SSC Newsletter January 2019

The laughter of the kids that was failed to be succumbed when the balloons popped as we prayed. How the old women blushed and hid her laugh with utmost glee. How the little children saw me look their way and took that as a chance to show off their skills hopping from tire to tire with so much speed. The eagerness in the children’s eyes when they crept near me and whispered asking “ Pelota?”(ball). The way the kids rushed to the van to spoil me with hugs when I stepped out, I will never forget Eliana’s tiny face as she looked up at me while hugging my legs. The hard, rough, yet soothing rain as it poured down on us while we were in Seniora Santos’s house with all the community. The hygiene lesson was quickly transformed to a beauty care session and coloring session for the women and the kids. The Turkey by the kitchen that gobbled as I screamed of achievement when I finally managed to get one tortilla made after my several failed attempts. The chickens and dogs that roamed so freely between your legs anywhere and everywhere. The women in the streets of the Antigua dressed in their traditional clothes a combust of colors. Things I wish I could change The poor and unbelievable state of the school. From the broken tables to the wet books, to the disorganized rooms. The state of those classrooms are unbearable. The eaten up chairs that are clearly too small for the children. Worst of all was the sight of the old bathrooms that no words can bring justice to, to the sight of the “renovated “and new bathrooms that I would happily swear a grave would be more comfortable and convenient in comparison. The fact there is a low mortality rate that when a woman is asked how many children she has , the answer almost always consisted the death of a few children. While we were at church, there was a prayer

list. I looked at the prayers and one prayer caught me off guard “Please pray for my six-year-old daughter’s survival, who is suffering from Malaria”, a disease that could have been so easily prevented where I come from. I will never forget the young ladies of the community who asked me if I had any children of my own, as I answered no. I could not help but feel a sense of complete shock at how young these women carry the responsibility of children so willingly and happily. I understand the cultural difference but I spent the rest of my days thinking that every little girl I played with would go as far as getting married at a really young age. I silently prayed for every little girl I played with to have a different life since these little girls were so smart and capable. I wished they had the opportunity of a better education and a better life. As I walked around in heavy work boots, long sleeves and pants, and a ton of bug spray, the children walked around barefoot with ripped clothes on grounds that were clearly hazardous. The people of the village showered, did their laundry, and drank from the river which was clearly contaminated. All of which are things we take for granted in our daily lives. What I learned I may not speak Spanish but nevertheless, I developed a strong connection with the people of El Amatillo. Through cheeky smiles, endless hugs, and lots of laughter . These kids communicated through drawings, hand gestures, and of course their eyes. Their eyes will haunt me for the rest of my life, each one looked at me with so much depth and emotion just recalling their faces sends a shudder down my spine. They changed my life. My experience taught me to be genuinely grateful for the life I was merely born into. It showed me that no matter what hardships life throws at us; happiness will always exist in the

smallest things surrounding us. Just like the people of the community, the smallest things we owned meant the entire world to them. As I write this in my personal room with a desk and a cozy bed facing me, clean water at the reach of my hand by a mere switch, a roof over my head in a house with electricity, central cooling, and an

actual kitchen with an oven. I can’t help but wish I can share what I have with the people of the community. My experience gave me a sense of purpose and motivated me to give back. I am currently an electrical engineering student at Texas A&M, specializing in Power by sustainable means. Whether I end up in the corporate world or in Academia, I want to give back through my degree. This experience has granted me with an open mind and a sense of responsibility and duty to make this world a better place. I hope to work in the renewable energy field in which I can use my skills to provide electricity and purified water through energy conversions from renewable resources.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018