GLA Blog » Thoughts on International Education

I had always been a hard-working girl who tried to appreciate everything that had been given to me in life. I am a member of my high school’s Key Club and participate in all of the service projects. I also am a member of the forensics team and present world issues and offer viable solutions to these issues. However, this summer my eyes were opened in a whole new way. I realized how blessed I truly am, that the key to a genuinely happy life is simplicity and love, and how the power of a simple smile can be enough to change a life. For three weeks, I lived with twenty- seven other teenagers from across the world in a small hotel in the town of La Cruz in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. There, we learned Spanish skills, Costa Rican culture and history, and helped out at two elementary schools.

Going on this trip was not only the longest time I have spent away from my family, it was also the first time I had left America; it completely changed my view of the world and how I want to live. The Ticos, the native people of Costa Rica, were welcoming and created an environment perfect for self-growth. These life lessons came in a variety of different forms: the patience and love of the children, the respect for nature and peace that the Ticos have, and the ability to accept and understand others that the students who became my family-away-from-home showed me.

Lesson #1: the power of a smile and a camera.
The children at one of the schools where we worked, Sonzapote, opened their hearts to us from the first moment. On the first day, they performed a ceremony for Dia de Guanacaste and offered us coffee. Dia de Guanacaste is an independence celebration in the state of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. They took our hands and asked us to be friends and suggested a game of futbol. The language barrier seemed to have no effect at all. We laughed and smiled and learned each other’s names. We sat coloring pictures to explain important facts about our lives. The day when I untimely realized that I didn’t have to be fluent in Spanish or the best English teacher in order to make an impact came the second week when we were having English class outside under the trees. I was sitting at a table with three little girls. One, Jessica, said my name and then gave me a huge grin. I drew her a picture of a tutu and explained that I wore one when I danced. She clapped her hands and showed it to a friend and they both giggled. Then she saw my camera. She extended her hand and I passed it to her. She began taking pictures of everything! Then she passed the camera off to a friend and came over, sat on my lap, and hugged me while Arianna snapped the pictures. It was in that moment that I understood that something as simple as a high-five, a picture of a tutu, or a camera could make a difference in a child’s life.

Lesson #2: Peace and sacrifice
Costa Rica has no army. When we were told this, it was a shock. I remember thinking that they must be crazy. However, our teacher Luigi challenged my narrow-minded thinking. He told us to imagine America without an army. It was not an easy situation to imagine. Yet, the more we learned about Costa Rica the more the “no army policy” made sense to me. The people of Costa Rica believe in spreading good vibrations to those around them. Those around them, especially in Guanacaste, are Nicaraguans. Education and health services are free to all those who want it. Due to this, Costa Rica has a border issue similar to that between the US and Mexico. Yet, they are peaceful, diplomatic, and optimistic about it. I am now more understanding of the illegal immigrants’ circumstances and open- minded to different solutions than I was before. No country is perfect, and I believe that we could learn something from the peaceful Ticos. Not only that, but I find that I am at times ashamed by the way America treats other nations and gets involved in problems that are not our own. I have much more broad views and opinions on these social and national issues than before, and am much more interested in being able to share my views and make a difference than I was before this trip.

Lesson #3: Simplicity and Green
The Ticos channel all of the money that they would spend on an army into education and environmental conservation. Over forty percent of Costa Rica’s land is a national park; no building anywhere in the nation can be over three stories; the main highway is literally a two-way road; and the number one export of the country is oxygen. But Costa Rica is about much more than a carbon neutral country; it is the love that the people have for nature and for the land they have been given. There is a story that Luigi told us about how the Ticos got their land, a piece of God’s own paradise. Maybe that explains why the people respect it so much more than other nations do. Regardless of the reason, coming home was a major culture shock for me. From the little luxuries, like having water pressure and being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet, to the big comforts, like internet, TV, and highways, I had a hard time re-adjusting. So much of it seemed pointless. I would look up to see the stars and I would not be able to find them. There was one weekend where we hiked to a secluded National Park and beach and camped out. That night we lay on the beach and stared at huge stars for hours and shared beds with little red crabs. I am no camper, and yet that weekend was perfect. I did not miss the fancier extravagances in life at all while I was there. The simple, pure meals of rice, beans, fish and fruit gave me strength and energy to do what I needed to do. I still miss having intense views, crazy animals, card games, and nights in hammocks to keep me entertained. There is too much going on in America at times. I feel that the people of Costa Rica not only work very hard to be an example of environmental conservation to nations like America, but are also an example to us through their slow, relaxed, “pura vida” lifestyle. Costa Rica helped me understand that it is just fine to take time to smell the roses and enjoy the company I have in the time I was given. A stressful and hectic lifestyle results in missing moments with loved ones and never really enjoying beautiful moments in life. I believe it is a lesson that all Americans who work and live at a fast pace could use: All of our “things” distract us from what is truly important. “Going green” is more than buying an organic t-shirt; it is fully admiring the wonder of nature and doing everything possible to preserve it.

