BY JYLIAN VIGAR
As a newbie to this whole working all day in the hot Jamaica sun thing, I was excited and a little nervous about how my first day was going to go. Spoiler alert: it was awesome. So the first half of the day was devoted to shoveling wet sand and carrying bags of it. For those of you who know me, this isn’t really up my alley. But! I powered through and had a really great time. It was a good way to get to know the people in my group and by the end of it I think it’s safe to say we were all feeling really accomplished. The second half of the day was also amazing. We spent our time at Hanbury Home (an orphanage) playing with the kids. I spent about an hour at Babyland (Yes, that’s what it’s called. And yes, it’s as wonderful as it sounds). A little bit about me, I have always loved kids. I worked at a daycare for a few years and babysitting is one of my favorite thing. So, as you can imagine this was great for me. It was amazing to see these little kids – probably three years old and younger – who have so little but are filled with so much joy. The room was full of laughter and excitement. One little boy played with three blocks and had the best time just knocking them down and building them again. There’s something about the simplicity of a kid’s smile that makes my heart so full. Later on at Hanbury Home, I played with some of the younger girls. A little girl named Elizabeth kind of latched on to me. She was so sweet. She had the best time playing with sidewalk chalk. P.S. she was a way better artist than I am. On top of that, she was so smart! She would draw a picture and then write the word underneath. She then proceeded to spell the two biggest words she knows: claustrophobia and encyclopedia. Color me impressed. For the rest of the afternoon I stuck with her and had the best time. I learned a little bit about her and by the end she told me I was her best friend. I’m so excited to go back and see her again. A few other favorite things about my trip so far are: the nightly reflections, journaling, trying new food (even though I’m about 2:4 on things I like, everything here is so spicy!) and getting to know this group. It is shaping up to be an absolutely phenomenal week and I’m so excited for the rest of my experience!
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