Project Jamaica: An exceptional spring break adventure

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I have a passion for other countries (as you may have noticed in my previous blogs about study abroad) and a passion for using my time to make a difference. So, to my delight, I was able to participate in my second service trip through Iowa State! Over spring break last week, I had the unique opportunity to go to Jamaica and serve with a class of 10 other Iowa State students.

It was fun getting to serve with students from other chapters of the Greek Community! Our group worked at multiple schools throughout the week.

Project Jamaica was one of the study abroad short opportunities put on by the LAS Study abroad department. So I will receive three credits for participating in a class that meets once a week on Thursdays and went to Jamaica. That’s a pretty great deal if you ask me! It also was a class made up of solely students from Iowa State’s Greek Community, which is rarely seen and unique too.

I became pals with these boys at one of the schools and we enjoyed racing at lunch time!

Going on trips like this can have such a significant impact on how we view the world and your perspective can change more than you even know! Meeting people from different cultures and getting to serve definitely always impacts me! I learned how to lay cinder blocks to make seats at a school, how to mix rocks, sand, and concrete to make the cement and mortar too! I loved getting to work hard with my classmates at physical labor that I was not used to doing in order to help improve schools so the children there could have better facilities. Our group also grew from being just classmates to being friends too!

How does one sign up for something like this? Well it is very easy to apply! Just check out the Study Abroad Short Programs here! They are not the same every year either so if you are like me and fall in love with them you can go on multiple trips. They are ideal for first and second year students but not limited to them (I’m a senior and still got so much out of it)! It’s not just me who was impacted, check out what a fellow student, Jacob Bliss, said! If this specific trip caught your eye you can apply now right here!! I would encourage every one of you to maybe step out of your comfort zone and think about using your spring break next year to make a difference while having a lot of fun! Make sure to keep an open mind and you never know how much your perspective can be influenced while impacting others! So go for it, choose your next adventure, even if it’s just for a week.

Posted by: Selia Schneider