Personal Narrative: My Trip To Colombia

The kids in the Dominican Republic may never realize how much they helped and inspired me, but I will be eternally thankful. They may just remember some random girl giving them gifts and that’s the end of it, but little do they know they gave me such a greater gift. The passion and joy of helping

The name Bogota comes from the word Bacata which was the indian name for the site.

The classic saying, “There’s always someone who has it worse than you” (Shaggy- Keepin’ it Real), didn’t come true to me until I had first-hand experience. As a child, I grew up in the lower middle class. So I wasn’t rich nor super poor. My mother came to the United States from El Salvador in the 1980’s. She has never taken my brother and me to her home country.

It's significant to me because when I went with my family to Cartagena, I was 7 years old. it was the first time I was going on a trip outside of the United States. when we got to Cartagena I was amazed by how beautiful everything is, and I was shocked with how different it was from back home. The differences I saw sparked a curiosity in me, that I never knew existed. from that moment I fell in love with learning about different places around the world and the culture that comes with that place. the trip to Cartagena was also the first time I got to see some of my family members. I have always lived in Florida and only knew about the family members I had in South America through what my parents would say about them. When we arrived to South

What was the process of my conversion like? I’ll begin with this year, all the way back to my trip in Guatemala. I struggled to understand what belief was and what being a follower of Christ really was. I was trying to understand the faith with my own intelligence, which constantly failed me. On top of that I was living without morals, saying, doing, and thinking whatever I pleased. This all, plus sickness, made my trip to Guatemala very challenging. As the year went on I still tried to live in Christ on my own will, which isn’t living in Christ at all. I would read his word but only some days instead of every day. What I didn’t realize is that I need his word every day. Because this world is evil and unclear, but his word gives ultimate clarity.

I traveled to Nicaragua the summer before my senior year of high school, and it changed my perspective on many things in life. It was crazy that I went to serve them, but I had no idea what to expect when I got there. The people I met were the most grateful people I had ever met and despite the little they had, they managed to be some of the genuine people I met as well. I knew that one day I would use my medical experience to give back to this community, and it is an honor to know I can use this summer to make that happen.

Imagine a time where you were at your lowest, a time in your life that nothing seemed to make

It was a Monday in the summer of 2015. I was riding in an old 11 passenger van with 30 other people, on our way back from playing soccer. Most of the people were Guatemalan children screaming at the top of their lungs as the van rocked side to side as we drove up a narrow, winding, mountain road without guide rails. In the summer of 2015, I went to Guatemala for ten days, on a mission trip. My team (18 youth and pastors of East Side Church of God) and I visited four different Indian vilages: Chupol, Paquisis, Sacbichol, and Agua Escondita. We spent two days in each village and slept in each village’s church.

This year my youth group went on another mission trip. We went to Copperhill Tennessee the same place we went last year. Everyone expected everything to be the same as last year but everything was different this time. There were very many problems this time.

As I was getting ready to enter the patient’s room, I was thinking about the many ways I could start a conversation with her. I had previously entered her room and I knew she was one of the sweetest and happiest people ever. I decided to write my assignment on her because of her inspiring personality, despite her physical condition. I was amazed to see how a person who could do nothing but the bare minimum was so happy and thankful towards life. I spent a lot of time with her through out the day. I helped her with her breakfast, lunch, bed bath, and followed her to therapy. I was so amazed that despite her weakness, she tried so hard during her therapeutic exercises, and although she failed many times, she never stopped smiling and just kept

One thing that most people do not know about me is that I am a missionary. I have gone to four short-term missionary trips in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. In these experiences I learned many things. The first thing I learned was about the Pharmaceutical career. The second thing I learned is how to engage and teach kids who haven’t gone to school about God. The final thing I learned on these mission trips is how to translate Spanish to English faster and more effectively.

I have an early memory from freshman year of a classmate explaining how her entire family since her great grandfather had attended the same university. I also vividly remember my astonishment at hearing this girl’s remarkable academic lineage; it was the first time I had heard any like statement. I am not sure exactly when I learned I was a first generation American— I think I assumed all kids my age were of immigrant parents— but I know the fact was definitely highlighted in my mind when I heard my peer. This revelation brought to light that I may not be the same as other girls as I had previously thought. I cannot say that this has drastically changed me. I view myself in the same way I did before, however just more conscious of the differences between people. Never was this realization made clearer to me than when I volunteered in the Dominican Republic this spring.

It was the last day of my trip, and while I was washing plates in my grandmother’s house, the sunlight was reflected on the plates to my eyes. The fear going through my veins, my mind confused with everything that have happened two weeks ago. Uncertainty of what event would destroy or rebuild my heart. What would happen next ?. The future is unpredictable, so far that is a concept that now I understand. Considering the time spent in my country Colombia , vacations, friends, and parties were the words that stay on my mind for the first two weeks, otherwise the next two weeks were not what I planned. Firstable I was not supposed to be there for these last two weeks, but I am grateful. “No puedes viajar hoy” were the words asserted by the airline

I look back now of how I went to mexico for a vacation. I was fifteen in the spring at the time I went to Mexico. The place in mexico where I went was cozumel island. At first we decided to invite the Lees’ and Litmans’ they decided to come. We also invited the Bozzles’ then they invited the Fyles’ and Reeds’. Also on other family I don’t remember the name of. We were there for a week.

Crossing from Ecuador to the U.S was one of the easiest travel I have ever made. I was living in Ecuador when I decided to come to this wonderful country. On November 17th of 2015 I left Ecuador and I took a flight to Nicaragua. When I arrived in Nicaragua I made a trip in car from Managua to the border with Honduras. I rented a room in Honduras to pass the night and get some rest to be able to continue my trip the next day. The second day was a piece of cake, I traveled across the whole country within 12 hours. I get to the border with Guatemala at 1 am, and 30 minutes after I took another bus to cross the country. I spent the early morning of the third day traveling across Guatemala trying to get to Tapachula, Mexico before 10 am. When I