Rime Of The Ancient Mariner-College Essay

In Coleridge’s famous ballad, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” a tortured sailor suffers from thirst while adrift on the open seas. He is surrounded by water but cannot drink any of it. The resources of the earth seem withheld from him. From a young age, necessities were never unattainable because the hard work of my parents shielded me from such hardships. It was not until I visited Nigeria four years ago for the funeral of my grandfather that I realized how much people can suffer from lack of basic needs. Ironically, a period meant for grieving would later turn out to be one of the most fruitful experiences of my life.
Immediately after landing in Nigeria, I noticed how disparate this nation was compared to the United States. Many young children were on the streets trying to sell merchandise to make ends meet. Growing up in the United States, I occasionally saw people - always adults - begging, but never young children. What struck me the most was a young boy, wearing a ripped soccer jersey and no shoes, try to sell me water saying, “Mmiri, mmiri maka ire ere,” which, in Igbo, simply means “Water, water for sale.” Immediately I gave what I could

During this time, I played soccer with kids my age and taught many of them the American version of football. I observed many of the kids running barefoot on bare ground, full of rocks and jagged objects, which I knew could easily cause infection. They did not own a pair of shoes and could do nothing about their situation since they lacked means to do so. Experiences from this trip were eye openers and I had to ask myself; what was I doing to help change situations like these? Although I was not suffering where I lived, I was no longer ignorant to the difficulties faced by many around me. It was then I realized a purpose in my life would be to make an effort to help those in