It was an amazing experience that I don't think I could ever have on my own time. Being able to witness the culture and life of these people really impacted my life.
I think just being with the people and working beside them just made the trip overall so amazing and comforting to know that we were part of their family in Tipitapa. I never thought I would be sad coming back home and wanting to go back to the locals and my friends in Tipitapa. I feel like a whole new person.
I have definitely changed after this trip, so many things I had taken for granted, I now know how people in Tipitapa live yet they are beaming with happiness. It's so ironic that in the States we have so many luxuries yet so many people are unhappy. It shows that you just have what you need to survive then your life can be filled with happiness as the people in Tipitapa. I won't ever forget how people treated me there and opened their families and homes to me and I hope I could grow to be that giving and open.
I experienced intercultural understanding on this trip, which was great. This trip will definitely have a lasting impact on me by showing me that it is easy to make new friends, regardless of one's background and culture.
It completely changed my world-view. I have never meet people so willing to help than the people in Nicaragua. Even though they had almost nothing, they were so concerned with our comfort. It was heartwarming; it restored my faith in the goodness in people.
This trip really showed me what the third world was like and brought me outside of the Silicon Valley bubble we live in. It showed me that I can have a real lasting impact on other people's lives even in such a short amount of time. It also really made me feel that I should volunteer more because I really enjoyed the experience.
This trip was so incredible. I not only had the opportunity to experience being in a foreign country for the first time, but I got to be part of a community in a foreign country. I am still amazed at how generous and happy the locals were considering how much poverty they're living in. In the U.S., everyone is so caught up in having so much money and luxuries that they forget about what is truly important, being a good person or simply happy. In Nicaragua, the people aren't competing to have the most money or best house etc., so they were overall much happier and more generous than Americans. Through this I learned an important lesson, money will not give you happiness in fact, it could take your happiness away. I believe that this idea is very important and I will always remember this trip.
This trip changed my outlook on life. I've always known I want to help people, but I've never really known how to do it. Ive been in ODFL for 3 years and always donated money, never really understood where it went. This trip gave me insight into the projects and gave me a deeper understanding of the conditions these people live in and how helpful these projects can be.
I thought that this was a very transformative experience and I have become even more thankful for what I have. I have realized that you don't have to feel bad about privilege but, it is so important to recognize it.