I have never gone on a community service trip before. My intentions for applying to Manna were, really, to be able to experience first-hand poverty and deprivation, but getting to know the children was not an opportunity that I ever expected to experience so intimately. After today, I really believe that anyone, regardless of what they want to do in their lives, should at least visit some sort of developing country. Today made me realize how grateful I am for everything that I have in my life, but more importantly, I am more committed to the trip that I am a part of and making the Jamaican children's lives as better as possible--even if it's just for a little while.
It started off at 7:30 am this morning. Katie and I were running late (as usual), and arrived late to breakfast. I downed a coffee, ate a vegetable omelet with toast, and was ready to get my day started. When we got to Fairy, we immediately went to the children's basic school to play with the kids, while the boys chopped down trees and started building benches, all in preparation for our final goal of building a soccer field.
When I got to the school, I was shocked by the enthusiasm of the students. Within two seconds of us walking in sight of the students (even though we hadn't even entered the school yet), the children began to yell our names and literally run to us. I had seven to eight kids jump on me within a minute of walking in the door. Some of them I had never met before, while some of them I had met yesterday. Yet the feeling was all the same. Whether I had known the child for a minute or for twenty-four hours, I still felt the same attachment to them and a yearning to do something to make their days better.
I remember one moment specifically, when a little girl, Rhianna (who I had been playing with since yesterday), asked me to come play down with her. There was something sweet about Rhianna that made me want to spend time with her and get to know her; she genuinely wanted to get to know me, and she was excited that I was visiting. I walked outside with her to the front of the school. She wanted to take a picture on my camera with her friend, but when they both posed to take the picture, Rhianna's friend stepped on her foot, and she started crying because she was bleeding. I looked at her foot and noticed the dirt that formed circles around the majority of each of her toe nails. She had a scab that looked infected and had began to bleed, and with a bit of Neosporin, it would be gone in just two days. But the teacher didn't have Neosporin- she just put on a bandaid. As small as it was, that minute observation made me really feel for these children. Although their basic needs are met, they are not fulfilled in the same way that we experience in the U.S. My goal by the end of this trip is to get Rhianna a small tube of Neosporin ointment, just to make that one cut go away.
But what was the most interesting about the cut that Rhianna received wasn't the lack of Neosporin, but moreover, the lack of support that she received from the people around her. Her friend walked away, and while the teachers were really sweet, they didn't even notice her crying. I had to console her and give her the support she needed to get through that small rough patch, and if I wasn't there, she would have had to made herself feel better, as a five year old. Doing community service is more than first aid or lending out a dab of Neosporin. More importantly, giving back allows us to have a profound impact on children who will remember us for the rest of their lives--even if we just knew them for one week.
When I say that everyone at some point in their lives should do a service trip, I mean that sincerely. Pictures and tours tell a story, but being able to experience the story is much more unique. I had seen the pictures; I had been on the tours of disheveled areas. But never, in all of my life, had I walked through the streets of poverty and gotten to know the faces behind the pictures. This trip has been quite a journey, and getting to know influential people along the way has been all the more incredible. I am looking forward to seeing what other experiences this trip will provide me with. It has been an amazing ride so far, and I can't wait for more.
Until next time,
Dani
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