Elizabeth Humphrey

What We Dont Talk About When We Dont Talk About Service, Adam Davis.
Reflect on your overall Global Brigades experience. How did you serve the community in which you worked? What
issues did you observe in the communities in which you worked? Be specific and provide evidence in your responses
connected to the reading from Adam Davis.

For this first reflection, I wanted to show brief glimpses of Nicaragua because I first
experienced Nicaragua in glimpses from behind a bus window. Nothing was specific from behind
that window. I did not know any of the people or the names of the villages. Yet, I saw very clearly
that the Nicaraguans live very differently from my own, lacking many of the things I take for
granted. Some of those things are important for health and well-being: fresh drinking water, access
to healthcare, and basic sanitation. Looking outside my window, I saw all this and recognized it as
inequality.
Although Adam Davis takes a slightly cynical, questioning view on inequality and service, I
believe he is correct when he says we serve to bridge a gap, to remedy the consequences of
inequality (6) because we have this the wishful insistence that all are created equal (6). I do
believe all are created equal and deserve compassion, respect, and the chance to lead a healthy,
fulfilled life. Because the people in Nicaragua did not have some of the basic necessities that I had,
we were in a situation of inequality, where I had more than they did. I had a better chance of a
healthy life than they did. For me, this simple observation followed by recognition of inequality was
the first crucial step on my service journey in Nicaragua. This step propelled me to move beyond
looking out that window by taking action. I wanted to try to bridge that gap.
In the end, I think my teams succeeded in compassionately bridging the gap instead of
perpetuating a cycle of inequality through our service. The families we served had concrete floors, a
new latrine, a septic tank, and a shower by the time we were done. These things will improve their
health and sanitation for years to come. We might not have raised these families to the same level of
comfort we have in the United States, but at the very least, we moved them closer. That is
important.
Elizabeth Humphrey
My goal for this video is to capture the feeling of looking out that window and seeing what
could be changed or improved. In my next reflections, I hope to reflect deeper on the relationships
I formed with the people in Nicaragua and with my teams over the past two years, but for now,
please join me in looking closely at the view from my window.

Move Beyond the Window Part One: Look Closely (script for video)
Looking at these pictures, Im reminded how it felt to sit there on the bus and watch outside
my window. During the hour and a half through the mountains on winding roads, I watched outside
my window and I saw such beauty. Towering mountains and lush green fields. But I also saw a way
of life very different from my own. I remember the harsh realization as I watched through the
window, an understanding that I physically had so many things in the moment that distinguished me
from the people of Nicaragua: my shoes, my backpack, the phone I used to snap photos of what I
saw, the bottle of Tylenol I bought at Walgreens to take away headaches. I remember thinking about
my life at home that I had that these people did not havea floor that isnt a dirt floor, a roof isnt
tin, a toilet that flushes, pristine tap water. Adam Davis says that to talk of service requires us to look
closely at inequality, to recognize that there is a gap between those who serve and those being
served. Through the window, I saw that gap. I saw injustice. I saw inequality.
Once I saw this, I knew I couldnt remain behind the window. It was uncomfortable to see
what was wrong or missing, because I felt compelled to do something about it. I wanted to bridge
the gap and bring a measure of justice to these people because I believe all human beings are created
equal, deserving of compassion, respect, and the chance to live a healthy, fulfilled life. So, when my
bus arrived at the village that first day, I got off the bus and got to work.
Over the course of my two brigades, Id like to think my teams did help bridge the gap a
little in our service. We gave out medication, laid concrete floors, and built latrines and showers,
Elizabeth Humphrey
trying to improve the quality of life for families in Nicaragua. I wish we could have done more that
we did. but its still important we saw what needed fixing and we did not walk away from it. We tried
to fix it out of compassion for the people of Nicaragua and a desire to bring a small measure of
justice to an unjust situation. Ultimately, it was important that we moved beyond the window.