Living in Dominica has given me a good sense of what it is like to live in a small town. And by that I don't mean one that is behind in technology, but one in which the population is much less and there is a greater sense of community.
In Northridge, I used to love going to the Wells Fargo branch near my house because my dad had made some friends there and was a frequent visitor. Whenever I went to the branch, I got a friendly hello and was asked how my family was doing. The pleasantries may not have actually meant anything, but it did make me happy, not in the sense of feeling important, but in a sense of feeling that in this not so small town, there were people who knew, and people that cared. Of course in every other situation, I'm always dealing with new people that I will probably never see again.
Now in Dominica, that small notion has become much larger. I see the same people everywhere I go. I know that it is for a limited time, but being nice to them, saying hello, asking how their day is going, makes me feel much better about life. The small sense of social oneness gives a greater sense of self and allows for... well, just a brighter day, even if it is hurricane season.
I have now started talking to my teachers. I don't necessarily go to them for help in subjects that I am having trouble with, but just to pop in and see how their day is so far. Sometimes interesting conversations spark about philosophy and life, sometimes about new creations in the world of drugs. All in all, I leave the office being a little happier myself, and sometimes knowing that I have made someone else's day a tiny bit better.
Moral of this story: be nice, say hi, lend a helping hand. The world is only as bad of a place as you make it. Spreading happiness, for the most part, should brighten it up.
