Unexpected Lessons

June 22, 2010

I left the safety and security of my home, family, and work a week ago today. So far this experience is far more than I ever could have expected. I have already learned so much about wildlife health, international community health, and tools available to the scientists in the field. But not only have I learned about what's on the syllabus, but I have had many "unexpected lessons."

Amelie, Sridhar, me, and Nate at the Jacksonville Zoo

For example, the true universal language is laughter. When having dinner where you are the only American, there is a lot of laughter and smiles. Watching Sridhar from India eating raw vegetables while all he wants is rice - what a good sport! He quickly stopped me from talking about the Indian food I like...tandoori, tikka, nan. I started to see him drool.

I've also learned the power of meditation. Sukuman taught Jocelyn and I about the meditation practices of her people. She said people will meditate for up to 15 hours whenever they "feel the need." She admitted that the first time you try it you will feel uncomfortable and it is difficult to concentrate on not concentrating. I can only imagine the benefit of mental clarity and how this could enrich the lives of the average American citizen. Sukuman also taught us about Buddhism, and it was amazing the overlap between Christianity. The overall principles - honesty, morality, benevolence - were consistent across cultural lines.

Jocelyn and Sukuman learning about Thailand

Yesterday a rather large spider found residence above my bed. I was instantly faced with a moral dilemma: to kill, to remove, or to ignore. Amelie and I are both rather squeamish around insects (Tanzania should be interesting), so we called for one of our male housemates. Ben from the Democratic Republic of Congo came to our rescue, but Ben did not do what we thought he would. He attempted to pick up the spider with his bare hands and place it outside. He then turned to us and began telling us that all life is sacred and that it is bad to kill. He claimed this spider played an important role in the greater ecosystem. While I agree with Ben, I didn't want the spider's ecosystem to become my sheets. He assured me that even if it crawled across my face while I was sleeping, I would be OK. So compared to the loss of life for the spider, my creepy-crawly feeling suddenly seemed very insignificant.

The lessons continue, and I am excited to share. One thing is for sure, my life is richer not only because of the animal stories but because of the people.