Tanzania: Final Days

You can’t exist in this world without leaving a piece of yourself behind. There are concrete paths, like airplane tickets, credit card receipts, appointment calendars, and promises you’ve made to others. There are microscopic clues, like fingerprints, that stay invisible unless you know how to look for them. But in the absence of any of this- is love. The way you can make someone feel is not what is bound by your three-dimensional earthly existence; it’s so much more than that.

There is a quote: “People will forget what you said and what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This, I believe to be true. My time here in Tanzania has taught me just this as well.  Working with those kids everyday has shown to be a unique experience each and every day.

Saying goodbye is always so extremely hard, but all good things must eventually come to an end. Seeing the children’s smiles fade and each hug getting tighter as the sun went down, made me realize that the time we were able to have with these kids is irrevocable and I would not trade it for the world.

Being able to come to Tanzania is an incredible blessing, and I cannot thank the people that have been by my side and helped me get here enough. Everything I was able to do here is because of the people that donated, helped with my fundraisers, motivated me the whole way and of course, CGA. Thank you. I am going to miss this country and its culture so much, and I am grateful to have been able to experience what I have these last two weeks. 

Tanzania: Day 5,6,7

If it had been easy for Ghandi to spread peace in India, nobody would have cared. The same goes for Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and their respective paramours. Change does not come with just a simple idea. Change must be kindled, cared for, worked on and brought to fruition by hard work and dedication. This has been such a resounding lesson with CGA. Working months and months in preparation for this trip has been well worth every minute and it’s only been one week. Working in the orphanage, school and sports program have been intense and draining, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

From teaching science at LOAMO to teaching handstands and front rolls at the sports camp, every day is a new experience. These children are so amazing; they constantly take in every new morsel of information that you are able to provide them. Ansley, Ava, Jake and I teach the gymnastics station and the kids love it. All the children are taken from a few different orphanages and from different situations, so each child has their own stories to share with whoever is willing to listen. Two children, Collins and Robby, have both stolen my heart. They both have mothers that are prostitutes and their fathers have left their families. They both lived with a family member but would spend their day’s being “street children”, and would have to fend for themselves. They were found and sponsored to go to a Medium English Boarding School and when they aren’t in school, they stay together with people from the community. They each have such huge hearts and I love them so much. Being able to teach these children new things and give them new unique experiences is so incredibly fulfilling. Tomorrow is our last day at the sports camp, and I can’t even believe this trip is almost over. This country has so much to offer and I absolutely love it here. 

Tanzania: My mission statement

My mission behind everything I do is to use my fire and passion to spark change in every life I touch. This is something I have thought about and encountered for years- more specifically 3 years ago when I first went to Nicaragua with Children’s Global Alliance. When I shared my stories and experiences with the people back home, I saw how incredible it was that they were touched by the stories I saw and lived, even if they weren’t able to be there. My passion and love to help other people went beyond me- I was able to see how it inspired the people around me as well. When I went to Cambodia, I saw the same thing. I told my aunt about my trip and experiences and months later she told me how she shared my stories with her students at the school she works at and they had a class discussion on how important it is to help other people. The idea that MY experiences and stories can influence and affect other people astonishes me.

Since learning this, I have tried to use this in my everyday life, and when I am not relating my experiences, I have learned I can do this with my energy as well. Sharing my positive outlook, and my values and decisions can influence others in the same way. I have learned that something so simple as radiating positive energy can change the course of someone’s day.

In the future, I will continue to share my experiences to benefit others. When I return from Tanzania, I will share the love I have been shown by these kids to everyone I come in contact with. I plan to continue to share my own experience along with other’s to spark passion and a fire in everyone.

Currently, I am relaying the love and the compassion shown to me by the kids at LOAMO on to the children we are working with in the sports program. I am excited to see where the love will carry out and transfer on from here. 

Tanzania: Day 3 and Day 4

DAY 3

I am in awe as to how I was able to feel so much after being at LOAMO School for so little time. We only spent a day and a half at the school and still those children I encountered have left an imprint on my life and my heart. Although the time we spent at the LOAMO School was limited, it pushed us for our best. We strived to take everything completely in; learn the children’s names and stories, teach as much as we possibly could in 2 days, and make and build relationships that have such strength and character that they will always be remembered.

