SERVICE LEARNING

Wow, what an incredible day today! Service is a huge reason of why I decided to travel abroad this summer with Global LEAD. The curriculum we learned today in class could not have been more appropriate to prepare us for what we would encounter in the township of Sir Lowery’s Pass. Service learning was the topic. According to Robert Sigmon, he suggested service learning was only accomplished when both the providers and recipients benefited from the activities. This really opened my eyes because during class I related it back to my experience with Global LEAD last summer in Ecuador. Before they expanded the Ecuador progam to a 5 week study abroad program, I was lucky enough to spend 10 amazing days there. We worked with children from a school there as well, however it was only for one day. But during that single day, even with the language barrier, I had never felt so alive with the experience. The children there really opened my eyes. I learned a new form of happiness, something that I had never experienced before. It was not only a humbling experience but an experience that made me want to give back. I learned that helping, no matter what simple or complex form it was in, was what I wanted to do it life. It is what I feel passionately about and makes me feel alive.

Today in the townships I felt that same sense of aliveness. Being able to connect the lesson from class this morning to the experience in the township helped me bridge the link between knowing and feeling. Right when I stepped off the bus the same emotions I felt in Ecuador came rushing back. Three adorable little girls instantly grabbed my hands and started walking me to their school where we all met before we found our house moms and departed for their homes. Mrs. Rina was the mother we got to share dinner with. She so kindly invited us into her home. There was a total of eight people who shared the one bed room, one bathroom, living room, and kitchen. Nadien is Mrs. Rina’s 21 year old daughter that I got to talk a lot to. Since we are the same age, I was really interested in hearing about her life. She said her primary responsibility was to stay at the house, clean, cook, and look after the little kids while her mom worked as a cleaning lady in town.

Her second oldest child was a boy named Jason, he is 17. He spends his day at school but is also married with , either one or two kids. Both him and his wife live with his mother and father. I was really moved by Jason because I could feel the love him and his mother shared. While waiting for the spaghetti to cook he started dancing with his mom in the kitchen. He also was the one who said grace. I wasn’t able to remember all of his prayer but he said “thank you for the strength you gave us to get through the day, please strengthen us for tomorrow… thank you for the food, the people who have made it, and the visitors we have here today, also, thank you for the air..” that kind of caught me off guard. I am an avid prayer but I cannot remember a time I have thanked God for air. From Jason, I learned how many simple things I take for granted every day and how often all I think about is what I want next or what I want to accomplish next. Never do I pause and truly say thank you for the simple things, such as clean air.

Another thing that I really enjoyed seeing in the townships was the close bond is between all the children. They were everywhere playing games with one another and running around together. Even though many of the kids were not related they constantly would look out for one another. There also was obviously an open door policy because children kept going and coming as they pleased!

I am so excited to go back to Sir Lowery’s Pass and get to spend the entire week there. Like I said, this week was the highlight of why I came. I am looking forward to seeing what I learn tomorrow about myself and the amazing people who live in the township!