GIVE: Friendships Across Borders (Part I)
Written by: Jacklyn Trzaska
A new friendship could be right around the corner…
I have been blessed with many friendships in my life. Some evolved from growing up in school together, a few developed from playing on high school athletic teams, more recently friends have come from joining a sorority and clubs on campus. A few have lasted since preschool, and others have come and gone.
The friendships created on a GIVE trip are different than all of the above. When you travel, you do so with an open mind, but I think subconsciously we all know that the trip is ultimately temporary. The people you meet along the way will come and go, and you too, will eventually leave; you may see them again, you may not. This idea of impermanence allows you to be more vulnerable.
On a GIVE trip you open yourself up to complete strangers because in a brand new environment, experiencing the unfamiliar, you are all each other have. They become your support system when you miss home, your nurses when you are drained from the work and the heat, and your companion when you want to explore a new area. GIVE trips bless you with these types of friends; the supportive, the compassionate, the hilarious, the whole-hearted friendships that last beyond the end date of your excursion.
You go your own way, but you do not lose touch.
In Jiquilillo, I learned friendships come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and languages.
I felt this most after I had spent the day with Gael last summer. Gael wouldn’t leave my side. He held my hand, jumped on my back, taught me games, took pictures of us on my camera, and we laughed…a lot.
Gael’s English wasn’t great. I spoke to him in myfour years of high school Spanish skills that seemed to disappear over the years, and he spoke to me in his rapid fast Spanish that I struggled to understand. Despite the obvious language barrier, this did not affect our friendship in the slightest. We laughed, danced, modeled for the camera, played catch, and just connected. He was my friend.
When it was time for Gael to go home, he walked me past his house. My heart sank. This happy little boy lives in a home with no doors, no windows, no walls, no beds, no toys. Several poles held up his home with a roof made of cardboard and palm fronds sheltering him, his parents, and his two siblings. A dirt floor lay beneath hammocks that hung low in exchange for beds. He looked back with a smile and waved to me before running into his home.
When I returned to Jiquilillo this summer, I had a few goals on my mind. Other than eating as much coconut bread as possible, I knew I had to find Gael. My hunt did not take long…. Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow 🙂