One of my students in class five, Junior, told me “You only are here for a short time but you make our hearts happy!” Each child I met during my stay was so unique in their own ways, but each had their own set of big, eager eyes and incredibly huge hearts, which made it impossible not to fall head over heels in love with them.

Saying goodbye to the students at the end of the day was tough, and explaining to each child that when they return from break we will not be there got harder and harder each time. I am so grateful we were able to leave our mark with the LOAMO School, and touch the  lives of each child.

DAY 4

At the beginning of our trip, Lisa Marie told us what we will need to focus on during our time here is being selfless. If there is one thing that this trip has shown me so far, it is just that. Being able to put yourself in situations to solely benefit others is something that is a lesson for everyone, everywhere. Being compassionate and understanding are traits learned by the actions of others and I believe that showing these actions every day is the best way to build your own character and help other people. This is something that Tanzanians use and practice in their daily lives from what I have already seen during my time here.

Today we went and visited the Save Africa Orphanage about 30 minutes away from our guesthouse. On the van ride there I watched the trees go by and focused on the word ‘selfless’ and what it means.

Today at the orphanage was a day of cleaning, which was much needed. Every moment we spent there was devoted to making the orphanage a better living environment for the 20-30 children that were there. Scrubbing desks, walls, cleaning bathrooms, and scrubbing floors were tasks that we were able to complete in a few hours and already our small group was able to help the orphanage more than other volunteers were able to in weeks and weeks of working there. Our hard work incredibly paid off when we were able to see the finished product before we left, and we were able to turn the entire place upside down and vastly improve the lives and I am so grateful to be a part of it. 

Tanzania: Day 1 and Day 2

 Day 1

After 10 months of preparation and enough jetlag to last a lifetime, we have finally arrived in the country of Tanzania. Every moment since I have arrived has been breathtaking and I have realized I am so undeniably and irrevocably in love with this country, and all it has to offer.

Cultural immersion, as they say, is the best way to experience and learn about a new place. Spending our first day on tours around Arusha, I have already learned how incredibly unique the culture is. In Tanzania they pay no mind to time, but not for the reasons you would believe. Unlike what we are used to, Tanzanians do not let time consume their schedules and lives. They do not limit themselves by the hour and they pay no mind to the socially-constructed American ideas that we have ingrained in our brains that if you show up to something it is solely out of selfish reasons because it gives the impression that you believe your time is more important and more valuable than anyone else’s. Here in Tanzania, if you are asked to help someone with something, you drop everything to get that person where they need to be, even if it means being an hour late to an event or a meeting.

Our day started with tours of various museums led by “Rasta John”, and we were able to see the inside of Arusha by going to different markets as well. We went to a more tourist-oriented market, the Maasai market, and then made our way to the African Market- which brought waves of reminisce from my trip last year to Cambodia, which was strangely similar to the Russian market in Cambodia. The market was full and lively and not a second went by that I wasn’t focused on taking every moment in. As a surprise, we took a dala-dala (private bus type vehicle) to the Cultural Heritage Art Museum, which was such an amazing place. Pieces from local artists from around Africa would be featured in this museum, and what was really interesting is that a portion of the money from the bought artworks would be given to an orphanage outside of Arusha.

Unlike nothing on Earth, Tanzania has already shocked, stunned and taken my breath away and it’s only day one.

Day 2

I have never in my 16 years of existence been so nervous as I was this morning pulling into the LOAMO school that we will spend the next two days teaching in. Before our group arrived, a first group to Tanzania worked in this school for 2 weeks, so nerves and doubts were filling my mind and I was unsure whether the children would treat us the same as the first group of volunteers, and if they would accept us as easily.

I started off the day working and teaching in Class 5 (5^th Grade) and once I got in the classroom, every smile, laugh and hug I received relieved my nerves steadily.

Taking on a class of 20 students without a teacher was incredibly overwhelming, but I was able to jump right in and teach the students. There are only 2 days left of school for the students at LOAMO before they leave for break, and the kids drive to learn was low, so trying to incorporate learning into fun games was the go-to option. Being able to step in as their teacher and still given the respect I was given is something that I was not expecting and soothed my self-doubt.

