For those fortunate to gain support to participate in an international experience, as the Wallenberg Legacy and Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has generously done for me in the Dominican Republic, I think most of you would agree with me in that we sometimes think we have so much to offer the community we work with in our projects and service; our hope would be to make positive contributions and impact, and it’s no doubt that we probably have.
Yet, it seems to me that we have so much more to learn from that community than what we have to offer and it's those experiences that change our lives, for the better. My experience in the Dominican Republic has taught me resilience, embracing and adapting to change, self-awareness, and how to communicate verbally and non-verbally in a new culture. How I interact with people and form relationships has changed, placing more focus on depth and well-being.
My fear of working in a Spanish-speaking environment and different culture to talk with doctors, nurses and others and observe practices to identify needs evolved into a new-found confidence. Had I not gone outside of my comfort zone, I wouldn’t have learned so much.
Because I feel in debt to those who have left such powerful impressions in my life, I will never cease in doing my best to repay the favor.
Yet, it seems to me that we have so much more to learn from that community than what we have to offer and it's those experiences that change our lives, for the better. My experience in the Dominican Republic has taught me resilience, embracing and adapting to change, self-awareness, and how to communicate verbally and non-verbally in a new culture. How I interact with people and form relationships has changed, placing more focus on depth and well-being.
My fear of working in a Spanish-speaking environment and different culture to talk with doctors, nurses and others and observe practices to identify needs evolved into a new-found confidence. Had I not gone outside of my comfort zone, I wouldn’t have learned so much.
Because I feel in debt to those who have left such powerful impressions in my life, I will never cease in doing my best to repay the favor.