After being delayed in DC for quite some time last Sunday, we finally made it back to Raleigh and jumped right back into our hectic lives at Saint Mary's. But, just like last year, we thought it might be a good idea to have the girls reflect on their time in Ethiopia.
Meg also created a beautiful video to remember our experience:
https://vimeo.com/90066576
Now that we have
returned back to reality, I keep thinking about all the things I learned and
all the people I met back in Ethiopia. Each person, even the people whose names
I do not know, left some mark on my heart. Even driving through the streets,
the images that I saw will remain with me forever. Words fail me when I try to
describe it in full. There are a few things that definitely stand out in my
mind. Firstly, when we served at the women and children’s soup kitchen, the
food was running late and we played with the children as we waited. The mothers
were bringing their children to us to play with. One lady commented that she
had not seen the kids so happy in a while. This simple sentence showed me, as
cliché as this sounds, that even simple things can make such a difference. And
later, still at the soup kitchen, a boy who was about fourteen years old
offered me some of his food when I was serving him. This boy was eating at a
soup kitchen and he was offering me some of his food. I refused his offer and
he just smiled and said “God bless you!” I cannot explain the feeling I had
right then. Later on that day, I met some of the sweetest children. They
attended Berhan Yehun, an after school program for the poorest of the poor
children in the city. The boy and girl that I met that day were so happy to see
us and had the biggest smiles that you could not guess that they were so poor.
Just an hour and a half with them brought big smiles to their faces and gave me
a sense of how small an act of kindness is and how it can affect not only the
recipient but also the giver. It is very fair to say that those children left a
large mark on my heart. All the people that I met in Ethiopia will be with me
for a long time, if not forever. I am so blessed to have experienced this.
- Megan Blelloch, ‘15
I absolutely
loved our time in Ethiopia and I would like to go back for a longer duration
very soon!! I think overall, I really appreciate the relationships we were able
to make with many people there. These relationships ranged from just waving and
smiling as we passed by people on the bus, to extensive, tear-jerking-goodbye
friendships we made. Everyone I had the privilege of talking to was incredibly
selfless and kind. Although we saw a lot of devastating things, I also was able
to see a lot of hope for the future through many programs we visited and heard
about. For example, we drove through the "landfill district," where
people live in shacks on top of garbage piles and sift through the garbage to
find food. Immediately after this, however, we went to Berhan Yehun where kids
who live in such shacks get two meals and hours of tutorial time to enhance
their education. Playing and tutoring these kids was one example (out of many)
of the hope we were able to find despite extreme poverty. I am so thankful for
our group, as we all became very close and shared many laughs. It was an
unforgettable experience that has confirmed my desire to major in public health
or the like!
- Carson
Clay, ‘15
The expected, “how was your break?”
questions were immediately asked when everyone got back to campus. I quickly
came to terms with the fact that you can only put our experience into so many
words, but it is impossible to explain all that we saw in Addis. I can’t fully
explain the beautiful people and faces, the exotic smells, the poverty-stricken
environment, and the radiant hope that is Ethiopia. There is only so much that
words can fathom, but some things are better left unsaid and close to the
heart. If I hadn’t been physically pulled away, I would have stayed forever.
Our trip together and experiences we each shared opened my eyes to things I
wasn’t expecting, while also affirming things I had already known about myself.
In only one week, Addis forced me to question my plans for college and goals
for the future. Already knowing I want to pursue a pre-med major, I am now also
considering a minor in public health/ international studies and possibly taking
another foreign language class. I know I will return one day, hopefully, this
time, with the ability to heal and help the people who now have a place in my
heart.
- Meg Cooksey, ‘14
My decision to go on the Ethiopia trip
was pretty last minute and extremely spontaneous. Luckily for me this very
under-thought-out decision was arguably one of the best decisions I have ever
made. This trip was absolutely the best trip I have ever been on in my life.
Ethiopia is such a beautiful country, full of incredible people and I am so
thankful that I got to experience such an incredible country which was quite
different from my own. The biggest thing I gained from this trip was an
increase in my thankfulness. It’s crazy to think that things like spotty wifi
and not being able to find a prom dress could easily ruin my day while my
incredible friend Dasash from Berhan Yehun lives in a tiny shack in a landfill
with her blind mother yet always replied with a smiling “Great!” when I asked
her how she was doing. Now that we’re back, I feel like everything in my life
has really been put in perspective and I have a new found appreciation for the
little blessings like having a great house to live in with food to eat and a
bed to sleep in because seeing it firsthand makes me even more aware that there
are so many people in the world who don’t have these things. I can honestly say
that every day since we’ve returned I have desperately wanted to go back. I
hope to return sometime in the near future to a country which gave me so much
in such a short amount of time.