Later in the day, I spent some time talking to the students in Class 6 and what the girls told me put a lot of things into perspective. After talking to them about how much they missed the volunteers that left before we arrived, I had asked them if they liked having us come to help them. The girls laughed and explained that having us there taught them differently in so many ways and they were so so grateful to have us. I asked them if they have had other volunteers come help in the school and one girl turned to me and said “You are special. You come in and bring your whole heart to us and to Africa, and we have not had that before.” In which I could not find the words to reply. This 5-minute long conversation reminded me how much love can go a long, long way with these children.

After we left the school for the day, a couple of us went and visited one of my students in class 5, Gifty, in his home a few seconds away. Gifty is 14 years old and he lives in a small house with 6 other people. His great aunt is the the co-founder, Loserian’s mother, who honestly has one of the biggest hearts on a person I have ever seen. Born into the Maasai tribe, she has learned a lot about herbal remedies and medication so she shares her healing gifts into the community by healing the ill. She told us a story how two years ago, a Maasai family came by seeking medical help for their sick child and she took him in and told the parents she would have him well again in a few days, when they could pick him up again. Sure enough, in two days he was healed, except his parents were nowhere to be found. Without a complaint she took him in to her open arms and to this day keeps him safe. Gifty’s mother and great-aunt both have immense hearts and love, and being able to see where Gifty gets his compassion is incredible.

These two first days have been completely breathtaking and in this short time I have fallen in love with everything Tanzania has to offer. 

Compassion Heals All

The history of humanity since the beginning of time has been permeated with distraught and mass amounts of sadness; two most known periods are the Jewish Holocaust and the African Slave Trade. 

The Holocaust was a massive genocide in World War 2 that was responsible for the persecution and murder of about 6 million Jews led by the Nazi regime. 

The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were racially superior and that the Jews were inferior and were a threat to the German community. During the Holocaust, German Nazi’s would not only harm Jews, but they also would target groups they considered inferior such as gypsies, the disabled, communists, socialists, homosexuals, etc. German Nazi's would kidnap entire Jewish communities and send them off to concentration camps where they would work them until they murdered them off in mass amounts.  By the end of the Holocaust there were more than 20,000 camps to imprison and kill their victims.

The African Slave Trade, during the 16th through the 19th centuries, was a period of great wealth, and also great sadness. The New World started quickly with a new market of cash crops such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton. The need for plantation labor increased and Europeans started the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade which was the gathering, transport, and sale of African-Americans from Africa to other lands for labor. Over a period of approximately 400 years, about 10-15 million African American people were kidnapped and sold into slavery. These people were packed and smuggled onto tight, crowded ships, and brought to the New World (the Americas) as a source of free profitable labor. Lives for those living in these conditions were awful; they would return from working in the fields, and find their families completely missing, sold off to another city. Sometimes, entire villages were captured by the slave traders and loaded onto ships to be sold to other places around the world. Living back then as a slave was difficult. Living conditions were bad, confinement was a given, slaves were denied any education and they were even bred like animals. 

Learning about both the African Slave Trade and the Holocaust changed my outlook. They are both very similar in the idea they are both morally wrong and extremely painful, but they are also very different. I wondered what the similarities could be between The Holocaust and The African Slave trade, since both dealt with different situations and circumstances. Of course both were awfully unjust, but as I thought about each situation deeper I realized what they had in common is that in order to completely abandon all morality, you have to see the opposing force (in these cases: African-Americans, and Jews) as inhuman. The German Nazi's saw Jewish people as a threat and as animals that needed to die for the well being of humanity. The Europeans, when they enslaved millions of African American people, saw them as a lower status than cattle and pigs, which they traded for. The trade was supported by this racist ideology that saw white people as being the most perfectly developed and blacks as being at the bottom of the ladder.

The fact that someone could treat someone else as if they were an animal is such an alien idea to me, and really took me a while to figure out. By directly comparing someone to animals, or even less than animals, it makes it morally okay to kill and enslave millions of them. 
After thinking, I came to a conclusion that in America we do this as well, just on a different level. We push problems from around the world away from us, and since it isn't happening directly here, it isn't even happening in our minds. Instead of directly comparing humans to animals, we indirectly compare problems that are far away not as important since it isn't happening to us everyday. I believe our reason to do so is based on the fact that compassion hurts. When someone feels connected to everything that is happening in the world, you also feel somewhat responsible. When you are compassionate, you can not turn away. 
In order to fix this, we need to learn to carry the issues, instead of being crushed by them. We must grow strong enough to love the world, with all of it's issues but still remain empty enough to help in the best ways.

