Transformational, Unforgettable, and Unique Experience

Attending the 2005 Global Routes LIA Caribbean program has been one of the most impactful decisions in my life. I know that is a weighty and slightly dramatic statement, but it is the truth. As a current Global Routes travel leader, my experience as a student shapes the way I interact with my students, the communities we work in, and the world through which we travel. My leaders, Jim Whitmore and Lizzy Baker, did a spectacular job balancing the complex roles of Teacher, Mentor, Friend, and Role Model. They exposed me to hard skills like cooking for a group of 16, and soft skills, like how to resolve group issues respectfully and productively. They set a high bar for us in terms of individual responsibility and group cohesion, but provided us with all of the tools and support to soar over that bar.

The format and vision of the trip was particularly important to me. Our group had nearly a week of orientation is New Hampshire, where we camped together, cooked meals on coleman stoves together, and started planning out the structure and activities of the summer camp we were to run. By the time we arrived in St. Vincent, and finally to our new home on the island of Bequia, we already felt as if we were family. One of the most memorable moments from my trip wasn't as much a particular event, but a realization. I was walking to the vegetable market with two other members of my group. In that 15 minute walk we must have passed two dozen smiling faces, most of whose names we knew, and many who had attended our summer camp and came running to great us. The feeling of being grounded in that community, gladly welcomed with warm greetings and genuine interest, hit me like a soccer ball to the face. It gave me a blueprint for how to travel, how to forge real connections, and to try and make every interaction, no matter how brief, meaningful and positive.