One of the 10 essential principles of a shoulder-to-shoulder experience is “whenever possible, we work shoulder-to-shoulder with locals…because the relationships we develop and the learning that occurs through them are as important as the project itself.” This is the principle that resonates the most with me. Relationships are truly an important aspect of both our life and our trip. My dad often says that valuable relationships are imperative for living a happy life, because we as humans tend to value and remember them well. When I leave this trip, the relationships I made will be what I most remember, what inspires me to continue to teach and engage the kids with intent, and what will inspire me to do more service. One relationship that I formed today that I find special was with a kid named Ika. Like all the other kids, his face lit up when we arrived, and he quickly came over to me and began talking. He told me his name, age, and how much he enjoyed playing soccer. I remember how proud he was during the map activity after he finished filling out the states, and I was glad that the activity we planned seemed to be working. Once we began playing soccer, he was elated after his slide tackle ended with me eating dirt and him getting the ball, but shared the same excitement after I scored a goal. It is relationships like the one I made with Ika today that will inspire me, and are the reason for why that principle is very important for our time here, and in life in general.