By Sapir Weizman

Ever since I was young, I recall asking myself over and over, “What is my role in this world?”

As a young girl with big dreams, I thought I should join the police, or at least be one of those cool people from CSI: Miami that catches the bad guys and makes the world a better place. Yes, back then, tv shows had a big impact on my life and maybe one day I’ll be on one. But until then, I know I should focus on real life.

Did you ever ask yourself, “What’s your role in the world? Or how you can change the world?” Does this question sound familiar, “Am I just a small cog in a big machine who doesn’t have the power to change things?”

At the end of our Project Inspire trip, as we drove to the Kathmandu airport, I had a realization.  That each one of us is a cog in a big machine, but the machine won’t work if one of its cogs is missing.  The little acts we choose in life, as small as they may be, can change someone else’s life. 

When I decided to join Project Inspire, I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I had heard good things about the trip but didn’t know how big the impact would be on me. Early on during the trip, I found myself asking myself, “What will happen when we get back to Boston.” My initial answer was that we’d probably go back to our old friends, old tv shows, and real flushing toilets.

As the days went by, however, I began to think about how big our role in this world can actually be. Every person we met had a story, every place had a story, and even every restaurant had a story. I felt like these experiences put me on a new path that will change the course of my life.

Now that I am back in Boston, I understand that my life in Boston is actually a bubble and not that week spent in Nepal.  I think back on all the things I went through on the trip - the look in people eyes, the smiles on their faces, the smells on the streets, and the feeling of being in a completely different place. All of it made me wonder how much we really know about other parts of our world.

Here in Boston I see that my t.v., laptop and phone are all privileges. That electricity and clean water aren’t easily available to everyone, and that education isn’t free for every kid. That’s the reality in Nepal – a reality that’s hard for us to imagine, but hit me in the face during our trip.

As an Israeli, seeing Israel’s work in Nepal made me so proud and gave me hope for a better a future. This trip showed me that if one of the smallest countries in the world can change so many people’s lives, I can too. And in fact, each one of us can!

Project inspire showed me the power that we have in our hands. It opened a door for me to see what I can do for this world. And it inspired me to be a better person. The journey begins with learning from your past, being a good ambassador in the present, and becoming a better leader in the future.