Reflection Paper

It was my first time in the Dominican Republic, away from my parents and traveling alone. It was also my first mission trip and I loved every minute of it. As I sat and looked around the village of slums and shacks, I saw that the people were so giving and friendly. They had next to nothing, and yet they were still volunteering to give more.

The country was foreign, a first for me. Dilapidation and ruin scattered the horizon as far as one could see. Guatemala is a place where poverty has a strong grasp on its people. We traveled tirelessly for hours to reach the poorest of the poor. Upon arrival old, young, and natives of all shapes and sizes formed receiving lines, eager to welcome us with gifts of smiles and gratitude. It was an experience that forever changed me. This was the first time I had stepped outside the boundaries of the American culture into a world where nothing is taken for granted. Each day spent on my mission trip brought a fresh awareness of gratefulness. Any pre-trip reluctance quickly became a vague memory as my emotions welled within bring a fresh change to

Last summer, I flew to Nicaragua for ten days with a team of sixteen girls and boys. I knew a couple people who have gone to mission and service trips like this and they said it was a really good experience, so I thought about and eventually made the decision to go. It was both one of the most terrifying and amazing experiences I have ever had. When we landed and arrived in Managua, I saw people living in extreme poverty left and right. People lived in houses with large rusty metal sheets for walls and roofs. Kids played outside

In January of 2015, I experienced a mission trip in Guatemala. Although the trip taught me a lot about both myself, and the people and culture of Guatemala, one of the more prominent realizations I had was that the Guatemalan children had so little resources to get a quality education in life, yet they were still eager to learn. For example, each child was required to wear a pair of black dress shoes to school. Since many could not afford to pay for these shoes, they each walked to the missionary compound, no matter how far, to get a free pair of shoes that were offered. Additionally, many of the kids were more inclined to attend a short church lesson after eating dinner than play with their friends. After experiencing this dramatic change

For this descriptive essay, I chose to use the “VIP” prompt. My subject will be the village of La Tercera Calle in El Champerico, Guatemala. Over spring break, I went to this village on a missions trip for approximately a week. The entire experience changed my life, but what stays with me the most is the individual people that we went there to serve. The trip flipped my perspective on the world upside down; these villagers often did the exact opposite of what we Westerners would do. They welcomed us - total strangers - with open arms. Despite the poverty that they were consumed by, the villagers were abundantly joyful in all facets of their lives. Finally, the people of La Tercera Calle helped us more than we could have ever helped

This New Mexico mission trip allows for me to share close interactions with the children, and allows me to

In my travels of the world I have found myself immersed in many cultures and varieties of ethnicity; I have been very fortunate to live in a day and age where such communication and experience is possible in one lifetime. I have seen La Cathedral de Notre Dame, the Statue of Liberty, the home of Da Vinci, and so many more wonderfully spiritual and historic monuments. Yet still I can say with the utmost certainty that no location has left such a lasting impact on my soul as the quaint, simple country of Costa Rica. Although many places have penetrated me with a sense of what the majestic earth and her inhabitants are capable of and have forced me to question whether or not anything is beyond the grasp of human ingenuity, none have brought

After some research, I found a program that incorporated three weeks of archeology, community service and agricultural work in Peru. I knew my job at the local pet store wasn’t going to be enough to fund the trip, so I took on a second. While trying to juggle school, sports, extracurriculars and two jobs, Bell was my rock, a daily reminder of my purpose. On July 4th that following summer, I waved goodbye to my mom and headed to the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Walking off the plane, I clung

Looking in the mirror the night before, I found myself absolutely terrified and completely devoid of self-confidence. "You can't do this! You don't speak Spanish. What do you know about glasses?" Of course, what an irony, the biggest concern before going on a trip to serve thousands who are in need, is myself. After a good cry, I popped my Malaria pill and got my full 45 minutes of sleep. Being surrounded by other people going on the trip, my father and his coworkers, made it easier to hide the emotion, no one wants to make a scene in public. Alas, after getting off that bus in Chiapa Corzo, the next ten days of my life made me realize something, hard work can not only satisfy my own little soul but if used correctly, it can greatly impact

My first awakening in a place that is not my home felt just right. My eyes were drowning in the beautiful view of the mountains while I inhaled the purest air on Earth. After eating a delicious breakfast, the mission began. A hike to the source of uncontaminated water that would provide the Las Rosas community access to clean water and sanitation. Following nine days of carrying and placing pipes, mixing cement, and building a water tank, Water Day had arrived. I was in Las Rosas, Dominican Republic, living one of the most wonderful and joyful moments of my life. I was seeing the children and the volunteers getting completely soaked with the water that was rushing out of the pipes. I was getting emotional when I saw Mami (one of the resident

Over the summer I went to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for a Church Mission trip. Our group stayed at a place called El Hogar. El Hogar gives a place for kids who live in very poor families or have no families. El Hogar gives the kids an education and a place to live. My experience there was like most others that have gone but it was special to me. All of the kids welcomed my group with open arms and love, I never wanted to leave. I had seen things and experienced things that I know I would never experience anywhere else. The whole city was riddled with poverty, nothing compared to poverty in USA. Even though the city was very poor it had many beautiful aspects to it, the mountains, the artwork and some of the people too. Even though the kids of

As a freshman at the University of Washington, Samantha Yee is an academically focused individual. Samantha was a club rower, making her a tem player and leader. Samantha’s diverse heritage has given her an assorted upbringing resulting in an internationally acknowledged way of thinking. Samantha’s Chinese, Native American, and Caucasian descent have made her a Global Citizen. From a young age Samantha was placed in a Spanish emersion program, making her nearly bilingual. From this program, Samantha blossomed a passion for Latin culture and travel. Samantha Yee has taken several service trips to Latin America, prominently Costa Rica. Because of her experiences, she developed a philanthropic desire to reform the spatiality of Costa Rica’s poverty

With the given opportunity, I Tabitha Bone, think that the trip through the Fountain Central Future Farmers of America group would be beneficial to not only my growing desire in the field of being a professional translator, but also, the passion I have for not only the language of Spanish, but the desire I have to visit a Spanish-speaking country. The opportunity of going to Belize will give me a greater understanding of Hispanic culture because I plan on minoring in linguistics. I want to further my understanding of these intricate and diverse cultures to help me in my emminent future career. My understanding of Hispanic culture is vital to my future career. I like learning new things and I am an adventurist. I love anything exotic, fun, or interesting. I love learning about new things and I relish the thought of world travel. I delight in new cultures and mythology, and I wish to go to Belize to experience all of the indigenous sights and

Sophomore year, I applied to become a buildOn trek volunteer to build a school in an impoverished, Nicaraguan village to combat penury, low expectations and minimize illiteracy. I arrived in the village of Chachagua, always keeping in mind my father’s condition. A regular day consisted of intense labor, a cultural

One of our goals is to be culturally responsive and through this experience I would gain an understanding of the people of Oaxaca, their arts, and their culture. I will grow as an educator, but also personally by immersing myself in a new culture. Obtaining another perspective will give me new tools, skills and resources to use in my instructions. I hope to collaborate with the people in the community and educators in Oaxaca to learn how they teach and work with the community.