Sara Carpentieri
@Sara_Carps
Contributing Writer
We thought that we would make an impact on Long Island, Bahamas but little did we know the impact that it would have on us.
Going into the trip we did not know much of what we were going to be doing, but we still woke up at 3 a.m. on March 12 excited and anxious for the week ahead. The first impression we had of the community was Tyrone who was there to help us with anything we needed for the week. He gave us rides to wherever we needed to go, organized the projects we were doing, and helped us learn more and explore the island. He is such a selfless and genuine person and the friendships that we all have made with him will continue to grow.
Sunday we went to their church service. Before heading into church we listened in on their Sunday school, where we were able to interact and meet some of the children. The children were all so welcoming, happy, genuine and kind. Their service was so lively and everyone in the church community sang throughout. During their time of fellowship, the church community welcomed us with hugs and other kind words.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we were able to work on Simms Primary school. Monday, we went to their commonwealth assembly where we learned about the 53 countries of the commonwealth. Throughout the three days we painted the preschool and kindergarten building, the 1st-4th grade building, the wall in front of the school and pulled weeds in the garden. When it was recess time we interacted and played the children’s favorite games. Some of the games were no different than ours here in the United States. They love to play basketball and duck-duck goose. We even taught them how to play knockout. Wednesday afternoon we went to the high school and had the opportunity to talk to the students about college, the United States and their hopes and dreams for the future. After all the talking was done, we challenged them to a game of basketball in which we were victorious.
Thursday we painted six buildings at Glinton primary school. We became pro painters by the end of the week. Friday we were fortunate enough to go to the children’s track meet to cheer them on and show our support. When the children saw us walk into the meet their smiles were priceless. After a long and hot day, we were welcomed into the home of a woman from the church. We had burgers, hot dogs and cooked fresh mahi mahi. After dinner we played Guessters and relaxed after an unforgettable week.
After each busy day of work, we were taken by Tyrone to all different places to explore the island. Some of the places we went included a small beach right up the road, a private resort and Den’s Blue Hole. We were able to explore the island and see how beautiful it truly is. Long Island, Bahamas and the people that live there have changed all of our lives forever.