Global Village Volunteer in El Salvador

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip from beginning to end. I was very impressed with the organization of the project. Our Habitat – El Salvador contact was excellent. Katy (spelling?) was a joy to work with; her youthful energy and pleasant personality were contagious. My favorite part of the project was working side by side with local workers. Our lack of a common language did not seem to be a hindrance. These are hard working, joyful people. I also enjoyed a feeling of being a part of this community; I loved having so many children at our work-site. The future homeowners were so appreciative, I was truly humbled.

I would not trade anything for this experience. Every minute I spent in El Salvador was amazing from the Habitat staff to the families that we worked with. I know that I was able to change the life of the family I worked with. My Habitat group spent 5 days working on the house and 2 days immersing ourselves in the El Salvadorian culture. I learned so much on this trip, so it is far to imagine my life now without the experience. I will never forget the smiles of the kids in the families there, and I know that they now have a roof above their heads. When we pulled up to the job site every morning, we were like the circus coming to town. People came out of everywhere to see us. They wanted to know everything they could about the strange new people. They were overly welcoming. They were ready to teach us anything we wanted to know, and we were ready and waiting to learn everything. I have been asked many times, ‘how could you feel safe in a third-world country?’ Truth is, I have never felt safer. The people there are so amazing, and they respect the fact that you are there to help them. They know that you are not they for your own needs, but there to help the people in their neighborhoods. Habitat is also amazingly good at placing their groups in a safe area and setting rules to keep the entire group safe. The trip cost me $2,000, but I would pay more for the experience. Part of the money goes to the construction of the house as well. I would work so hard to be able to go on this trip; the cost is not a factor in the enjoyment of the trip. I would not change anything about the trip. I was amazing to be able to experience something so amazing. It was defiantly a trip of a life time.