ANNIE
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
ANNIE
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
With our departure for the Dominican Republic quickly approaching there are several emotions that surface. Excitement, fear, ignorance, and hope are just a few that seem dominant amongst others. I feel a great feeling of excitement as I have no prior travel experience outside of the United States. In my opinion, I think that exposing yourself to new cultures and different ways of life other than your own is one of the most valuable forms of education that can be received. I am excited to see up close, a way of life other than my own as I anticipate that it will be nothing short of an eye-opening experience.
Fear is a feeling that I cannot so easily put into words. I am fearful not so much in a way that I fear for my safety or well being, but more so the way that I will handle my experience emotionally. Being a considerably emotional person, I anticipate that I will be greatly impacted by the impoverished lifestyle I will be exposed to. With past experiences, I have found that I very easily grow attached to the students that I work with as well as being affected by the adversities that they face. Although I can try to emotionally prepare myself for what is to come, I am unsure that I can fully anticipate what I will be exposed to. Ignorance is something that I believe will slowly diminish throughout my time in the Dominican Republic. Although I am aware of the poverty and hardships that these communities face, I do not believe that I can be accurately educated on the matter until seeing it up close. Poverty is not something that I am personally familiar with and in that way I am ignorant to its impact on the day-to-day lives of families and children. Working closely with these children and families I anticipate that I will have a much more educated and meaningful view of what impoverished communities face. Hope is perhaps the most powerful feeling I have coming into this experience. I understand that I am only one person, and one person cannot drastically change a community; but I am also one person helping to make strides in the right direction. I hope that my influences on the children and families I come into contact with will have some importance to their life, as I am sure they will have on mine. With our departure just a few short days away I can hardly wait. Now, on to packing!
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Author-Senior Early Childhood Education Major at Buffalo State ArchivesCategories |