In the past few years, Children's Global Alliance has taught me just that. We can't turn our heads away from global issues just because it is the easier thing to do. And, like in both the Holocaust and the African Slave Trade, you cannot loose your morality. You must have compassion in everything you do in your life and know how to carry problems, without them burdening you. And like Anne Frank once said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” 

Tanzania: Learning about the Maasai

A huge part of Tanzanian culture lies in the hands of the Maasai that reside in both Tanzania and Kenya.  A huge aspect in the Maasai lifestyle is the focus around cattle raising and they move from place to place with their animals. It seems that most of their life is focused on animals; they rely on them for food, such as milk, meat and blood and they also believe that one high god, Enkai, created the world, and when he created the Maasai he gave them cattle and the gift to raise them. When you talk about the Maasai - with two a's - it refers to the people, and with one, it refers to Masai land where the Maasai people live. 

The Maasai people are a very patriarchal, male-dominated society; men typically speak for women and make decisions in the family. Male elders decide community matters. In the Maasai tribe, the men are known to be fierce warriors, and can be recognized by their red cloth they wear called a Shuka. Women are treated very poorly and are responsible for cooking, cleaning, collecting sticks to make fire and building the home.


I have recently watched the movie "The White Massai", which is about an European woman named Carola, who falls in love with a Maasai man, Lemalian. The movie shows the controversial aspects of the clash of cultures and different views on the world. Each culture believes that their belief is the correct one, and since they are unable to understand each other's perspectives it brings out conflict. She learns about how women are treated in the Maasai culture; they are considered less important than cows and goats, how men are not able to even eat food a woman has touched, or even looked at. Girls are also treated differently, where they learn to fear and respect their fathers and are not allowed near them when they eat as well. 
Seeing this movie showed me a lot about the Maasai culture. They are a people and a culture steeped in their traditions and very devoted to their culture. They seem very committed to maintaining their culture and lifestyle without modernization of any kind. While researching and watching this movie, I have begun to understand what life is like for a Maasai woman. Maasai women are usually exploited to make handicrafts that are then sold to tourists.
Coming from an American standpoint, after researching and seeing the difference of how women are treated in Masai land compared to where I live, their life is so alien and unheard of, that we comprehend it as being treated poorly and unfair. If I was to ask a Maasai woman anything, it would be if she feels that she is treated fairly, or unfairly, or if it is just a century-old custom and the differences don't cross her mind. 

Maasai culture for women and men both are extremely different from culture living in the Vail Valley. For example, life for the Maasai is mostly a series of tests for manhood and womanhood that involve the endurance of pain. For boys and men, there is a series of tests from childhood to warriorhood to elder hood. When a boy is four, they are burned by hot coals on their legs and arms and submit to tattooing on their stomachs and arms as well, all without any flinching or look of pain. Circumcision is the next stage, (called excision for girls) and is considered the most important part of a Maasai's life. Circumcision itself will involve immense pain but tests a youth's courage. Girls endure a much longer and more painful circumcision, which they consider preparing for childbearing. 

Tanzania: becoming the change I want to see in the world

When I think of all the people that inspire me, the list goes on and on. Inspiration comes from everywhere. I believe it all just has to do with perspective. Everyone and everything around you provides you with a lesson and you can use it as a tool to better yourself. 

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most inspirational people when I think about how I intend to carry out my life.  Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This is something that Children's Global Alliance has taught me as well. Since starting I now understand that I truly play a role in this world. As long as I’m pointing the finger at everyone else, change won’t come about because It’s not about anyone else, but myself. Someone may be doing terrible things towards others, but I try to ask myself: Am I being loving to myself? Do I perform honorable acts for myself? Do I express love and gratitude towards my family? Am I loving and patient towards everyone in my life?

