In high school I was fortunate enough to take my first serious, out-of-the country trip to Honduras. I went with my church youth group to help build a running water system for a small village. We were there for two weeks and it was quite an experience. Between church services in Spanish, to getting sick, to digging trench all day, I definitely soaked up the culture in the short time we were there.
At the end of high school I went to Hong Kong with my family to visit my Grandpa, and two uncles... and I loved it! The jet lag, on the other hand, I did not love and it kicked my ass. I was falling asleep in the middle of the day and staring at the ceiling wide awake at night. While in Hong Kong, we got to visit the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where my mom went to college. We also got to see where my Grandma's ashes are kept, which was very special to my entire family. The food was incredible, and honestly, I felt like that was all we did. We would wake up and eat breakfast, then sight see for a couple of hours and then it was lunch time. We would spend the afternoons with family and seriously what felt like 10 minutes later, it would be dinner time. Eating with your family is very important in Chinese culture, and meals can last for hours. They like to eat slowly and yell very loudly to each other. I don't understand how asians are so small when they eat so much! I'm hoping to go back to Hong Kong (and maybe mainland China) with my mom this year.
While in college, my biggest trip was to Peru after my Sophomore year. I went with the DukeEngage program for 8 weeks. We lived in Huanchaco and worked in Ciudad de Dios, a squatter community that we rode a bus to every day. Our partner organization was MOCHE, led by a UNC Professor, and a group of UNC students volunteering like we were. Together we built a 3-km water system, and also worked on "public works" projects that included painting a mural and a community sign. My next post will detail my time in Peru, complete with the personal (and not personal) challenges I faced throughout my time there.
This post is archived under
Honduras,
Hong Kong,
Peru
