When I was in high school I decided I wanted to get out of my small bubble of a town for a summer and signed up for a community volunteer program called Amigos de las Americas. I had always wanted to travel the world but had barely traveled outside of California. This would be my first real adventure and I was more than ecstatic to have this opportunity.
I was sent to Michoacan, Mexico, where I lived for 6 weeks and worked on community projects. Mind you, I barely spoke Spanish and had never traveled on my own, let alone to another country, so it was quite an adventure. I was thrown into a new environment with no support system and quickly realized I was far outside of my comfort zone. I was ill prepared for the loneliness of not being able to communicate with others and very unaccustomed to the town's slow placed, simpler way of life.
Throughout the summer my two partners and I set up a camp for the kids and an exercise class for the women.While I think all these projects were successful and I'm so happy we were able to help (even in the littlest ways), I think the people I met and friendships I made a larger impact on me and the type of person I would grow to be. I was welcomed into a close knit community as one of their own and taken under the wings of quite a few old ladies who decided it was their life's purpose to teach me everything they knew. I grew to understand the meaning of hard work, the joys of sitting and talking for hours at a time, and the pleasure of enjoying the small things in life. The people I met and the experiences I had helped me developed a sense of self worth and purpose at a very influential time in my life, and I am eternally grateful for their love and belief in me.
A prime example of this stems from a very unique friendship with one of the oldest men in the town. During my first couple of days in town I didn't say much- in fact, I don't think I said anything for the first three days besides Hello and Nice to meet you. However, there was this one old man would always stop me in front of this abandoned old house in the middle of town and would just start talking to me. I was very self conscious about my lack of communication skills and frustrated by not being able to talk to anyone, so in the beginning I thought he was teasing me by asking me questions I couldn't answer. Each day he would stop me at the same place talk at me, despite my consistent silence and obvious embarrassment from my inability to answer back. At first I didn't know how to handle these incessant one sided conversations and kept wondering who he was waiting for every day and why he was always there. Then, I realized our run ins weren't so random and that he was waiting for me.
Everyday, week after week, he would stop me and start babbling on and on while I would nod my head and smile. Eventually I grew familiar with certain words and phrases and finally grew comfortable enough to respond back. Words can't express how big the smile on his face was when I mustered up the courage to respond for the first time. Towards the end of my trip we were having full on conversations, and on my last day he waddled up to me and instead of having our usual conversation he just smiled, patted my shoulder, and waddled away. His persistence and belief in my ability to conquer a new skill gave me a sense of confidence that I still carry with me today.
But of course, my favorite friendships were with the kids. I would spend endless hours playing soccer, drawing pictures, and goofing around with kids of all ages. We set up a day camp where we organized soccer games, taught them new arts and crafts, and tried to relay the importance of good hygiene (which were definitely not their favorite days of camp). They were so full of energy and excitement, and just like my old man friend, they didn't seem to mind my lack of communication skills. Plus, they were really freaking adorable and LOVED my camera, and I was able to capture some pretty amazing moments.
I recommend everyone take a trip or do something outside of their comfort zone at least once in their lives. I hope to have many more adventures like this in the near future!
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