Lesson #4: Friends and good people come from everywhere and can be anyone
As I said before, I went on this trip with twenty- seven other students from around the world. I knew absolutely no one prior to the trip, and now I have deep bonds with each of these people, and count a few of them among the best friends I have ever made. Normally, I hang out with my “group.” I have classmates who I talk to during a class or a sport season, but I would not choose to hang out with them outside of class or practice. Like every teenager, I am guilty of judging before I get to know someone. However, for this trip, I promised myself to give everyone a chance. I am so grateful that I stuck to that promise, because I would have missed out on a lot of amazing people and stories. From the very first day, I felt comfortable with everyone. Even though we were all from different places in the world and had very different personalities, from the first conversations we all found similar tastes in music and hobbies. We were able to laugh and be totally ourselves, with no pre-conceptions. However, there was one day the beginning of the third week that changed my entire perspective and made me love each and every one of these new friends even more. We participated in “Cross the Line.” “Cross the Line” is an activity where a mentor reads a series of statements that have to do with culture, religion, and incidents in life. If one has experienced any statement they cross the line. Afterwards everyone gathers and a deep, emotional discussion occurs. During this discussion people explain why they crossed the line at certain statements while everyone else supports them and offers them advice. It was the most emotional day of my life. I learned facts about the people I had been living with for two weeks that I had never imagined. I also shared hidden scars with these people that I had never told anyone else before. Our mentors shared their stories and gave us incredible advice. I grew that day in a way that is almost unreal. My heart, mind, soul all seemed to open up. Not only do I have more respect for people I meet, but I understand that genuinely good people can come from everywhere. They do not have to be of my religion or people with no skeletons in the closet. They can be people who have been discriminated against, harmed in ways they shouldn’t have been, and broken spirits re-building themselves. What matters in a person is how they use those experiences. My mentor, Ale, told us that what happens in our life doesn’t define who we are. We can plant any seed in our soul that we want. If we nurture it and feed it, it will blossom into a beautiful tree. We can show the world what we want them to see in us. I have taken this lesson on as a type of mantra in my life. I had never heard better words. I have worked hard to plant a seed of courage and respect in myself since I have been home.

Going on this service trip abroad alone took guts. It is not something that is traditional or typical in my family. I knew that I needed to go abroad, learn a new culture, and help the people, and I worked extremely hard to be able to do so. I know now that I have to do it again and again. The service work was so rewarding and meant as much to me as it did to the children we helped. I was not homesick on this trip, because I knew I was coming home and would see my family again. Yet, leaving all of my new friends was one of the hardest days of life. Still, with everything I learned on this trip, I know that I have the power to make a change in the life of people across the globe as well as grow into anyone I want to be. I just need to trust my heart, believe in myself, and live the Pura Vida.

For most of my life, my mind spun in every direction, looking for answers among chaos – I wanted to know everything about life. When I was introduced to Biology, my knowledge of life became more structured. Like the double helix which creates the foundation of all life, studying Biology created a foundation for my love of knowledge.

I have become increasingly passionate about seeking out scientific answers to questions about living organisms. Biology is so vast and unexplored that there are infinite opportunities for discovery, which excites me more than anything. Indeed, my interest in

Biology and experimentation stems from an early curiosity regarding how organisms are able to live. As a child, I once attempted to keep pill bugs as pets by sealing them in a large plastic container. Obviously, they ran out of oxygen and died. I modified the experiment; including a small plant in their enclosure. I was interested to see that the more closely the bugs’ artificial habitat mirrored their natural habitat, the more they thrived. This endeavor introduced me to the idea that each organism is connected. With this in mind, I sought to discover how these organisms create an ecosystem as well as how they function as individuals. My interest in Biology evolved into a passion and I began to look for opportunities around me in order to immerse myself in this fascinating world.

Throughout my adolescence, my passion steadily grew to such a degree to where

I sought active involvement in a service learning program called Global Leadership Adventures. The summer before my junior year of high school, I went to the Galapagos Islands, where I was a teen volunteer in Cerro Mesa, a National Park, working to restore the natural habitat of the plants and animals so that they could continue to grow and reproduce in their ecosystem. We removed non-indigenous species of plants that were detrimental to theIslands’ unique ecosystem and planted species that would restore the natural habitat. We also observed how each species of plants and animals evolved to be completely unique to theirIsland. While volunteering, I developed an understanding of how certain species evolve according to their habitat. My ability to comprehend natural selection, the explanation for evolution, pleased me because it answered one of the many questions I had about life sciences. My passion has been bolstered by this small discovery; exploration created a sense of fulfillment.

Despite my joy from being able to grasp certain aspects of how life works, I am still perturbed by the fact that I have only scratched surface. It is true that I have explored a few intricacies of the world of Biology, and my life has been made richer because of this curiosity. However, because I am a vociferous learner by nature, a minimal knowledge of life itself would not be enough to satiate me. By studying Biology, I hope to understand that which now seems enigmatic and discover every unexplored aspect of life.

