February 2015 All-School Meeting Presentation

Reflections from Watkinson travelers:

SANDY: Our rich experience on this Service Trip, our ability to do all the work that our numbers suggest depends largely on our caretakers: 4 wonderful cooks who serve up our meals at La Casa Pastoral; a cohort of interpreters (fluent in Creole, Spanish and English) to guide our construction work and translate for the patients in our medical clinics, and our lead facilitator, Emilio, who is the heart of our work team - he answers our every question, our every special need or request, he provides, provides, provides and never says “no”. And he laughs and thanks God for the blessings we bring to his people.When you work beside someone like Emilio you know you are in the right place doing the right thing, with joy.

DANNI: Although I heard a lot of great things before I finally decided to join the DR trip, I still had no idea what it would be like. I will never forget what I saw there and what a great lesson I have learned. Life is not always about how much money you earn, it is more about if you can put a smile on your face everyday even you don’t have money or food. I was blessed to have the chance to go help people the best I can. I was really shy in the beginning because I don’t know any Spanish, but the kids, they would just come out to me and give me hugs and kisses. I will never forget them.

MIKE: Being my first year on the trip, I really did not know what to expect. It’s challenging finding the words well suited enough to describe the individuals whose lives we quickly were submersed in. The majority of my days were spent at Batey 50 where I was consistently amazed by the love and dedication that was given to us. While unpacking bags and busses, preparing food kits and medical kits, or decompressing after our long days, we made connections with a community of amazing people. Whether it was Tata, Emilio, any of the men, women, and children at the Batey, there was something about the unconditional love that we were given that I will never forget.

MARISSA: When driving to BATEY 50 I had no idea what to expect. I was worried because my spanish ability is little to none. However, as we drove down the road to our destination we passed other bateys. Although we were not stopping, many of the kids ran out of their homes and chased the bus along the path waving and smiling. This really set the tone for the entire trip for me, no matter how much service we accomplished, most of the people were just happy to have us as company and to talk with them.

MIKAYLA: This service trip is something that’s very hard to explain without experiencing it. I was able to make connections immediately with the people on the batey, at the barrios and at the orphanage, especially with the children. After a day of work at the Batey we travelled to a local orphanage. There was a girl who was about five years old who came running to our whole group. I asked “como te llama?, what’s your name?” and her response was “Angelina Jolie” followed by a hair flip and a hip pop. She followed us around the whole time and told everyone her name was Angelina Jolie.

ALLIE: I was in medical clinic for most of the days, so I know how many people we actually helped. It was a large number. I learned how to take a blood pressure from the UCONN doctor. The first time I did this I felt very happy deep in my heart. I never thought I could help people in this way. After patients got their medicine and food, there were smiles on their faces. One of the University High School students spoke Spanish well and get along well with the kids. On the day we left, a little boy gave her a letter. There was a picture of her, and he wrote I love you like I love my mom on that letter. That was so adorable. When I help other people, I am happy myself. There is a saying: Make a gift of a rose, in your hands stays a lingering fragrance. I think this is the most impressive experience in my life.

JESSICA: My first year on the trip I spent some time in the pharmacy working and learning along side veterans who had been on the trip several times and knew the pharmacy well. This year, I was the veteran and my task for the week was managing the pharmacy in the medical clinic. The doctors treated patients with all kinds of ailments, high blood pressure, diabetes, skin conditions and stomach ailments. We prescribed drugs to the elderly and to babies. It can be confusing, chaotic and mentally draining trying to keep straight all the different meds with long and complicated names but I love it. I enjoyed being able to focus and give my all to help people with their most precious commodity...their health.

NANCY: Most of my work was done in the pharmacy. I love doing work non-stop and helping people. In Chinese, it is called 连轴转. Another big job I did was being a photographer to document the work we do and further to share with people who want to know about what we did. On our last night there, while at the beach, as the sun was setting, I spent time drawing the portrait of the woman we built a new hurricane-proof house for. I left the drawing with Emilio to give to her so she can hang it in her new home.

JEN J.: Batey 50 is a remote village in the midst of the sugar cane fields. Families in this village have no running water or electricity, and commodities...medical care, medicines and a bountiful food source are very hard to come by. Everyday, our bus was greeted by a swarm of smiling children, eager to hold our hand, and shadow our every move. On my work day there, I was humbled by their way of life, I was enriched by new found friends, my physical stamina and strength were challenged, and I was thanked with a hug, kiss and blessing from the 89 year old woman whose house we were helping build. This is truly a “transformative” experience, one I will never forget.

LILY: On the afternoon of Thanksgiving, we spent a couple hours visiting an orphanage. As soon as I walked in, the language barrier was not going to be a problem. There was a little girl. She ran towards me, gave me a huge hug, and showed me around. When I started to give her stickers, she brought me to her friends, and encouraged me to give other children stickers. I was so surprised that although she is only about 5 years old, she has already learned the importance of sharing with other people. When people asked me about the trip, I always tell this story. I just want more people to know this little girl, how adorable she is. And I miss her so much.

RACHEL: I was able to see the children I had made connections with the year prior, and it was amazing seeing the children’s faces light up as our bus pulled up onto the Batey. I got especially close to a girl named Melinda, her mother, and her younger sister. Everytime the mom saw me walking around the batey, she would look at her daughter and say, “tu amiga!” The girl would burst out laughing and run into my arms. On the last day at Batey 50, the mother introduced me to the rest of her family. It was really hard leaving the children, and I can’t wait to see them again next year.