As long as I keep the message of Gandhi and the children I have helped in both Nicaragua and Cambodia, I can share their love and knowledge towards the people in my world, and the people in my life. In turn, I can potentially spark a change in someone else. Someone who was loving, inspired me to do the same, and in turn, I will inspire others. That's how Gandhi says we change the world. 

Gandhi brought India to independence by using non-violent resistance. His exceptional leadership skills are something that I could learn as a mentor this year. Simplicity is the second most heroic quality that Gandhi showed. He believed in living a simple life, he urged a simple life with only the necessities that he needed. The children in Cambodia taught me this as well, that love is truly all you need to be happy. 

Another person that inspires me is someone I have met only just a year ago. She lost her husband in a tragic accident and every single day she pushes through and does not let anything stop her. This woman was able to create an organization in both of their names using his message of helping others. Being in Cambodia with her and seeing how the people of Cambodia grew from their sadness and how they chose not to morn but use their past to create a stronger future, really made me realize this is something she had also done this whole time. She is able to spread her husbands message of love and compassion while doing the things she loves. She is able to inspire others with her ability to not necessarily "move on" but how she is able to not let his death hold her back, but instead she is able to carry out his qualities that made him who he is. This is something that I believe everyone should learn from; to not let what happens in the past define you but rather use it for growth. I am so grateful I am able to join this woman on another journey as well to Tanzania this summer. 

I would not be who I am today without my best friend. Since probably 5th grade she has been such a huge part in my life. She is always so full of light and wherever she goes she is able to radiate this love and happiness that so many people need in their life, which makes her who she is. In 2012 I traveled to Nicaragua with CGA for the first time with her. Seeing her passion the entire time showed me the way, and I believe being with her is what sparked my fire to help others as well. Last summer we were able to go to Cambodia together. This was our second trip, so both of us were able to share the same passion and work with each other in a different way than before. Being with her makes me a stronger person because of her incredible drive towards what she believes in as well as her ability to fully extend every ounce of her being helping others. 

I am unsure of what I did in order to be able to travel with her again this upcoming trip to Tanzania, but I have never been more prepared, or grateful. Being the mentor this year, I am ready to use everything I have learned in the past from her and use it to create a fire to hopefully spark someone else's flame, like she did to mine. I am ready to use her passion that I have grown from, and help others have the same drive. 

"What animal would you be and why?" When I received this prompt it took me a while to find the "perfect" animal to describe who I am most like, or what animal I could be. While I was in bed thinking about all the animals in the world, it came to me. The answer had been cuddling with me all along- a dog.

I read somewhere about Chinese Feng Shui, that cats actually have a tendency to absorb negative energy in people and in their homes because they can detect these negative areas biologically. They absorb radiation, sickness, disease, or pain from these spots and also shield others from the harmful affects. I have always found this so interesting, but as I looked more closely into the information I found that that dogs are also capable of doing this. Unlike cats, dogs don't absorb the negative vibrations and energies like cats do, instead they recycle it. They take in the negative energy, and transform it into positive energy that they send out. 

I have always seen myself as a "dog" in this sense when it comes to problems with my friends, family, school, and all areas in my life. Knowing this now, I realize this is something I have always did in some way or another; when something negative happens in my life, I exert it's affects on me as positive energy.
Dogs are known for being loyal, being by your side every moment you need them. They love you unconditionally no matter way the circumstances are. I aim to be a loyal friend on a day to day basis and this is something that I now realize this whole time I could learn from my own pup.

Looking into my trip to Tanzania

When I think about where I am going to in only a couple months, it astounds me to see that I have come this far already. 

Being with Children's Global Alliance for the third year in a row, and perceiving how much I have changed and grown as an individual in the last few years, makes me realize how precious these opportunities are. 

I could live a thousand lives and still have areas to grow and more to learn. When I imagine myself after I return to America, I hope that who I return as is a leader, and someone who was able to change the lives of students and children from around the world. I imagine myself as someone who is able to radiate the same love the children filled me with, to those back home and to everyone I come in contact with. I want to be able to change other's lives just by the pure joy and happiness I can share with them.

