The Meaning of Developing connections.

Developing world connections lives up to its name. In this program lots of connections are made. In our trip to Peru, nine volunteers managed to establish a connection with each other, the locals and simply the world. The experience is none to other and it goes beyond creating a connection. A sense of accomplishment and purposefulness is also established from this program.Commuting for an hour everyday to Villa Maria, a village just out of Lima, we spent a month working with a local school that supports working children movement. As foreigners, the movement seemed absurd but after living with the children and learning about the movement from the founder,it all felt right. Opening our eyes to this movement that sounds completely unacceptable in our society and understanding its true purpose was truly an eye-opener. Talking to the founder of the movement and having informative sessions with the foundation was truly a highlight of the trip. Our work with the San Jose obrero school in Villa Maria was to build them a kitchen, a workshop and a dining room for the children of the school. This project wasn't without its physical and mental challenges. Being clueless about building and all that it encompasses was quite the challenge. Hammering,building walls and painting was not an everyday activity that we thought we could be doing.Furthermore, the program didn't inform the volunteers of the project until when onsite. To top it of, the language barrier was at its peak.We had locals who were helping us but we were not on the same wavelength. The lack of a proper translator was clearly frustrating at times. However,overcoming these obstacles was part of the accomplishment,perseverance and rewarding experience.I would not change a thing about this trip and I would recommend it to all those that need some personal growth, exposure to a new culture, exotic food and well-rounded fun. And remember, changing the world starts by taking the initiative to change ourselves and challenge ourselves.