- Kayla Gwaltney, ‘15
Every person I’ve seen in the past few
days has come up to be wanting to know all about my trip to Ethiopia, and all I
can manage to say is “amazing,” because you can’t put into words the
experience. I can’t describe the sights and smells and textures I
felt/saw when I was there because it has to be experienced, not
described. I could talk about the children and work we did there and
people might get a sense but the feeling was indescribable. The Women and
Children’s Soup Kitchen was probably my favorite day. It was an awesome
experience being able to help by doing something as simple as serve food.
I didn’t even cook the food, just served it, and the people were still so
grateful. Also, before we started to serve food, we were playing with the
children which was so fun. The children were smiling and laughing and the
mothers even said this was the happiest they had seen their kids before when
all we were doing was playing in the dirt and rocks and giving them piggy back
rides. I was astounded at how the children just came up to us and said
hello and started to play, in fact it made my day. They weren’t shy and
it wasn’t awkward, we just jumped right in playing with them even though we
couldn’t understand what they were saying and vice versa. Overall, the trip
was life changing, showing me a completely different side of the world and
making me appreciate everything I have and enjoy helping other more.
- Relia Monk, ‘15
When I decided to go to Ethiopia, I did
not know just what an experience I had signed up for. I had travelled a lot,
but had never set foot on African soil; I had no idea what it would be like.
During our stay in Addis, I was really surprised to see all these influences
China had on Ethiopia, and yet I had always been completely unaware of them. As
the days went by, I found out Ethiopia and my country had so much more in
common. Like China, Ethiopia has been invaded and occupied by western powers,
but was never once ethnically and culturally taken over; both peoples are very
proud of their country, its history and contributions to the world. Both
countries are developing countries, where huge gap between extreme poverty and
wealth exists, but people are so eager and willing to make changes happen. It
was gratifying to see that there were so many institutions and volunteers from
all around the world making efforts to better people’s lives here. What’s more,
the sight of the young students’ hands shooting up high with pride and
confidence invoked in me a firm faith in Ethiopia that it will strive and
thrive in near future, along with new hopes for my own country. What I
cherished the most, was the friendship, the sense of connection and support we
have built within these few days, not only with all the people we met and all
the new friends we made in Africa, but also with our little group. Like Florrie
said last year, it was a truly a gift to be able to spend my time in Ethiopia
with such a lively group from Saint Mary’s. I will always remember Addis and my
experience there.
- Evelyn Qin, ‘15
I still cannot believe I was in Africa.
This experience was one of the most eye opening of my life. I saw and played
with kids who were at the poorest level in the country of Ethiopia; I
experienced everyday life that Ethiopians have to struggle with. Every moment,
every car ride, was full of new things and images. I absolutely want to go
back, and I miss the girls and boys every second of every day. I want to know
what they become as they grow up. I pray that God will continue to work in my
life and the group of girls that went to Africa with me, that he will show us
how to continue to reach out to these beloved children. I cannot believe I got
to be a part of this dream-like experience. Of course, so many things we
experienced were sad and heartbreaking, but it showed us the life they live
every day. I miss Ethiopia and I want to go back to Africa as soon as I can. I
cannot thank those that supported me enough for this experience.
- Hannah Thompson, ‘14
It was such a fun and special trip with
so many nice and funny people. Although we only stayed there for ten days, how
easily the Ethiopians get satisfied and appreciate what they have was
impressive to me. I remember when we were at soup kitchen, because the food
arrived late, we played with the kids there to kill time. It was nothing
significant for us, but one of the parents said that she had not seen her child
so happy for a long time. One mom even gently pushed her daughter forward to
let her play with us. Besides, even though the condition of the soup kitchen
was not good, people were not desperate. Some people even invited me to join
them. One man said “God bless you” to me; another said thank you in Chinese to
me. All these details are still so clear in my mind, and I am still touched by
how simple these people’s lives are and how they cherish every single little
thing they get, even just a smile.
- Eve Tong, ‘15