Inspirational moments

A few weeks ago I went to Struga, in the southwest of Macedonia, to act as a camp counselor for a group of students--some from Albania and some from Macedonia. It was a wonderful experience being a part of the camp, and the students themselves were intelligent, funny, and excited. During the end of the second and last day of the camp we did an activity called Uncomfortable Questions, where participants were prompted with a situation and asked to declare how uncomfortable the situation made them feel. Signs labeled "Very Uncomfortable", "Somewhat Uncomfortable", "Comfortable", and "Very Comfortable" were hung up along the wall, providing the kids with a spectrum on which they could place themselves. In practice our signs made more of a semicircle, so the Very Comfortable participants and the Very Uncomfortable participants were left staring each other down. One of the questions asked the students how comfortable they would be having a gay doctor of the same sex. Of around 15 participants, a solid 10 were standing around Comfortable or Very Comfortable. The rest were rooted at Very Uncomfortable. I, as camp counselor, was a participant in this little activity, and had a cozy spot underneath the Very Comfortable sign all picked out. Our facilitator made a point of asking the participants why they were standing in a particular place, if they would want to move if they could, where their parents would be standing, and other situation-specific questions. I was asked to talk a little bit about why I was standing under Very Comfortable. I talked a little bit about growing up in Wisconsin, about the city I came from, and about how homosexuality had always been something I was comfortable with, and consequently was rarely something I even thought about. Then I talked about how, were I a soldier who had been shot, or in a likewise life-threatening situation, I couldn't be made to care less about the sexuality of the doctor who is trying to save my life. So if I'm okay with it when my life is on the line, then it would be hypocritical to be against it when my life isn't on the line. During that comment one of the students standing under the Very Uncomfortable sign walked across the room to stand under the Very Comfortable sign, which has become one of the most inspiring moments I've had in Peace Corps.