Cambodia Blog #1

My name is Sebastian Witt. I live in Eagle, Colorado, I am 13 years old, and I am just like any other eighth grader in this country. I play football, lacrosse, and I am a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I have loved karate and football since I was 5 years old, but lacrosse is the new thing that I really enjoyed. I also enjoy playing piano and robotics/engineering. I usually spend my free time learning new songs on the piano or building something. My family consists of my two older brothers and my mom and dad. I have learned many things from my brothers’ mistakes and their successes, such as being accepted into the United States Naval Academy and being a world karate grand champion. Both of my parents have worked extremely hard and made many sacrifices to be where they are today, teaching me to never give up and believe in yourself. This could be the story of many kids across the United States.  However, one of the things that separates myself from others is my experience with CGA.

In the spring of 2016, I participated in a service trip to Rivas, Nicaragua to teach at a school for children with disabilities. During the trip, I learned how fortunate I am to live where I live and have what I have, but most of all, I learned that to be happy, someone doesn’t have to have the newest IPhone, skis, etc. Instead, all people want is to know that someone else actually cares about them, and that there is someone out there willing to help. This year, I am preparing to go on another service trip, this time to Cambodia. While there, my group and I will be doing all kinds of work at the Cooperation of Peace Organization Orphanage in Phnom Penh along with teaching and tutoring at several schools in the slums. I chose to go on this trip, because I had have learned some things about its past. In the 1970s, Cambodia’s government was overthrown by a communist regime called the Khmer Rouge. During its reign, the Khmer Rouge massacred countless lives and struck terror into the survivors until 1979. Horrified by this reality, I am also inspired by the people of Cambodia who have still persevered through their lives. I am very excited to meet and help these people, because I’m certain I will not meet many more people as grateful as them. I want to help these people so they have a little bit more hope in their lives. In addition to the service aspect of the trip, I am looking forward to the cultural experience from being in a completely continent with a different language, religion, and history. I am very excited to be a part of CGA for a second year. On this trip, I want to gain more knowledge about what it’s like to be selfless. I want to see happiness in someone’s eyes, and know that they don’t have to think about their troubles for a while.  

Blog 3 on Trip

I believe that one of the best feelings in the world is to teach someone something. It doesn’t matter what you teach them or who it is, but to know that they have learned something and they appreciate it is amazing. I have learned this so far on our trip, and I think that most of my fellow students would agree.

            On Wednesday, I taught in the classroom for students with multiple disabilities. My brother, David, had been in the classroom the day before and told me that I might have trouble with the class and that the students could frustrate me. I found out that that was true and false at the same time. The students would answer and they would understand, but it was hard to get their attention sometimes. I was the only one teaching the class, but I had the help of one of our translators, Mario. At first, I had almost no idea what to do, but once I asked them a few questions and learned their skill level, I figured out what to do. I was really happy to see them look at me, listen to me, and write it down in their note books, because as a small younger brother, I haven’t had very many people learn from me and respect me that way. My lessons were mostly about shapes, colors, and math, although I think they liked math the best. I helped them with simple addition and very basic subtraction by drawing dots and then erasing or adding a few. I’m proud to say that I think most of the students improved their math skills at least a little bit.

            Today, Thursday, I taught in the class for younger kids with autism. The thing about learning with autism is that while people who don’t have a disability can learn really well in

 at least one way (visual, verbal, kinesthetic) and okay in the other ways, people with autism learn okay in one way and not so well in the other ways. So today, when I was working with certain students, I had to find the one way that they learned well. For example, if I was teaching a shape, I would show the shape and say its name over and over again or I would draw the shape and write the name under it. For kinesthetic learners, I would give them the shape to hold and feel and say the name. At first, it made me very frustrated, but once I started smiling and having fun with it, it was much better. The teacher, Nora, was very nice and helped me a lot. It was a very good day and I’m sad that it is our last full day of teaching.

            I’ve met some amazing people on this trip and I’m very grateful. I can’t believe this week has gone by so fast; I wish it could be longer so I could spend more time in this incredible place. 

Second Blog

     After only the third day here, I feel like I've learned and changed a lot. Yesterday, I got a small taste of teaching when helping in the preschool class. I was pretty nervous at the start, but once I started to get involved and I interacted with the students it was much better. There was one child in the class that I really connected with named Erik. He was the skinniest kid I've ever seen but also one of the smartest 4 year olds I have met. He was quiet, but very happy and his attitude made me feel very good. By the end of the day, I was exhausted but fulfilled.
    Today was a very special day for me. For about the whole morning, Fiona, a fellow student named Jenna, and I went of home visits with a physical therapist and a translator. We visited infants and toddlers who lived in the most rural places to some who lived right in the middle of the city. While we were on the visits, we would ask questions such as the diet of the child and if the child took any medications. Some of the answers we got made me sad. A lot of the fathers had abandoned the family either because he did not want a family or he was scared by the disability. Many of the families could only travel so often to places such as Managua to get medical care for the child. The third visit had the biggest impact on me. We went to visit a 2 year old named Juan Fransisco. He had a rare unknown disability in his circulatory system that made it very hard to get air to the rest of his body from his lungs, and he also had a cleft pallet. His family lived in a more rural place, and they had been without water for 20 srtaight days. When we first met him, the first thing I noticed was how purple he was. With his disability, he could only get so much oxygen. Even so, he was still smiling and playing around. I was amazed at how well he was doing, because his mother had told us that a relative was born with the same condition and hadn't even lasted 6 months. It was really sad to see Juan Fransisco in that situation but the determination of him and his family was very inspiring.
    I'm so excited for rest of the week. I'm really starting to like the students at Escuela Especial, and I can't wait to go back there.

