This winter, I served as the Learning Partner for the Alternative Break to Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, our group of twenty from GW partnered with Waves of Hope. Waves of Hope a non-profit that focuses on investing in education, protecting and promoting health, and supporting local infrastructure. Our projects included painting, English and art lessons with students, a community beach clean up and supporting the building of a new high school classroom. Let’s just say — we got our hands dirty!
For most of our participants — 16 of the 20 — this trip was their first GW alternative service break. As such, I was particularly struck by the level of reflection in which our group engaged. We had challenging conversations about sustainable service, volun-tourism and community engagement that greatly added to our service experience. I’m incredibly grateful for the lessons learned, Spanish spoken and relationships formed!
I was thrilled when I learned that my PAF mentee, first-year PAF Dor Hirsh Bar Gai, would be serving on the alternative break I attended last year. See his story, below:
This past winter break I participated in GW's Alternative Breaks program as a learning partner and went to live and serve for a week with Plenitude educational eco farm in Puerto Rico. Plenitude is a non profit organization that focuses on education and demonstration of sustainable farming following permaculture, the practice of simulating natural ecosystems, and peaceful living with the land around us. In our week we were immersed in the farm's daily activities of harvesting, terrace building, propagating plants, and maintaining compost as well taking part in food preparation and general cleaning and organizing. One of the greatest experiences we had was working with the farm to construct a garden at a school near the farm, where we got to meet, learn from and teach kids ranging from 3rd to the 8th grades.
Plenitude's wonderful and generous staff, whom most live on the farm, opened their hearts to us, and emphasized their motto of unconditional love to others and the environment we take part in. Our days started with yoga or meditation at 6am, followed by breakfast and we were out working by 7:30am. Each day we divided to different groups and worked on simultaneous projects and maintenance on the farm. Lunch was followed by some siesta to rest during the hot noon hours, and afterwards we continued to work until about 6pm each day. After dinner, we had the opportunity to hang out and reflect on the day's events, including guided reflections on service, our way of life and eating habits, and how we can continue to grow and develop. Healthy eating, and how we grow and prepare our food, was a significant point that the staff shared with us, and we got to have a complete workshop on vegetarian cooking of a nutritious feast. Plentitude follows a vegetarian diet, and while not all of the participants were vegetarian, we had great conversations on our lifestyles and how we can better understand and influence our choices. Additional great cultural activities we had were a salsa lesson, and visiting a beach, where we got to relax and get to know more of our Puerto Rican community.
Plenitude was a wonderful experience for me, one that I try to incorporate into my daily life since coming back, with more reflection and mindful eating -- and sharing those experiences with friends and loved ones.