Part of the work we did in Romania was working with Dannon dairy farms. The visits were very similar to each other, as well as my thoughts. I was sharing these with a fellow student at the first farm. She was telling me that she realizes why America is seen as the saving grace for the rest of the world. Apparently, most of Romania was waiting for America to save them from communist rule for quite some time. The student said people look to America because we are more developed and don’t have places like the farms here. I was initially thinking the same thing, like Romania is a whole different world. These farms were so different because surely all American farms have indoor plumbing at least, where as the farms we went to had a hole in the ground to pee in. But then I started thinking…. What if America isn’t really that different? Who’s to say, even though we are a very developed country, that we don’t have poor farmers without toilets? I proposed these thoughts to the student, and she said “nah, I don’t think so. There’s no way.” But honestly I don’t think she could say that with certainty. Thinking about it, I’m sure there are farms like that! I based my explanation for the ignorance of similarity on lack of exposure. What I have been exposed to all my life is how I picture most of Americans living. But because I have never been exposed to poor farms in America, I simply don’t think they exist. I subconsciously carry this ignorance and apply it to my experiences, like the Romanian farms. It makes me wonder what else I’m oblivious to… Luckily, now I’ve learned what the poor farm life is like and have recognized the possibility of these farms being present in my home country. It also makes me think about how much I expect and take for granted. I’m not sure I could survive like these Romanian farmers do since I’m so used to the lifestyle I already have, but I’m glad they make it work sustainably. All in all, I cannot place a value on the experiences I gained on the trip. Not only did I gain true knowledge of the agricultural side of Romania, but I also was submerged deep into the pure culture of the country. I am forever grateful for everyone who worked to get me to Romania, because it was a truly once in a lifetime opportunity.