[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]Hello Friends and Family, I was very anxious a few days before the trip began, and I’m sure I was not alone! However, after meeting all the girls, those nerves quickly began to fade. We have all been able to connect and laugh together, and I can already tell it will be a great…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]All nine of us, including Luke, Chelsey, Julia, Ainsley, Alexa, Henry, Eva, Kevin, and Nikki, made it to China! Despite our luggage being fashionably late, we had a great afternoon, starting with a delicious, Chinese lunch – a great way to start the course. After some downtime, we regained enough energy to get us…
In our second day working with the kids, those of us working in Cristobal ended our time there with a walk through the jungle. Oscar, a fourteen-year-old member of the Ngobe indigenous group led us through the jungle, instructing us in Ngabere as we walked. The kids found it hilarious as we struggled to pronounce…
After a full day of travel for many of the students and the instructors, the SStS group assembled in LAX, made their way through security, and are now beginning some of their orientation activities at the gate. Despite the late night departure, everyone is in good spirits and excited for the adventure ahead.
Today was our first day of working in community centers in Cristobal and Bastimentos. We split into two groups of seven and started work around two. My groups made our way over to Cristobal, where most kids did not speak very much English. Our first activity was a game of soccer. It started out as…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]We just received an update from Sarah and Jim as their first full day in Phnom Penh came to an end. In order to better understand some of the tragic elements of Cambodian history, the group visited the Cheoung Ek Killing Field and the Tol Sleng Prison. In the process, they learned about the…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]After getting off the shaky, 13-row plane we adventured through the streets to get to our water taxi. It had rained this morning so the streets were flooded with water. We held our bags up as high as we could and tried to avoid splashing each other at 7:30 in the morning. The somewhat…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]After a full day of travels, the group traveling from LA arrived safely and met up with the last two members of this year’s Cambodia team. After checking into their hotel and enjoying their first Cambodian meal, they immediately headed out to explore Phnom Penh with Phiya from CRDT as their guide. After an…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]Just as the Panama Canal’s connectivity we would see in 24 hours, the Au Bon Pain of Miami International served as a joining together spot. All 17 of us met up and successfully began our journey together in front of this airport bakery. After making it through security and checking into our flight, we…
We received a message from Jim and Sarah letting us know that their group is boarding their flight for Hong Kong, so they are on their way to Cambodia. Despite the late night departure, the group is in great spirits. The group of six students from the U.S. will meet the remaining two students in…
We just received a message from the course instructors. The group arrived early in Panama City, quickly made their way through customs, and will soon be heading to their hostel for the night after a long day of travel.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]Despite some unexpected flight changes this morning, all 14 of the students along with Allison, Laura, and McNair arrived in Miami with plenty of time to check in and begin their group orientation activities before their flight departs. For example, this enthusiastic group spent some time journaling about their expectations regarding what lies ahead…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]The travel journals will be the place for students to share their experience while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]Wow, six whole days fly by in an instant! While on other days we have been working in more urban environments, we decided to mix it up today by driving out to Forgotten Harvest’s 100+ acre farm. Once there, we were given instructions on how to properly harvest kale, a plant rich in nutrients…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]As we continue our stay in Detroit, we spent our time productively at Forgotten Harvest where we packaged peppers and sweet potatoes. In the morning, we started to repackage bell peppers, and while we were doing this, there were two people from the local area. When we started to work with them, they were…
Today we visited the Bell Building in Highland Park. They focus on housing the homeless before treating their problems/addictions. Their main focuses are alcoholics, drug addicts, people with mental disabilities, and the chronically homeless. One thing that separates their homeless shelter from others is their ability to accept homeless people despite their addictions. Most homeless…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]This is a test post for the news category.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Today we started our morning by packaging the food we unwrapped yesterday. We packed boxes until noon. After lunch we went to the Focus: HOPE learning center to help clean the building. When we first entered the center, I was struck by the resoundingly happy welcome we received. The man welcoming us, Keith, was very…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]Today we spent our time volunteering at Focus: HOPE. We started off with a tour followed by an orientation. We then delivered food to senior citizens and worked in their warehouse. When delivering food, we were able to see the impact that the food boxes make. At one apartment, I noticed that there were…