On the 5th day of the trip we had the privilege of meeting father Bryrd, a smart, passionate individual who has been a prominent figure in bringing peace to his community. Not only were his stories, his philosophy and his anecdotes engaging but through him we were able to visit a tri-people barangay, a community that is inaccessible to most but that has Moros, Settlers and Indigenous People living next to each other in peace. This Barangay is inaccessible in part because of it’s location, far away from town and even farther for the city center but unless you have a personal connection to the barangay, there really is no real reason to go there. During our conversation with father Bryrd he said something that stood out to me, “love your neighbor as yourself” at this point in the trip I had begun to doubt that neighbors could make peace let alone love each other, and probably rolled my eyes slightly at this statement but soon after I was once again given hope. Prior to meeting with father Bryrd we listened to Interview after interview that were filled with stories of violence, displacement, and pain. Father Bryrds stories were no exception to that, but he also had success stories and took us to spend a few hours one afternoon among people who had learned to love their neighbors and live in peace, it was a beautiful thing it once again gave me hope that peace was possible in this part of the word.
Looking back on that moment, I am particularly grateful that I was able to participate in one of Dr. Iyers’ immersive learning courses because they offer students a glimpse into a world that not many people get to see. In the U.S. conflict zones are a news heading, a two minute story clip on CNN, or something you read in a scholarly journal; something happening far away, to people we don’t know. This course makes the people, the cultures, and the conflict real. In Mindanao we not only talked to people that live with the consequences of the conflict but we were able to break bread with them and be part of their world, even if it was only for a couple of hours, no book or news clip can give you that perspective on a conflict.