Sometimes buildings are not just buildings

The book Three Cups of Tea, which was written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, is about a man who tries to educate young people who live in some of the poorest places in the world by building schools for them. In ways the Monroe YMCA, which is the place I have been volunteering at, is the same as the school that was built in Korphe, yet it is also different.

“ Long after all those rams are dead and eaten this school will still stand. Haji
Mehdi has food today. Now our children have education forever.” (pg. 153) These were the words Haji Ali spoke to his people concerning the school that was just built for their children. One way the Monroe YMCA and the school in Korphe differ is that YMCA can get better resources and the Korphe school must settle for what is donated to them. But whether these two places have differences or not, matters very little. As I volunteered at the YMCA I observed that it is not just a place for kids to gain knowledge, but is a place for kids to learn about themselves as well, just like the Korphe schoole. It may not be as bad as in Korphe, but there are some kids in Monroe who’ve had a hard time growing up as well. As you can see both places were made to be a safe place for kids to learn and have fun.

The fact is that both of these places as I have come to learn are not just buildings, but safe environments where young people can go to better themselves as well as have fun while they do it.