Day 6

Day 6

Dear Students,

Today we ventured back to Hakim Para. I really love the beauty of this place set in the hill, surrounded by rice fields. The kids greeted us with, “hello, how are you.” We climbed to the top of the camp and began by building. We sawed, weaved, whacked, separated, and manipulated the bamboo into a wall.

As the rest worked I went off with Becky to learn from a local about her religion and method of prayer. It was an incredible experience to sit in her hut and watch her teach us how she prays. She spoke of her religion and devotion to her God. She talked about how this has helped her through the troubles she has faced. The Rohingya are Muslims which is why they were persecuted in Myanmar so learning about her culture and life was inspiring.

As we sat with her on this bare mat in her empty hut I thought about her story. Her husband had been killed and she was in the camps with her seven children. In her religion and culture she will not marry again so she will be a single mom for the rest of her life. We are so very blessed to live in a country where we can choose to practice any religion or no religion.

We then said goodbye and headed to another hut to teach the women about hand washing while then men interviewed more people about their stories.

We ended the day by planting trees and handing out yoga balls to the children. One member of our group connected with a school who had also studied refugees and wanted to help. They raised money for our project and then bought beach balls for the kids. They also drew pictures and we handed those out too. The kids were so excited. As we left the camp the children all waved goodbye and shouted Bye bye bye! It was so cute.

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Howard Zinn

This is the quote I shared with my group this morning as our morning inspiration. I think it’s important to remember it’s not about how big the service project is or the long term effect of the project. It’s about changing ourselves, helping someone else and with our own change making the world a better place. Just a reminder than the small things count, they make a difference, and they are important. You are important. Each of you are loved. Each of you are cared about. Each of you can help someone else.

Who will you serve today?

Good luck on your math test. You are going to do great. Remember positive self talk and to try your personal best.

With love,

Ms. Cioffi