Sunday, June 23, 2013

On my flight to San Francisco I had a 3 hour layover in Las Vegas. I walked around the strip for about 2 hours and then took a taxi back to the airport. The taxi driver asked me the usual, “so where are you headed?” So i told him about how I was flying out to San Francisco so that I could bicycle across the country and spread awareness for a charity called Support My School. The driver was blown away by my story and started telling me about what it was like to grow up in the Philippines. He told me of the great poverty that he experienced and how he came to the United State to build a better life for his family. He went on to describe the value of community and how he still sends money back to a local church in the Philippines. He said individuals should come together to support a collective effort, and he admired my journey to raise awareness and improve educational opportunities in India. Once we arrived at the airport I reached for my wallet, but he said “don’t worry about it, this ride’s on me.” The drivers generosity and stories we shared, made for a refreshing end to a short layover in Las Vegas.

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