Bitter sweet.

Today was one of the most amazing days of the entire trip. We went on a boat to a local island where we planted some trees. The college that we’re working with does a lot of work with the community of this island in water purification and other things. We got to play with the little kids and plant the trees with them while we visited their schools. The children were so excited to see us because the teachers said it was a very rare thing for them to see people that spoke another language. They let us into their school to tell us what all the children learned and some of them told us what they wanted to be when they grew up. Probably the most surprising thing to me was the statistic that only 1% of the kids would continue to college and only 7% would continue to high school. I have never really considered myself as lucky to attend school as I do now. That statistic really made me value my education and want to try to do as well in school as I possibly can, because I’m one of the few that get a college education. I could tell that the community was trying hard to improve this shocking number, but with the limited resources and knowledge, there was only so much they could do. Seeing this in type of poverty and lack of education made me want to help in some way, if not in another country, then maybe my own. Since the trip to the island, I have been trying to think of ways to help others less fortunate than myself. The trip to Brazil, overall, has really made me realize how good I have it and how I need to share the things I have been blessed with. 

After the school, we went to a beach with our Brazilian partners from the university. A few other people and I stayed on the boat. There were a group of kids swimming by our boats trying to talk to us. Although we couldn’t speak to each other, we communicated somehow and even understood each other. I see now the value of language and communication, which we are learning in English and Public Speaking. I wasn’t quite sure how the things we discussed in those classes would tie into the trip, but now I understand completely. There really isn’t a way I can explain how I learned the importance of communication, because I think it’s something everyone has to experience for themselves. I’m very fortunate that I got to experience this.

Later that night, we all went to eat a going away dinner. It was awesome just being all together with my classmates and new friends from Brazil. The food was excellent and we had a good time, but it was sad we were leaving even though I was so ready to go home. I loved Brazil, but really missed my family and friends. I hope to stay in touch with all the amazing people I got to meet and to never forget my experience. Thanks to all my teachers and family that made this possible J