My greatest fear and what I believe is going to be the most difficult part going into this experience, as I have every other trip, is not being able to say goodbye to the children who's smiles and laughter have given me so much of a drive for those short 3 weeks. As I reflect on my previous trips, yes saying goodbye is the most difficult experience, but every tear you or the children shed, confirms just how much of an impression you had made on those children's lives, and how much they have truly made on yours, which in my opinion is the most fulfilling part of the entire trip.  

Tanzania!

Hello everyone!! 

So I wanted to thank you all for your love and support since 2012 when I tried out for Nicaragua with Children's Global Alliance, a nonprofit organization in Vail, Colorado. Seeing how far I have come as an individual is incredible, and every single day I can notice the difference in myself. Working in Escuela Especial por Maria Romero and in the Cooperation of Peace Orphanage showed me to value every single thing in my life, everyone I encounter and to love freely. Feeling a new sense of global responsibility, along with a new set of standards I know hold myself and others up to, I am ready to continue on my journey.

After writing an essay describing why this trip was important to me, and creating a fundraising plan to fundraise the $3000, finally I received the news that this upcoming summer of 2014, I will be traveling to Tanzania as a student mentor to 10 other students to work in the Naserian school and orphanage.

I am so excited to embark on this journey and spread my love to yet another place in this world 

<3

So much thanks, and gratitude. 
Love you all! 
Makena

Cambodia Reflecting

It's been 63 days since I returned from Cambodia, and yet I'm still there. Every thought I have is consumed by every single person I met since day one of such an extraordinary adventure. I look at the clock at night and tell myself, "oh it's 10:30, which means it would be 9:30 am at the orphanage, and some of the kids would be going to English school right now."

The bonds we made in the seemingly short 3 weeks we were there are truly everlasting. Not only will I never forget about any moment we spent there, every single kid we encountered will too. 

I am so grateful I was able to change lives around the world and spread my love to those who had not been given it for their whole lives. I am so proud we were able to leave our mark on 50 orphaned and abandoned children. When I think about it, those children are not abandoned anymore; they will always be in my heart.

Cambodia: Last Days at the Orphanage

Saying goodbye is always difficult, but yesterday it was so much more than that.

I am so proud of myself and everyone that is on this trip with me. We were able to improve the lives of many children in different aspects; love, laughter, building them a new house, and giving them something to hope for.

These children have been able to change my life, and yesterday was such a rewarding day. Everything we have worked for has been accomplished, along with incredible new friendships that will last a lifetime. Every hug we were given from every child just proved how far we had come and truly how much of an impact we had made. As the sun went down, the laughter began to simmer, and the sound of tears slowly replaced it. Every hug we gave meant so much more than it did earlier that day, because for most of us, it would be the last one we were able to give. Every tear just proved how much this trip really meant to the children, to us, and to the chaperones.

Before going on this trip, our idea of love was different. I thought I was fully aware of what love was, but it’s so much more than that. The kids that we worked with at the orphanage had never been given love, but were filled with it. They taught us a new idea of love and gave us a new perspective on everything we thought of as normal. I am eternally grateful to all the children at CPO, and I am so glad I was given this opportunity.

Cambodia: Day 11 & Day 12

Day 11

Finding paint, sheets, and pillows in Cambodia is not nearly as easy as it would be in America. Instead of just stopping by Walmart like we would have, our group spent a very long time in the Russian Market, bargaining and trying to find what we need. About two hours later, we figured it all out and took the pillows and the sheets to the orphanage. After we delivered everything inside, the girls would make their bed, set up their mosquito nets, redo their beds again so it was perfect, and then would stay and play in there for hours. Tonight will be the first night the girls will get to sleep in their new house! Srey Neath had me sit and lie on her bed, and look out the window so I could see what she would see every night. All the girls are so extremely excited to have their first room ever and for some of them, their first beds ever. They have even put up a sign on the door that reads (in Khmer) “No Boys Allowed! Take Your Shoes Off Before Coming In!” It’s truly amazing that in a week we were able to build something from the ground up that would bring this much joy to these children.