First Day

      My first day in Nicaragua has been very interesting. This country is like a completely different world from Colorado. It is a little hard to believe where I actually am. Driving through San Jorge, I saw random animals in yards, 6 people on a moped at once, and everything in between along with the incredible environment. I was amazed by the diverse birds and the massive trees. I also like the culture and the atmosphere in the town. There is a lot of music and parties, and there was even a parade as well. On the sad side, I also saw trash piles everywhere and tiny, crumbling houses that reminded me how privileged we are to live we do. While cleaning the school, we got to see the classrooms where we will being teaching and it made me really excited. I don't have much teaching experience, but I am eager to get started. I learned that I will be helping in the preschool class tomorrow and I'm interested to see what that will be like. I can't wait to meet the teachers and students, but I'm nervous to be teaching in Spanish when the teachers don't know English as well. I'm glad to have the translators with us at the school. After meeting some of the locals I can see why I've heard good things about this country, and overall, I'm excited to be helping them in any way I can.

Trip Thoughts

It is about a month until we leave for Nicaragua, and I am very excited. I finished my fundraising at the end of February after doing yard work, shoveling, baby sitting, and pretty much any work that people around the valley needed to be done. It was hard work, but I am glad it paid off. With the trip coming up so soon, I also have some worries about the trip. I am really nervous about communicating with the kids we will be helping, as my Spanish isn’t great, and I know it will be a big factor when I am trying to teach and help using Spanish. Another fear of mine is if I am not able to help a kid because I am not familiar with the disability. I don’t want to just sit there in confusion and not help if someone needs help.

I have a few personal goals that I would like to accomplish while I am in Nicaragua. I would like to be more independent and creative to be more helpful instead of what I have been doing my whole life which is follow my brothers around. I would also like to be as involved as I can when I’m there and not back down and step back. I noticed that when I was doing my volunteering it was good to be involved and active and not just watch the whole time. The closer the trip gets, the more excited I am to not only help others, but also overcome obstacles for myself and help myself grow.   

Blog #2

It has been about two and a half months since I was accepted to go on a service trip to Nicaragua. Meanwhile, I have been fundraising, meeting with my group, and learning more about the trip and Nicaragua itself. With fundraising, I have been doing mostly yard work and any other work that people need done, though I have gotten a few small donations. My fundraising has been mainly with my older brother who is also going on the trip, and so far, I have raised about $1000 out of the $1500 that I need to raise by March 7th. I am very happy about this because this is about the halfway point from the overall deadline. As of now, I don’t have any upcoming fundraising events, but I am still doing snow shoveling and other jobs.

       I have also been having fun learning about Nicaragua itself. Nicaragua is located in Central America inbetween Honduras and Costa Rica, and is a popular tourist location. The capital city is Managua, which is near Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. Nicaragua was settled by the Spanish in 1522 and gained independence in 1838. After gaining freedom, two political groups based in Leon and Granada, the Liberals and the Conservatives, competed for power until Managua was made capital. The U.S began to interfere with the feud in 1907, but was driven out in 1933. In 1972, Managua was nearly destroyed by an earthquake that killed over 10,000 people, and has not completely recovered. Only about two hours from Managua is the city of Rivas, which is where our group will be working at Escuela Especial Sor Maria Romero. Rivas is known for its beaches, a volcanic island called Ometepe, and its cultural aspects such as museums. Rivas was also affected by the earthquake that devastated Managua.

       Nicaraguans are known to be very hospitable and have a unique culture. Major influences come from Spain, Africa, the Caribbean, Great Britain, and the natives which the country is named after. Dignity and family are very important in Nicaraguan culture today. Most of the architecture and religion is derived from Roman Catholicism. Their food is a mix of Mexican, Honduran, and Guatemalan with their own twist. The main ingredients found include local fruit, corn, and seafood. Despite being devastated by natural disasters and political conflicts, Nicaraguans are very resilient and proud of their country and are still known for their hospitality. After being through so much, Nicaragua can definitely benefit from volunteer help and public services. I am happy and proud to know that I will help people in this amazing country that never gives up.