It's difficult to describe this trip and put everything I learned and felt into words. I am so thankful for being granted the opportunity to go on this trip because it truly was life changing. I have travelled countless times to various parts of the world, but this trip really opened my eyes and taught me many valuable lessons that my previous travels had not. I had seen poverty, but not to the extreme of what we saw in Veron. I had seen happy, thankful children, but none nearly as happy as those that we gave candy to in the streets, and as those who attended our 4-H Day Camp!
As I travelled to the Dominican Republic, I slightly feared that having only one year of the Spanish language would limit me and my interaction with the Dominicans, however once in the Dominican Republic, I came to see my lack of the language as somewhat of a blessing. As I strived to use my limited vocabulary to communicate with campers and other Dominicans, I found that I was quickly able to pick up on some new vocabulary and speaking skills because of my immersion in the language. In the future, I hope to learn more Spanish so should I return on this trip again, I could use more Spanish, and continue to learn from the native speakers as well. Thankfully, we had many Dominican teens who were there to help us out all week, whether it be translating, bargaining, or simply just teaching us the way they live. I found priceless friendships with these teens and we are all planning to 'reunite' hopefully before the 4-H Dominican trip next summer! I am so glad I met these kids, they and their families were so loving and welcoming, and definitely fun to be around!
While we did have loads of fun on this trip, we also did a good amount of service work for the communities. We painted two rooms in a school house and also weeded around the area. We also collected school supplies for children at a small, poor school. These activities were some of the most fulfilling acts we accomplished on the trip. Even though we didn't meet all the people our service affected, we all knew that we had done a good thing and were really influencing many, while having fun at the same time!
The 4-H Dominican Republic trip was truly amazing and I had an incredible time! I'm so thankful that I was able to attend this trip, help others, and meet and interact with such great people!
Contributed by: Addie Guthrie - Shenandoah
ReplyDeleteشركة تنظيف بالقطيف
شركه نقل عفش بالقطيف
شركة تسليك مجاري بالقطيف
شركة مكافحة حشرات بالقطيف
شركة تنظيف بتبوك
شركة نقل عفش بتبوك