This past summer, I journeyed east over the Atlantic, to the western coast of
Africa in hope of realizing a personal dream. I had the privilege of participating in
a Global Leadership Adventures service program in the Volta Region of Ghana, and
gained a chance to immerse myself in a foreign culture and connect with its people.
For three weeks, I worked and taught a classroom of forty-four eager primary
students at a rural school called Rhema, where the headmaster’s desk sits under a
colossal mango tree.

There, on a Wednesday morning, while my service group mixed cement
for bricks, the students gathered nearby with the headmaster’s wife for song and
prayer. As I listened to the girls and boys sing passionately in their native Ewe
and dance to the pulsating beat of the drums, I felt compelled to drop my shovel
and join them. This wave of belonging touched me; never had I felt such joy and
togetherness. Here I was, a white stranger, welcomed and invited into their world
to fully experience the act of rejoicing. This single moment showed me that in spite
of their real deprivations – a scarcity of school materials, inadequate staffing, and
poor health conditions– these people know how to live blissfully, bound by the
richness and brotherhood in their community.

My experience in Ghana is not simply a tale of performing good deeds. Yes,
our service team produced over 650 bricks for a new schoolhouse. Yes, I helped
encourage both leadership and learning among the young students of Rhema. Yes, I
made a personal commitment to maintain ties with the local leaders I met. But for
me, my three-week service trip became my own treasure. The strength of the
human spirit I witnessed within the Ghanaian community has inspired me to build a
kinder, more joyful community here at home. As Student Executive Board president
of my 2,027-student high school, I hope to bring a bit of “Ghana” to my suburban
school environment. At Rhema, I saw moments of pure spirit — life stripped down of
all misfortunes. If I am able to recreate such camaraderie and heart at just one
school event aimed at helping a family in need or a local cause, I will have
succeeded.

My service travel experience with Global Leadership Adventures helped me
realize the trials and tribulations that communities face. But, in good or bad times,
there is always an opportunity to become whole. One family, one community.

During the summer of 2011, my interest in working with mentally and
physically handicapped children led me to book a trip to China with an
organization called Global Leadership Adventures. As I prepared for my
trip, I knew I would meet incredible people, but I never expected to meet
Claire. She was an 11-year-old girl living in an orphanage called The New
Day Foundation in rural Beijing. Claire had suffered from heart failure, a
severe lung infection and multiple surgeries that almost killed her.
Seeing her made me think about the things we take for granted everyday;
like clean drinking water, computers and proper health care. Interacting
with Claire and the rest of the children with mental and physical
disabilities in the orphanage brought into focus how all of these kinds of
children, no matter where they are from, require the same attention from
dedicated caregivers to have successful lives.

While the usual teenager was wishing for a car, I spend the weeks prior to my sixteenth birthday wishing for an adventure. Not simply a road trip away from my small hometown, but something more than that. I wished to go on an adventure out of the United States to a third world country on the right half of Hispaniola. For my sixteenth birthday, I received this adventure as a present from my parents in hopes that I would come home awakened of the wonders of the blue planet and of the diversity of inhabitants.

In the middle of July, I left the mitten state and was headed off to the Dominican Republic for my ten day service trip through Global Leadership Adventures. The name of the program was Dominican Republic: Sustainability and Service, but little did I know that the program was all about transforming us naive teenagers into sustainability activists. I not only learned what sustainability was from Dave Addison, our director who obtained a PhD in global business sustainability, but I came to live it as well. We lived virtually a “no impact” lifestyle, consisting of thatched huts for lodging and daily meals of beans and rice. These accommodations forced me to break free of my American comforts and discover what it truly means to live simply and sustainably.

The program allowed me to help change the lives of the Dominican people through our service, but I was also changed as well. The nightly videos, such as “Food Inc.” and “Blue Gold”, and the in depth conversations with Mr. Addison transformed my global perspective and gave me a incredible new insight into the world’s problems. We discussed topics such as climate change, conservation biology, water scarcity, desertification, poverty, urbanization, and oil scarcity. For these were the challenges that us up-and-coming world leaders would tackle in our lifetime.

I left the Dominican Republic and came back to the United States more aware of the world outside my hometown. Before a meat eater, I came home a changed lacto-ovo vegetarian. After preaching my newly adopted philosophies to my parents and sister, I was able to transform them to vegetarians as well. I also inspired my family and others to begin eating an organic diet too. Not only has my family become healthier, but more environmentally friendly. My family was able to significantly reduce our environmental impact due our dietary changes and new habits.

My mission after coming back to the United States has been to change my ways, and also teach my peers and fellow community members the practices I learned in the Dominican Republic. I now work closely with the my local community garden and community kitchen in providing low-income families with fresh, locally-grown, organic food. My life was permanently changed from those ten days, and I want to have the same impact on others. I came back and was able to change the lives of others as well, which is more satisfying than any self transformation I underwent.