As I reflect over my first trip abroad, my memories are nothing but joy, love, and happiness. Preparing for my first trip abroad left me anxious yet so excited to see for myself what the world outside of the United States has to offer, and boy, was I in for a treat. On April 30th, 2015, myself and about 15 other students and staff ventured over the Caribbean Ocean to the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my 21 years of life. When we arrived, we were all so excited and overjoyed to finally be in Trinidad, the place we had been dreaming about during our entire spring semester. A couple of days after our arrival in Trinidad, we flew over to it’s sister island, Tobago, for some relaxation and fun. The bond that I got to develop with each of the students and staff members on the trip during this time was absolutely amazing. We connected so well, and many of us stated after our return that it was one of the best times of our lives. We even got to swim and scuba dive in the Caribbean Ocean. The people were so friendly, the food was delicious, and the resort that we lodged at was beautiful. When we returned to Trinidad, we started our service work within the elementary and high schools. The children were all wonderful and so, so, so, well mannered. A group of the kids at the high school connected with us so well that we exchanged our Facebook information so that we could keep on touch. Our saying for the remainder of our time there was “Only Facebook!”. On our last day of service, we volunteered at an orphanage were we met the most cheerful, upbeat, and beautiful souls. It was really eye opening when the realities of some of the children’s lives were shared with us. Many of the children would stay at the orphanage their entire life because in Trinidad adoption isn’t very common. Many of us hated to leave the kids and owners of the orphanage after we volunteered. Trinidad and Tobago are such rich cultured countries with many different religions, colors, and heritages. The most beautiful aspect of Trinidad is that despite the many differences the people may have, they all live together so peacefully and are one. Trinidad and Tobago has definitely started my passion of traveling and I am so glad that my fire was able to come to life from my time there. My heart was so full when I returned back to the states, and I was even more ready to make a difference in the lives of others!

– Nitaya Walker, Senior