Re-entry

In my 20 years of leading trips...

"re entry" always proves to be the most challenging part of the trip. Life is nothing but contrast. Fatigue battles fulfillment, "Im happy to be home" wrestles with "I miss my new friends" and there is so much to talk about and share yet words just don't seem to do the experience justice.

It is times like this when pictures really are worth 1,000 words. We are currently working on uploading and organizing the myriad of pictures and videos our ten cameras captured. We appreciate your patience while we tackle our next challenge- encapsulating 4 months of preparation and 7 days worth of experiences into a video that doesn't last the same length as an epic motion picture! Stay tuned!

While our Jamaican adventure is complete, our Spread the Love Project is not! We have thought globally, now it's time to "act locally" with another mural and affirmations project at IPS #42. We took good notes last week and are looking forward to using what we learned in Jamaica to make this project go even smoother.  Having electricity and access to a paint store will be a nice bonus too! :)

So as we work to regain our sea legs this week and the countdown to 8th grade graduation officially begins, we invite you to keep checking in on Troop 1292. Due to homework and other commitments we wont be doing daily blogs but we will be posting pictures and sharing more info about the trip that we think you may find fun and interesting. For example- if you think beef is expensive here don't move to Jamaica. Ground beef is $100 a pound!!! No joke!

Finally, I want to say thank you to our families for putting up with our stinky bodies and luggage, thank you to our Facebook followers for your "likes" and comments, and a special thank you to the Orchard faculty and staff for your warm welcome back yesterday and for taking the time to ask about our trip and validate the girls' efforts once again.

Our wheels may be on the ground, but our spirits are still flying high!
Vicky

Changing the World

This post is courtesy of Jenny, one of our trip leaders.

To be honest, I've been struggling for a few days to find the 'right' words to describe this experience. Vicky and I started having conversations about this trip in June 2012. It hardly seems possible that not only did we make it happen, but we're already home.

Through my struggles, I've been looking everywhere for inspiration. Luckily today, my inbox brought me exactly what I've been seeking. Check this out from the amazing StoryPeople:

The young women of Troop #1292 definitely "went off and did beautiful things all on their own." I'm so thankful to have been a small part of their beautiful things! From murals to chairs to carts full of groceries to 400 pounds of school supplies and books and so much more ... these seven 8th graders truly impacted lives - including mine.

During the trip, we spent a little time discussing how many positive things would happen if each and every one of us would actually use the gifts we each have been given. The beauty of this trip was each person brought a different strength with her to the journey. And when we were able to all capitalize on our strengths, the amount of good work we completed soared! Just imagine what could happen in YOUR world if you would simply let your own light brightly and boldly shine.

There is still more service in store for these young women, and we look forward to sharing more about their good work in the days and weeks to come.

Forever in our hearts

Today was our last day in Jamaica. It has really been a journey.

Okay, I’ll admit that I was intimidated when this idea of coming here was first mentioned. Although, I think all of us were. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough” was the quote that really captioned this adventure. 

I was nervous before this trip. Not because of it being a different country and the traveling part of it, but I was nervous about how we would be received by the students and the teachers at the school. I came here not knowing what to expect. I love traveling and experiencing new cultures, but this trip is different than traveling here for vacation. We actually came into a community and tried to help them. I felt like somehow I was invading. However, when we first arrived and met the children, I was very surprised to be greeted with open arms. And it stayed that way. 

All week long we got to interact with the kids and truly get to know them. They opened up to us, and we to them. Today, as we took pictures in front of our newly painted, beautiful murals, I realized how much I would miss this place and the people. I have had so many new experiences here, and I have been touched by the beauty of this culture. 

As we left the school and saw all of the kids waving to us and chasing after us, we realized that we have truly made an impact on their lives. But they have made a bigger impact on ours. Today we said goodbye to our new friends, but they will forever be in our hearts. 

The Smallest Things

Thoughts from Raya.

Today, the whole day, I have been thinking about how it seemed like we were going to spend a long time here. But when it’s actually happening, and you’re actually living in the moment, it feels like nothing.  I’ve also been thinking about transitioning back to Indiana-from the warm, humid, beach and simple living to the cold, grey, and boring home. Now don’t get me wrong, I love home! It’s just such a drastic change of culture and surroundings that I will be a little confused.

When we arrived at Cove today I was not really ready to be out in the sun and working for the whole day. But when I saw how happy the students were to see us it was just the little help I needed to keep going and do my best.

Throughout lunch and recess one little girl named Marian stayed with me and was my little shadow.

She was very quiet but that didn’t matter because all I saw was the look in her eyes. A look of happiness and thankfulness that is not usually common in seven-year-old children. She sat on my lap and rode on my back. Even when I was with others she was right there next to me or holding my hand, and the whole time she was wearing my very big circle sunglasses. It was the cutest thing to see that just the smallest things make these children happy. And right before she left to go back to class, she gave me a hug and said “Thank you Raya.”

Your Cookie Dollars at Work

This post is courtesy of Madison (pictured at the right playing with a child from Ketto)...

Today was a break from Cove. We had the opportunity to go to two preschools, named Ketto School and Gordon Institute (not official, but close enough). Thanks to our cookie money, we managed to buy 45 little chairs for the small dining pavilion at Ketto, and we packed the pantry at both Ketto and Gordon. We also brought two suitcases full of books and art supplies to both schools and had time to play with the kids at Ketto for over an hour.

We went to a grocery store in Jamaica to shop for Ketto and Gordon. It was a very interesting experience, and they also had Lays, Cheetos (which according to Mrs. P didn’t taste like Cheetos back home), and other crackers and snacks you would find in Indiana. We also went to a furniture store, and I thought it was funny that they were playing Gangnam Style over the store's speakers.

Lastly, we went to this amazing restaurant that had fries. FRENCH FRIES. I was starting to believe that French fries did not exist in Jamaica. They were AMAZING!

Tonight happens to be Jenny’s last night here in Jamaica (well, that felt weird to type my Mom’s name instead of just calling her Mom). We are all going to miss her (yes, me too), and we wish she could stay the entire trip, but, you know. :)

I can't wait!

Today was an eventful day.

We had a great time doing LOTS of things!

We finished a majority of both of our murals and we can’t wait to get them done and see our final product, although we ran out of steam pretty fast. 

We played with the kids again and I had at least fifteen of them hanging on my shoulders, some of us even got fabulous braids from the kids. 

We went on a glass bottom boat ride and I saw at least 24 starfish. A couple girls stepped out of their comfort zones and jumped off our boat and into the water and we had another FANTASTIC dinner at the Whistling Bird.

Even though it’s only the second day here in Jamaica, I feel as though I have been here for weeks. It’s so amazing being in another country that we have never seen before. We get to experience the culture ourselves and we aren’t just seeing the “touristy” sites.

It’s enlightening being able to see how these people act around us and what their impressions of us are. It changes my view on everyday life and on how I live. I can now appreciate the little things, seeing how these children are able to laugh and smile and not complain when it’s so hot and humid out.

My point of view has been changed and so have the rest of ours. I can’t wait to spend another day in Jamaica! --Allison