On Thursday, our group diverged from the standard worksite day to spend time experiencing a unique lifestyle in Jamaica: The Rastafarian way of life. For the past week, we have been building an addition to the Higher Heights Academy, a school in Savanna La Mar for 2 to 5-year-olds. Each day at the worksite, we …
Category: Global Service Initiative
A Life Without Technology
Thursday brought with it a realization that it is possible to lead a happy life without a phone, TV or other technology that we don’t even notice using on a daily basis. We met a Rastafarian man who moved out to the top of the mountain from the city when he was 23 years old …
Finding the True Meaning of Service
Today, the students and teachers of Higher Heights Academy gathered together to throw a party for us in appreciation of our work throughout the week and to celebrate the third anniversary of DU’s partnership with them. I was amazed by the appreciation and respect that was shown toward us. We formed a true bond with …
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Check out our latest blog posts from our brothers on the GSI trip this week!
Simply Happy
Today was an incredible and eye-opening experience for me. We started the day at a local gift shop. Seeing how genuinely excited the owners were to have us there was incredible. Their hospitality was astonishing, and the amount of local, handcrafted souvenirs was great to see. Going to Zimbali (a mountain retreat) was an experience …
Stressless Living
Today, I got to experience part of the Rastafarian lifestyle. I didn't have much exposure before, but after hiking up the mountain to see their home, it made me realize that being content with your lifestyle and finding happiness in life doesn't depend on what you have. Living a lifestyle with less can make you …
My Return Trip on GSI
I approached a return trip on GSI with no small amount of trepidation. Having turned 60 this year and having worked 35 years at a desk job, I’m not well suited to manual labor. But I am overwhelmed and surprised at the positive quality of my GSI experience the second time around. We are adding …
Surrounded by Purpose
During the middle days of a service trip, many participants may begin to feel complacent as days become increasingly repetitive and the novelty of fresh cultural experiences begins to wear. That is what I expected today—breakfast, for example, has been the same each day. I was excited, then, to feel a general sense of positivity …
United by Service
Today we got to finally put in the concrete. After Tuesday, not feeling like we accomplished much, it felt really nice to see a large amount of progress even though yesterday had important progress made too. I really enjoyed our bucket line (moving rock and sand to use to make the concrete) at the end of …
Happiness at Higher Heights Academy
Today, just like any other day here in Negril, we woke up early and took the bus to Higher Heights Academy. Here we continued to build the newest addition to the school building. With the trench for the foundation already being dug, we cut and tied rebar so that we could pour the foundation. While …
Work Progress and Recess
Today, after we got to the school, we picked up right where we had left off. A big group of us started by digging the final touches to the trench. Another group spent the vast majority sawing the rebar and making sure it was securely connected to formed metals. After all of this was done, …
Meaningful Service
The day started with early wakeup for 7:15 breakfast. After breakfast and a brief return to our rooms, we departed to the worksite at 8. The work today was more arduous than yesterday. To begin with, we were working with direct sunlight. I began by shoveling to even out the ground in the middle of the foundation. After, I …
The Vibrance of Global Citizenship
Today was our first day at the work site on the Higher Heights school property. The first thing that caught my eye was the vibrant colors of the school and amazing creativity you can see in the foundation of this establishment. They had a playground that was constructed with what is close to scrap material, …
Being Resourceful
Waking up on the third day, I felt very excited because on the schedule was going to the worksite for the first time. I have previous experience working construction, so I was looking forward to seeing the similarities and differences between what I've done and working in Jamaica. I went in expecting us to have …
Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone
Being as this is my second GSI, I knew I'd have a different experience. I knew that I wouldn't have an eye-opening moment as my colleagues will this week as I already had that moment last year. However, this trip has, so far, still taught me many new things. Coming this year, I wanted to …
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