Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Guyana Adventure Begins!

The Alternative Break program at Nova Southeastern University has reached a new level! On May 6th, 14 Sharks will travel to Georgetown, Guyana to help build a community center in a rural village outside of the city. Check out everyone's blogs in the days and weeks leading up to the trip as well as during the trip to learn more about the difference our Sharks are making in the global community.

20 comments:

  1. Can't wait is really excited about this trip!!!:)

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  2. Went yesterday morning to get my visa, and I have some good memories already :)I cannot wait!

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  4. Have been thinking about this trip everyday now. I cannot wait to go and experience something completely out of my comfort zone. This will be the VERY FIRST stamp I receive on my passport. I am very excited to explore another culture first hand while making an impact for others. Countdown begins: 12 more days!!!!!!

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  5. This will be my second trip to Guyana and I can't wait to be there again. I was so surprised to find out that Nova would be doing a trip to the country I am from and as soon as I found out I was eager to join. I am ready to do whatever I can to help out and give back to my country.

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  6. Hey everyone, Lauren brings up a good point about getting out of their comfort zone. Who has experienced a moment of service in which you got out of your comfort zone to help someone else or help with a cause?

    Over the next two weeks, as we begin making final preparations for this incredible journey in service take a moment to think about your experiences up to now, and how those experiences are shaping your pre-trip experiences.

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  7. I've been counting down the days until the flight leaves. I've never been out of the country, so this will be an entirely new experience for me and I can't wait! I'm excited to be able to make a difference somewhere outside my community and be able to experience a little bit of another culture at the same time.

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  8. I am really looking forward to the trip - this past Tuesday was our last group meeting prior to the trip and I was excited to meet all of the attendees! The students that we will be spending the week with are engaged, enthusiastic, and looking forward to learning more about Guyana. This will be my first service trip with Nova Southeastern. I have been on past service trips but not with the students at NSU – which is why I am looking forward this! I have also spent some time in South America – but am very excited to learn more about the culture and community in Guyana. Only a few days in counting!!

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  9. ONE MORE DAY, GUYANA HERE WE COME!!!

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  10. Hi Everyone! I just started packing and it brought my excitement to a whole new level; we're so close to beginning our experience now and I'm thrilled to be a part of it! I'm looking forward to exploring Guyana and its culture, making a postive contribution to the Georgetown community, and getting to know some of my fellow Sharks - see you all soon! :)

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  11. Oops...I just realized I did not include my name in that last post. Sorry! This is Kristie; I'm excited to meet everyone!

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  12. I cannot believe that we're leaving in less than 2 hours! I'm really excited to get to know you all, and most importantly, help the children in need! It is going to be a fantastic trip, and I cannot wait for everyone to experience an alternative break for the first time. I promise you will come back a better person :)

    <3 Brynne

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  13. This trip will be an amazing to all of you guys. I was leaving today with all of you, but last minute opportunity presented and I will not be able to go to Guyana. You will all be in my prayers and I know that you will make a great impact in the Guyanese community! Have fun :)

    God Bless you all!

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  14. Can't wait to read about your amazing expirience, I will be reading everyday! So excited and proud of you guys! Go sharks-Lindsey Goldstein =D

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  15. We got to day 2 :) and are really enjoying and learning a lot from our experiences here. Today we are painting a library for the students in a room that was used for storage.

    A big moment for me came yesterday afternoon when Ms. Nicole a teacher at the school took me to get a cell phone. What an adventure. The service experience is more than I could have ever imagined when we started putting this together. Coming from a rough area growing up, this made a big impact that I am still processing. The rest of this week is going to go fast.

    Aaron

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  16. It's still hard for me to believe that I'm in South America because it still has not sunk in for me. But the reality is I am here in Greg Village Guyana and is having the experience of my life.

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  17. This day was amazing, I had a wonderful time today walking around the village. Plus, I had gotten the chance to cross the scariest bridge ever. But I did it an looking back, wow, it's still kind of unreal to just think about it. The library looks great all of the hard work that was put into it is really starting to show. Can't wait tell the library is complete so that we can all look at the finishing product.

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  18. The library is officially done and I still find it hard to believe it. Team work really is the key to completing a job, everyone did a wonderful job and is happy to be part of this amazing group of people. The locals here are very nice a appreciative, so is really loving the outreach part of this service trip.

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  19. It's hard to believe we are at the last day and we will be heading to the airport at 3am tomorrow morning to head back to Miami. We have grown so much as a group and learned so much about Guyana and what the global need looks like there.

    We took an empty storage room at Grove Primary School and transformed into a library and it looks amazing so stay tuned for pictures. We all have also learned to live outside of our comfort zone by not having AC, no car, no cell phone, and a water tank that needs refilled with pump every other day just to take a shower.

    The children, too have taught us so much about life and what is really important. The looks in their eyes and the level of excitement just cannot be explained, only experienced by listening and watching.

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  20. I must have been asked 1,000,000 times: "Why are you helping a third world country and not America, you know America has poor people too?" When we arrived back to Miami the guy at the customs asked me this question when he found out we were doing mission work in Guyana. Many of the other people traveling with me were also bombared with this question prior to our mission work. Well here is my reason for helping out in Guyana: I believe a picture speaks a thousand words. If you were able to glaze at the pictures we took from the trip you would understand as well. The one picture that really stands out from the rest is of a wooden home where a family of 8 resides. They do not have "Food Stamps", or "Social Security Checks". The government does not provide ANY assistance for families in need, because the government itself needs assistance. Though this family has no help they remain faithful and walk with God. "Auntie" down the street looks after the six kids while the parents work long hour jobs. "Auntie" gets nothing in return. That's what a loving community does, they look after on another. If you happen to bump into any of the family members while walking down the street they would greet you with a warm smile. They do not let their living conditions affect their attitude towards others. I challenge you to find the worst neighborhood in America to compare it to the living conditions in Guyana. I can guarantee you it will NEVER compare to the conditions in Guyana. We are truly blessed here in America and we all need a reality check. It's time to stop being selfish and help one another out.. how else will we ever have world peace? I will continue to do mission work around the world AND in America because I do not believe in ONLY helping out the country you live in, I believe in helping where help is needed... regardless of the location.

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