My experience in Ecuador
last year was an amazing one, which I’ll never forget! I had so much fun spending time with the
patients at Damien House and the children at the after school programs. Even though the language barrier was a
challenge, it was a fun one; it required each of us to reach beyond our comfort
zone and to use other methods of communication to get to know each person we
met. Our charades games always resulted
in good laughs!
One of my favorite
experiences at Damien House was the clothing drive. We took tons
of clothes, shoes, and accessories with us to Ecuador for the patients and
volunteers at Damien House. I had so
much fun finding clothes and shoes to fit each patient and it was really cool
to see where our donations went. I’ve
always heard the saying, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” but
that took on a whole new meaning in Ecuador.
It was a very special moment to see one of the patients trying on my
used tennis shoes and then jumping up and down and clapping their hands when
they fit!
I also enjoyed singing and
dancing for the ladies at Damien House.
Even though we weren’t the most talented singers and they probably had
no idea what the English lyrics meant, we could tell that the ladies thoroughly
and genuinely enjoyed the entertainment as they clapped along!
The after school programs
were lots of fun, too! I loved coloring,
playing, and singing with the children and their bright smiling faces are
images I will never forget.
This
year, I am so excited to go back to Ecuador!
Even though I frequently communicate via Facebook to some of the people
I met, I can’t wait to be back at Damien House with Sr. Annie! I am really looking forward to sharing new
stories and experiences with the ladies and to hear theirs—and I can’t wait to
give them each a big hug! While it will
be a different experience for me than it was last time, I know it will be a
good one and I’m really excited for the adventures awaiting us! Only 121 more days!!
No comments:
Post a Comment