Program Reviews

It's hard to put into words the fantastic experience I had during this trip. It was indeed one of the best weeks I ever had. I was a little bit nervous about going on this trip. I had been on missions trips before, but they were never outside the states. I was so glad to have had the people I was with during the week because it made the experience so much better. By the end, we became like one big family. Even though many live on the other side of the country, I still talk and text them every day. Not only were the people so much fun to hang out, but the work that we did for the community felt so rewarding. We filled a floor and a wall full of cement, and even though it was hard work, it was so worth it. I highly recommend this trip for anyone who loves to do hard work and love to meet people from all across the country.

This trip was truly a highlight of my life. This experience was beyond my wildest dreams. I never thought as a high school student that I would be allowed to shadow a doctor, nurse, secretary or even become a pharmacist! The hands on experiences and opportunities to learn were far from how I imagined they would go. I have also never felt so confident in my spanish speaking abilities. I took Spanish classes in school and an additional program during a lunch period a week since I was in second grade. I have also taken 3 high school level Spanish classes as a rising junior in high school. This was the first time in my life that I had such an immersive Spanish speaking presence, between the doctors, patients, staff of establishments we visited, and our host families. Still somehow my favorite part of the trip were the people on it with me. I have met the most outstanding, brilliant, hilarious, and kind hearted people possibly ever. I absolutely loved our group dynamic. I know I have made friends for life. Additionally, the group leaders were always ready to help us with whatever we needed. They were trustworthy, reliable, and so sweet. They each offered and taught us new ideas and viewpoints, and guided us through a different style of life than we are used to. They served not only as leaders, teachers, counselors, and first in line of contact, but as friends.

During my time in Peru, I was able to fully immerse myself in the culture and take away from all the amazing opportunities the country had to offer. Every day was a new adventure where we met new people, tried new foods and created lasting memories. With the work we did, we got to see the first hand the effects we had on the communities and schools. From learning to make adobe bricks, to working alongside villagers in the mountains of Kajillarakay, we were able to see the true extent of our capabilities when working towards a goal. Throughout the trip we continued to bond and build relationships with each other. During our homestays, we got to practice our Spanish with our welcoming families and create lasting connections with them. They took us under their wing as their own, showing us how to cook Peruvian dishes and telling us about their lives. Every moment spent in Peru was one to remember, as we all have taken so much away from this once in a lifetime experience. The trip leaders were amazing, always there to talk to me when I needed help. It was nearly impossible to feel homesick as we were constantly chatting and having fun as a group. From the memorable bus rides of singing and playing the ukulele to hiking up to the famous ruins of Machu Picchu, our adventure in Peru could not have been better. The two weeks flew by way too fast, and by the end, our goodbyes felt impossible. The hardest part was accepting that for many of us, we would go from seeing each other everyday to not at all. I know we all can agree that our trip with Global Works was definitely one for the books, and a time none of us will every forget. We were so lucky to be able to have had this experience and hopefully encourage others to embark on adventures of their own with Global Works. I cannot thank Global Works enough for the impact this trip has had on me and all the memorable bonds and irreplaceable friends I have made!

The Peru trip was amazing. It made me see the world from a different perspective. I learned a lot of new things like survival skills, being on my own, culture, and most importantly my Spanish improved. The trip was well organized and the trip leaders were awesome. They always made sure they had everything you needed and did health checks. My favorite part about the trip was exploring Machu Picchu, the town of Calca, and doing a homestay. The community was very nice and I felt welcome. Also I love getting to use my Spanish and interacting with the locals. The projects were very fun. I learned a lot from them. When we were installing monkey bars, I learned how to make cement and how to properly use a pick axe. We got to help build a greenhouse for the Sacred Valley project and I made bricks by hand. If you are on the verge of doing this trip, do it. You won’t regret it and you will learn a lot.

This was one of the most incredible and unique experiences that I have ever had for many reasons. To begin with, my trip leaders were wonderful and always accommodating to our group; they always acted professionally and with poise. My fellow group members were all such amazing people who added so much to the trip. I did not know most of them prior to the trip as we all live in different parts of the United States; but it was really special that we were able to bond through our passion for travel, adventure, and helping others. We quickly became a family and still keep in touch today. Overall, I developed perspectives from this trip that will follow me for the rest of my life, and I am so grateful for this. I definitely hope to travel with Global Works again in the future.

