Costa Rica Service Trip Spring Break 2013
During Spring 2013, I applied to attend a Costa Rica Service Learning trip that my Freshmen Leadership Organization was hosting. The service learning trip involved working with a team of Texas A&M students to make a difference to the community in Costa Rica. The project goals of the trip were to help the Texas A&M Soltis Center build a garden to rain forest plants and to help the local school kids build a school green house. However, we also were blessed to tour the town and to visit popular sites, such as the Arenal Volcano. During the trip, not only did I demonstrate my commitment and motivation to help the A&M Soltis Center and local school, but also I expressed my cheerfulness, friendliness, and Aggie spirit to the students and townspeople I met. Furthermore, I gained my first international experience because I had never been out of the country before. Even more, I made new friendships with fellow Aggie students while working on the team projects. One of the unique experiences was zip lining through the Costa Rica Rain Forest. Below I included reflection questions and slideshow pictures from my trip.
What does global service now mean to you?
What was your favorite part of the trip?
Did you experience anything out of your comfort zone?
What did the people teach you about yourself, the world, and your life?
What have you gained or learned on this trip that you can share when you return?
Our Final Team Motto:
BE BOLD. BE INTENTIONAL. BE INSPIRED.
What does global service now mean to you?
- Global service is becoming aware of other cultures across the globe while participating in service. To me, one goal of global service is universal unity. We can become united through our efforts to help one another and gain an understanding of other cultures. In doing so, we can learn the differences and similarities in each other’s cultures. Finally, it is important to me to demonstrate that we as Americans want to reach out and make a difference in other countries.
What was your favorite part of the trip?
- Working at the local school was definitely my favorite part of the service experience. Just making the kids smile made my day. Also, at the school, I learned to communicate with the kids with more than just words. Also, the kids' happiness is contagious. Even though they do not have as much as we do, they can still be happy. Helping them plant a school garden was so much fun because the project was so exciting for them that we were all excited. Their hearts are so open, so loving, and so innocent. Why can't we always have the hearts of kids?
Did you experience anything out of your comfort zone?
- The most challenging aspect was overcoming my fear of the numerous bugs and creatures that inhabit the rain forest. Every time I saw a bug, I either wanted to run far away or kill it. However, compassion our guide Albert showed towards the rain forest and its creatures taught us the importance of respecting nature and understanding everything has a place in the world. By the end of the week, I was shooing bugs away instead of killing them, which demonstrated that I was slowly overcome one of my fears. Furthermore, I had to go outside my comfort zone to communicate with the Costa Rican people and to work with new people. Despite the language barrier, my basic Spanish vocabulary, body language, and hand motions were enough to communicate with the school kids. It was rewarding to see how two people with two different languages can communicate through a common understanding. In one of our group discussions, my friend Corey said, "The experience pushes you out of your comfort zone, but in a way that is the point." Going beyond my comfort zone helped me to learn more about myself and to grow as an individual. I learned how to face my fear of bugs, how to interact with different cultures, and how to work in a diverse team.
What did the people teach you about yourself, the world, and your life?
- Even though in a way we are all the same, we are also very different. Happiness means different things to people. Albert, our guide, glows with happiness when talking about his passion - the rain forest. The school kids glow with happiness from attention, love, and interaction. Spending time and connecting with the Costa Rican people taught me that life is what we make of it. They reminded me to live by one of my favorite quotes: "Do what you can, where you are, with what you have."
What have you gained or learned on this trip that you can share when you return?
- An open-minded heart that can see the passion in others
- An appreciation for the small things that make life beautiful
- The lesson that a smile can make someone's day =)
- The value of teamwork in completing service projects
- The ability to adapt to new situations
- The ability to communicate with a diverse team
Our Final Team Motto:
BE BOLD. BE INTENTIONAL. BE INSPIRED.