Day 12

This morning Krissy and I taught in the classroom. We taught 3 different classes, each an hour long. Usually when we teach in the classroom, the children memorize each vocabulary word, or sentence, or whatever their unit is on. This method works well sometimes, but the children do not really get an understanding of what they are saying or speaking; they are simply memorizing not knowing the true meaning of the words. Krissy and I decided this method was not the method that we would use. When the sentence was, “The dogs go in.”, we had each kid repeat then we would ask, “Do the dogs go in?”, with their response being, “Yes, the dogs go in.” We would then ask a different question, “Do you have a dog?” or other questions just so they could comprehend what we were asking instead of just memorization. This method works very well, and I know these kids went home knowing something, not just memorizing it.

In the afternoon, we finished painting the girls’ house. On the way there Krissy and I had a really amazing talk about how normally when people find out that we are going to an orphanage in Cambodia, they ask if we are planning on adopting any of the kids, or planning on bringing some back “…so they can have a better life in America.” We were talking about how frustrating this really can be, because just like this girls’ house has shown us, we don’t need to bring a child to our country to have a better life. We can put in our time and our energy to build things, clean things, make things, or just spend time with these children, loving them, and that is what makes a child’s life better. Not just bringing them to a country with lower poverty rates. Having this conversation really opened my eyes a little, because every single day these children are so incredibly happy and even though most of them don’t have a loving family, they have each other, and now they have us… and that is what makes a child’s life better.

I am so grateful I got to know these children and have relationships with them that will truly last for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to spend these last 2 days with them.

Cambodia: Day 9 & Day 10

Day 9

Our project is almost at an end! We have come so far; less than a week ago, I picked up trash and pulled the grass out of a large rectangle area, and today we finally put up the last of the walls. I can feel the excitement in the air in the orphanage every second we become closer to being finished. The girls look into the windows and today they played ring around the rosy with Lisa Marie inside the new house when all the concrete was dried. It is so exciting that we have not only made an emotional impact on these children, but a physical one as well.

I started to make friendship bracelets with Roat and his brother Ret. They taught me how to make a
certain type of bracelet that spirals around itself. Roat and his brother Ret are probably the most talented people I have ever met in my entire life. It’s strange to think that even though we don’t speak the same language, we are able to build friendships that will last a lifetime.

Day 10

Today was so much fun! We put in the bunk beds and cut out windows in the girls’ house. We were all inside and the girls would stand outside and watch us put their beds together. In the second half of the day, Meaghan and I went to the school and taught the children for the afternoon classes. We switched off; I taught the first class, and the second class Meaghan taught. I worked in the preschool/ “library” and somehow by some miracle I got 7 screaming children to all sit down in a circle and go through colors, numbers, clothing items, and different emotions for about an hour. I have fallen in complete love with every child I meet and I can’t wait to continue making memories with them.

Cambodia: Day 7 & Day 8

Day 7

After finishing today’s manual work, I was able to work in the classroom. There is a school close to the orphanage in the slums that most of the children from the orphanage attend every day. Working in the classroom and teaching students was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences I’ve had. I stood at the front of the classroom and helped the children pronounce words such as sharpener, school bag, pencil, chalk, etc. While I taught the students, I also taught the teacher at the same time. Some of the children, such as Levin, are able to speak English better than their English teacher. It’s really hard to see that they are unable to strive higher and push themselves because their teacher can’t teach them further. Levin is so talented and has been studying English for the past 3 years, and every word you teach him he remembers and repeats again and again. At the school we practiced sentences such as, “Grandma’s hobby is cooking.”, or we would work on crossword puzzles with the vocabulary words they learned that day. At the end of each hour, when the class was over, the students would all stand up, bring their hands together underneath their chins (as if they were praying) and recite “Thank you teacher. Good luck to you teacher. See you on Monday.” It was incredible how much these children love school and given the circumstances of where they live, there’s a copious amount of children that value their education.

Day 8

Every day that we put forth the effort and help to build and finish the girls’ house is another step closer to improving the lives of these children. We are almost finished with the girl’s house; today we put on the walls and finished the flooring. I am so immensely excited to see the finished product and when the girls finally realize that this is what we have put hours and hours in of our energy and love and they will be so happy.  

Today we also gave out some clothes that were donated for the girls at the orphanage. I have never seen a little girl as happy as Sachia was when she got all her clothes. Every time Keelin gave her a new shirt, one by one, she hugged her and folded it nicely and tucked it away into her cubby. It’s amazing that such a small gift to us means the entire world to these children.