Master's Program in Smart Medicine and Health
Visiting a local home, I joined a mother to make traditional corn tortillas. I was struck by the labor-intensive process: instead of using ready-made corn flour, she started from whole corn kernels, kneeling on the floor to grind them on a simple stone slab with a pestle. Coming from a place of abundance, my immediate thought was: Why not just buy prepared dough? But I quickly checked myself, recognizing how naive my perspective was—financial constraint is the overwhelming reality here. That same day, I sat in on a financial literacy class for the children. During an exercise categorizing "wants" versus "needs," one child placed "soda" under "needs". The teacher didn't jump in to correct them or impose a standard answer, allowing the child space to think and decide. It made me reflect on my own education: perhaps what we truly need growing up isn't being constantly fed the "correct" answers, but the freedom and trust to think for ourselves.
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