Before my trip I was nervous and did not know what to expect. I personally think it helped being on the group flight because I had already met people before we arrived at the iconic Big Yellow House. I never expected the trip to have such an impact on me. The group became a big family after the first day. The people we helped had open arms and I am very grateful for that. The counselors were great and I personally think they contributed to such a great trip. All of the kids I was with were great people and fun to be around. I’ve formed life long friendships and hope to see everyone in the near future.
Although we worked hard on the trip, I enjoyed having time off to explore other parts of Puerto Rico and enjoyed learning to salsa dance with my new friends.

This was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. I made great friends and met so many others. The counselors were fun, supportive, responsible, approachable and so much more. The people we worked with were so kind and understanding. I went in a group of 34 students which is pretty big so I was worried about the dynamic of the trip. But it turns out there was nothing to worry about! The group leaders adjusted and made sure everyone had everything they could possibly need. They have us jobs and made sure everyone knew what to do and where to be. We came in with open minds and made so many friends. Everyone got along for the most part and we weee one huge family by the end of the week. My one regret is that it was only a week and I wish we could stay for longer. I’ll remember this till the day I die and I will cherish it in my heart. The hardest part of this trip was saying bye to my friends, leaders, and the people we worked with. Up until we left I enjoyed every minute of my week in Puerto Rico! I hope to go back next year and help some more. I strongly suggest going on a service trip with Global Works. I know I got lucky with how great my group got along but regardless, you won’t regret it.

My school worked with Global Works to offer a summer service trip to Puerto Rico. The global works leaders, Eric and Blair, were absolutely amazing and during the whole trip, it was always very clear that everything had been well organized and was under control. The Villa del Ria community members that we worked with were so warm and welcoming, making our service work of building houses in their community feel even more rewarding. The trip had a good balance of intense work days to relaxing "touristy" days, giving the trip an "efficient" yet very pleasant feel. This trip showed us all how welcoming Puerto Ricans are and also how the island is still struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Maria. Overall, I could not have been happier with this service trip offered through Global Works.

I really enjoyed the trip and I feel like it really helped my self-confidence by showing me this new kind of freedom. It really prepared me for going out of state for college and being away from my family. I made friends that I still keep in contact with and have visited. I have recommended Global Works to several people, even giving a small talk to my high school about it.

I am no stranger to global travel, but it was really fun and exciting to travel by myself to a place that none of my relatives have visited before. I definitely want to go back and spend more time in the marketplaces and just wander around because everything was kind of rushed due to the scheduling.

They took away our phones so we couldn't access the internet, but they had phones that we could call our families with. It was nice to be unplugged for a while and just really observe and integrate myself into the environment around me. In addition to this, being in such a religious place was very interesting. I don't consider myself to be a very religious person, but learning more about Buddhism and the middle way was a very enlightening experience because I felt even more connected to my surroundings in a spiritual way that kind of felt like magic.

I decided to go to Nepal in a moment of crazed inspiration. This was the best decision ever.
As soon as we arrived in Nepal, we were immediately immersed in Nepali culture- just navigating the streets was the most incredible and mind-blowing experience. My entire travel group grew close together very quickly (I made friends I am still super close to to this day). After a few days of exploring the streets of Kathmandu, we began the service portion of the trip. I was incredibly nervous about this part because we would be interacting with a LOT of children, but it actually ended up my favorite part of the trip. We spent time playing (often terrifying) games and drawing animals and have incredible insightful conversations with the kids- I value this experience more than anything.
Doing construction for the schoolhouse was strenuous and difficult, but it might have been one of my most rewarding experiences ever- I now KNOW that I can push myself farther than I imagined.
We spent the rest of the trip exploring other parts of Nepal- these were some of the most exciting and rewarding days-- I grew so close to my group and was just constantly in awe with my surroundings. This trip was some of the most fun I've had, and I would highly recommend it to everyone (including people like me- people who are anxious and NOT adventurous- you will stretch yourself and it will be worth it).