Today we had our last day of service learning, and the boiling heat and humidity was a recipe for a long day. However,
we managed to work hard to make our last day worth it, even if we were all
dripping with sweat by the end of it. We managed to help quite a lot, and knowing
that the people there were grateful for our help made it all the more
rewarding. I believe that the hard work we did really shows how much we
value what Cuba has been for us. All of us developed along different
paths, I think Cuba has really pushed us to become a better version of
ourselves. Cuba has introduced us to a new culture and way of
life, and made us more aware of the values of treating everyone as if they
are your friend, how to make sure you stay connected with your family, even
when they are thousands of miles away, and how to adapt to any situation and
knowing that it will be okay.
We ended the day by spending a few hours at the beach, which was
when it hit me that in two days’ time we would be heading home and that I was
excited, yet dreading it. Cuba has quickly, in the past nineteen days, become
like a second home for me. Being the
second to last day in Cuba is very bittersweet, I feel like I have finally
started to connect and really get in the spirit of Cuba and not just in a
tourist-y way, but truly adapting myself to the Cuban culture, but I am also so
excited to be reunited with my family and friends back home. With the trip
coming to a close, I felt today has been an emotional day. We started the day off with
a deep and emotional conversation that really got me thinking about the entire
trip and how it impacted not only me, but also the other twenty-some people on
the trip. I think everyone made nineteen new friends, and even if we only
ever see one other person from this trip, we will always have the memory of
these three weeks we spent together as something that has changed us all. The
conversation this morning was honestly one of the most impactful experience of
this trip because it showed me that it’s okay that I want to leave, but also
wish I could stay longer.
Standing at the entrance of Muraleando, after the
last day of community service.
One last day at the beach, Stanely is ready to wash the sand off and head for home.
After a hard and hot day of work at Muraleando,
Chelsea and Tyler are having fun and cutting loose with some salsa dancing.
No comments:
Post a Comment