Oct/Nov 2018 Newsletter

Maureen McClellan, Senior at Texas A&M University

At the beginning of August my mom dropped my off at IAH; I was on a mission to check-in to my flight to Guatemala and meet up with eight strangers at gate E14. Both of those tasks were quickly accomplished and the start of my adventure had finally begun. Once arriving at the gate it was easy to spot the other members of the team as we were all wearing matching shirts Living Water- the organization SSC partners with to do these trips- had provided us with. Introductions were made and I got to know Sasha and Desiree (the students from TAMU-SA), Marilyn and Seif (the students from A&M Prairie View), and Razan (the other student from College Station) while we waited to board the plane and throughout our three hour flight. Upon arrival to Guatemala City we waited for our bags, went through customs, and then found Manuel and Nestor, our leaders for the week, waiting for us with the cars. I had only been in the country for a short amount of time but I could already tell that I was in for a life changing experience: everything was so different than what I was used to and I was excited to see how I would learn from this opportunity. The first day was spent driving to Antigua which is only about 45 miles from the airport but due to traffic takes about two hours to get to. I didn’t mind the drive as I got to soak in the a little more of the country on the way there. We checked into our hotel and then went to dinner and afterwards buy groceries for the week. The next morning we went to a church service in town and then were we off to El Amatillo, the community we would spend the rest of the

week serving. It took almost the entire day to get to there since it was in a different part of the country but the scenery was gorgeous the entire way. It was time for dinner when we finally arrived at our new location and following that we went over the details as to what we would be doing in the village- drilling a well, giving hygiene lessons, and building relationships. Monday was our first day in the community and as soon as the team got out of the car we were greeted by all the school children carrying signs and balloons to welcome us. The gesture was touching and just a hint as to the warm hospitality and generosity we would be shown for the next few days. We quickly started our work on drilling the well. It was inspiring to see the men of the village working side by side with us. They weren’t looking for handouts, they took pride in their home and were striving to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of their family and friends and wanted to help in any way possible. Around midday we took a break for lunch that was cooked by the women of the community. It was much needed and appreciated; we had been laboring in the hot sun for hours but the progress I could see made it all worth it. The next couple of days we arrived early in the morning as usual and immediately got to work. Half of the team continued work on the well and the other half did a community walk throughout the village knocking on everyone’s door inviting them to the hygiene lesson we were giving later in the afternoon. Everyone we spoke to was so kind and it was eye-opening to see how they lived. We got to the school and the kids were so excited

to see us and show us the river they often swam, played, and bathed in. When it was time for us to go back to the classroom all the kids wanted to play with my hair so they braided it and picked flowers from

was short, the impact it had on me will be lasting. The people I met, the things I learned, and the conversations I had will stay with me forever and these memories are something I will always treasure.

the garden to adorn it with. This made me feel like a princess even though I was stinky and sunburned; their act showed me that love is unconditional and it’s the little things that bring joy and happiness in life. On our last day we put the finishing touches on the well which led to the moment we had all been waiting for- clean water! Everyone’s hard work had paid off and everyone was so proud of what we had accomplished in our week. We had a dedication ceremony and took lots of pictures to commemorate the moment. Even though my time in Guatemala

Share your stories, and let us know how you get involved in your communities on campus, locally, and abroad!

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018