The Winchendon School students have gone to the Dominican Republic where they are working with Bridges to Community. While the students are practicing their Spanish and learning how to build a house with minimal tools, more importantly, they’ve learned how to step out of their comfort zone.
Here, two students reflect on how they’ve been stretched during this ColLAB.
” [What I’ve learned in the] Dominican Republic, is to not take anything for granted because many people living in the Derroumbadero did not have the same advantages and privileges as my family. Another thing I learned on this trip is you can still communicate with other people without speaking the same language. Some things that [will change me after] this experience are: I have learned not to take things for granted such as water consumption when showering and brushing my teeth. I also want to work on positivity because the people in the Derroumbadero seemed positive and were by friendly all of the time even if they may be struggling.”
“I learned that I want to continue to push my comfort zone as it has helped me transform into a better version of myself. During this trip, I was challenged to use my knowledge of Spanish to communicate and it helped me improve tremendously. Victor, one of the other volunteers, was a true inspiration to me. He was learning English as I was learning Spanish. He showed me how it is still important to practice the language even if what you are saying is not grammatically correct. Overall, I left with many lessons of this trips which will have a lasting impact on me.”
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