Jenn Zocco '10 in Nicaragua.

“I never thought a short 10-day trip would have the ability to change my outlook of the world,” said Dan Kagdis ‘10.

Kagdis, along with other Fairfield students, were able to live one of the main Jesuit values imbued upon all Fairfield students: men and women for others.

Before sunrise on the morning of Jan. 7, 12 students and two adult leaders set off on a journey for a destination more than 2,000 miles away. After months of preparation and fund-raising, the group was finally ready to embark on a life-changing event: their international service trip to Nicaragua.

The group traveled to Chacraseca, Nicaragua, a small and impoverished town outside Leon, to build a house for a family in desperate need. Upon arriving, they saw the house the family had been living in — a very small, one-room shack made from sheets of zinc metal, garbage bags and wood pieces, smaller than even the smallest double-dorm room.

After their 10-day trip, the students had built a cinder block house, complete with real walls, a real ceiling and a real floor. Though it may not seem like a great improvement to most Americans, the new house was the best in the Nicaraguan village and presented an entirely new life of possibility for the family moving in.

The Nicaragua service group was not alone in their efforts, however. Two other groups also traveled abroad to other countries to spend their winter breaks doing service; one went to Dolores, Belize while the other headed to Jamaica.

Each group completed different projects while in the country. The Belize team focused on teaching young children in addition to working to clean and organize the school in the town and the Jamaica team worked more directly with the locals rather than on construction projects.

The team of students in Jamaica.

Despite the short duration of the trips, students maintained that the experiences had a significant impact upon.

“My experience in Nicaragua truly imbued upon me the importance of the Jesuit purpose: to serve others, always,” said Jonas Stankovich ‘10.

“So many times at school we hear about the suffering of the poor and the importance of service, but for ten days I was able to live it.”

Although Fairfield students embarked on their service trips with the main intent of helping others, they soon found that the community members wanted to help them in return.

“The overwhelming generosity of the people we came in contact with amazes me,” said Eileen Smith ‘10.  “I hope and pray that I can learn be as kind and as happy as the people I came in contact with.”

Nazar Kamenchenko ‘10 agreed, “In the time our group has spent in the remote village of Dolorez in Belize, we received a genuine friendship from Kekchi Mayans.”

Every student returned to the United States with an altered perspective and new lessons learned.

“It taught me about the beauty that can be found in simplicity,” said Lauren Davidow ‘11 of her trip to Belize.  “They taught me what it really means to give and to have faith.”

Kagdis returned to Fairfield after a great trip with a new perspective. “My time in Jamaica was nothing less than amazing, largely due to the connections that we made with the people.”

About The Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.