Perspective

It was not until I returned home did I realize how naïve and spoiled I was during our trek from Bethlehem to Boston.  Complaining about closed highway exits, panic traffic, and of course, lack of eating options on the way, my complaints turned out to be mere inconvienence compared to the devastation suffered by those really affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Sleeping the day away, my roommate and I were woken up by my sister banging on our door at noon.  “Pack your bags, we’re going home. Now.” she ordered.  Ecstatic about the abrupt mini-vacation, we had no idea the repercussions the circumstances of our academic hiatus would have on families across the east coast.

Just as water disperses every which way on a hot stove, the entire campus was in a mass scramble that morning.  After a last ditch effort to pack the essentials, me, my roommate Jonathan, my buddy Sam, my sister and her friend Dan, piled into her Honda CRV for what seemed like a legitimate voyage home to Boston.

Bickering back and forth, tension between everyone in the car was amplified.  There I was, complaining about moderate hunger and the fact that I did not have enough legroom while other people were watching their homes and lives wash away.

When we finally got home, which was completely unharmed by the super storm, I could check back into reality.  I saw that this freak of nature storm did not elicit a vacation for everyone like it had for me, but rather caused irrevocable damage.  Sandy’s wrath left thousands homeless and in despair.  I felt pretty sick about myself that I was moaning about superficial problems when all of this was going on just a few miles from where we were on the road.

Upon doing more research on the destruction caused by the hurricane, I am very proud to be a part of this project.  Just like I did, sometimes we all lose site of real problems going on in the world – especially if we were not directly affected.  YOU can still make a difference, as it is not too late to make a donation to the Sandy victims.  Simply follow the instructions on the site to donate to victims through the American Red Cross.  Every penny counts and I speak on behalf of the class when I say we appreciate all of your support.

#COMM30Sandy is an online class project for the Media & Society class at Lehigh University, taught by professor Jeremy Littau. You can donate to our campaign at this link, and for more information you can email Prof. Littau at jeremy.littau@lehigh.edu.

http://www.indiegogo.com/comm30sandy