World Horizons

by N. K., Darien, CT

I realized that this was going to be the greatest and most influential summer experience to date when I was seated in the 20-person propeller plane and first caught sight of the lush green, mountainous island of Dominica in the Caribbean. It hit me that moment that the adventure had officially begun and the ten strangers sitting around me would ultimately be transformed into my best friends and family.

We were greeted by an impressive representation of the Salisbury villagers, all welcoming us with beautiful smiles and outstretched arms. They were literally taking us into their culture and were just as eager to work with us as we were to work with them.

Our interactions in the local community of Salisbury were a complete success. We creatively organized and ran the children's day care, taking turns at the various stations we had created: arts and crafts, games, sports and singing. Each day we would welcome between fifty to one hundred kids, all enthusiastic and willing to participate in what we had planned, and then offering many of their traditional children's games in return.

In addition to the day camp, we were involved in many different forms of community service for the village of Salisbury. We organized and repainted the library and spent afternoons assisting two deaf girls, a retarded man, and an elderly lady who lived alone.

During the third and fourth weeks, we each participated in individual internships in the capital city of Roseau. For me, this was the most valuable and rewarding part of the summer's experience. I chose to work in a ceramics factory in the mornings and in the afternoons with an organization called "Operation Youthquake" for abused children. They were some of the most amazing kids I had ever met. We passed two-hour sessions with various art projects, soccer games, and swims in the river across the street.

Some of the other internships included working in a restaurant, volunteering in a day care center, assisting the elderly and being a disc jockey on the local radio station. All of these proved to be extremely positive experiences and something the members looked forward to sharing with each other at the end of the day.

As a group and individually, we have left our mark on Dominica and its people. They have, in turn, through the World Horizons experience changed us and given us a greater respect for ourselves and the world in which we live today.