The Work Begins

The main question that I keep thinking about on this trip is: Why am I here? My usual answer to this is that I want to experience a culture and country different from my own for the first time. However, I could have just taken a normal vacation to a different country to experience this, so why did I choose to come on a trip that has me waking up at 8 am to do manual labor in the hot sun? Every school I see in the US has a play area and seating for the children at recess, but that is not the case here. This simple luxury that we have is something we take for granted and that is why our group is here, to provide the students with something they deserve. In our specific case it is the seating for their play area. The day started with shoveling piles of rocks for hours and when everyone was sore and tired we were reminded of why we are here. The children came out to play for recess and everyone in the group quickly became involved. They were excited to play soccer, frisbee, and jump rope with us; some even braided our hair. The kids welcomed us immediately and were excited for the work we were doing. In the US, the task of shoveling the amount of rocks we did could have been completed in 15 minutes instead of the whole day with the proper technology. But that isn't being provided here, so groups of volunteers are needed like us. I am here because I can be. I have been blessed with many things in my life and this is my opportunity to give back. This is one of the few times where I feel I am actually making a difference with what I am doing and I can not think of a better place to spend my first time out of the United States.

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