trip rather than see the beauty of another culture. Not everyone in the world wishes to live like people do in the United States and not everyone celebrates Christmas for that matter. Children here play with “trash” and get creative with leaves and twigs, and there’s nothing wrong with that because that’s what children do. Imposing a life of abundance and commercialism isn’t something we should want for the whole world. We shouldn’t create wants for another culture but instead listen to what they need.

Hi Nicole, Thank you for your response. I did read the whole article a few times. I did explain that I know you had good intentions in what you wrote. Words are powerful and your post was misleading. It felt judgmental and as though you were looking down on these children. Wanting the best for children is admirable but determining what is best for children of another culture that you don’t fully understand is tricky. These children may not celebrate Christmas and requesting donations for them to have a Christmas celebration seems strange. Perhaps asking for donations to assist with day to day needs in a school that’s making a difference in these children’s lives would be more appropriate. Saying that, “They didn’t have a TV to watch toy commercials and they didn’t have rich kids in the neighborhood with the newest toys to be jealous of, so we had to show them how to play with their new toys,” is another strange thing to say… do these children really need a tv or rich kids to show them how to play with American toys? It’s a cultural difference, that’s all. I’m sure you had good intentions as I mentioned before but what you wrote struck a cord with me and I felt it was insensitive to cultural differences and ethnocentric. You may have missed the point in what I was originally saying. I do appreciate what you said in your response and I now see your intentions more clearly, it just didn’t come across the same way in your post. Your trip and experiences are personal, so writing this post is as well. I was just asking that you take a step back and see how some of your words came across and that looking at these children through an American lens is problematic. I think it’s difficult for any culture to assess another and determine what they need. Taking care of children in need and providing an education should be a top priority in this world, but maintaining cultural integrity and sensitivity is crucial. You photos are lovely and they tell a great story, for me your words overpowered them.