After regional learning we had our final allocation meeting and were dismissed to meet our host family. For my final week, I was hosted with Dylan from Colorado who I have been traveling with for a year. We lived with the Torres family with two children Miriam and Manuel.
Tuesday, was an internal day where we began the morning with a presentation about admissions after the semester. We then spent the rest of the morning playing team-building games and just enjoying one another's company.
After lunch, we transitioned to another facility where we had our final gallery. Like last semester, gallery was an activity that allowed us to remember all of our experiences and helped us bring the semester to a close. Before the activities began, letters were read written by the several students that had left us during the semester. I was immediately overwhelmed with emotions and tears began to roll down my cheeks. I was hit with the reality that this adventure was nearing its end and it would never be this way again. Once the letters were read, we traveled from room to room doing activities that had us reminisce. In one room, we listened to a sound clip of sounds that we have heard throughout the semester. It's pretty amazing how sound can trigger so many emotions from laughter to tears. Other rooms gave us a chance to talk with each other, write appreciation notes, and laugh together by playing charades.
After visiting the rooms, we all gathered in one large room where photographs from throughout the semester was hung. We took time to look at all of the photos as many of us tried to look at the pictures through the tears in our eyes. At the end of the day, we had one more allocation meeting and were given our final allocation cards. As I opened my card, tears streamed down my face as I saw that the next family waiting for me was my own family. As difficult as it to process all the experiences and memories, it helps to close out the semester and prepare us for the next set in our lives.
Wednesday, was a Community Impact day at a low income elementary school. When we arrived to the school, the children were standing in line, waiting for us with balloons and streamers to welcome us. We only had a short time at the school, but the children had such a blast playing games with us and having us sign autographs for them.
After visiting the children at school, we had a BTS in a large, outdoor amphitheater. Although it was hot, it was the best BTS shows. The audience was full of school children from the surrounding area and there were about 500 people watching the BTS. The crowd loved the 20-minute show and would not leave until we gave them an encore. We do not usually perform an encore for a BTS and we did not have one prepared, but because there were so many people cheering for an encore, we quickly put our costumes back on and went on stage to perform another song without rehearsing it.
After the BTS, we had internal time. Three times during the semester, we were given time to write letters to ourselves. These letters are one of my favorite activities that we do because it gives me time to reflect on who I was and where I have come since my last letter. It is a truly humbling time as I read the letters because I am so grateful for the experiences and how they have influenced and changed my life.
Thursday, was an incredible Community Impact day at a very poor area of the city. A large group of us spent the day painting and fixing up the playground and many of the buildings. The area, Los Arbolitos, is one of the most dangerous parts of the city because of the gangs and violence that surrounds the area. As we were painting, many of the children and residents in the area came out to help us paint. Many of them were amazed to see a group of diverse people, like UWP, come together and serve the community. All they had ever been exposed to was the violence and fighting between the gangs of the area. They had never seen a group of people come together and they were really impacted by our service.
While many cast mates continued painting, some of us got ready for our final BTS for the neighborhood. It was an incredibly hot performance in the heat of the day, but it was a special day for the residents of Los Arbolitos.
Once we returned we had internal time for Community Impact closeout. Together, throughout the semester, we have accumulated 17,000 hours of community service at several hundred different organizations.
Friday, was our final Community Impact day, and it will always be one of the most unique and memorable experiences. I spent the day at a prison for youth aged 18-25. A small group of us were divided into three groups to facilitate different workshops. When we arrived, we went through many gates and security to get into the facility. Many of the youth in the prison had committed serious crimes like rape and murder. I was quite nervous when we first began, but I was surprised by how interested the youth were in our activities. I spent the morning teaching three world dance classes to all of the youth. After our workshops, we had the opportunity to eat lunch with the students and talk with them. Most of them did not speak English, so it was a great chance to practice my Spanish. As we were getting ready to leave, the warden asked the youth if anyone would like to share what they learned today. I was blown away at how many of them wanted to share. As the first stood up and spoke, he talked about how thankful he was to have us come work with them. He said, "I now know what my life can be like, thank you." The next talked about how we opened their eyes to what the world is like. So many of the youth shared how we had changed their perspective and made them feel valued. I cannot describe the feelings and emotions I had as I listened to those boys and girls. My heart ached that such intelligent children were locked away, but I was so overjoyed to know that these children had been changed and were really going to make a positive difference when they left the prison.
Saturday, we had our final two shows. Our final shows were in one of the most beautiful theaters I have ever performed with Up with People. We had a short rehearsal, mostly to check sound levels. As we were all on stage, we heard our Swiss music from our Swiss medley. We all stood in a circle with our arms around one another and sang all the songs that we had learned during the semester for all the countries that we visited. It was a special moment and I remember looking around the circle and thinking about how lucky I was to have all these incredible memories with this group of people that I now call family. It was the beginning of the many tears that would be shed throughout the day.
We then stood in a circle on the stage and listened to all of our production staff share with us how proud they were of us and how much we mean to all of them. All of the sudden, we heard the song "Voices", our final song of the show, play over the speakers. Tears immediately filled everyones eyes and we all stood hand-in-hand and sang our final song together. I took time to look into the faces of each one of my cast mates and could not believe how blessed I was to experience such love and happiness.
Here we are, and now the now the story is changing.
Can we hear beyond the words they are saying?
Maybe, when all sides can rise above the noises,
We'll listen to the voices of the world.
I left my heart on the stage as I danced all of my dances for the final time. I never thought that I would find such joy in dancing and I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to learn. As we sang our final song "Voices" on stage, the flags began the processional down the aisles. Following the flags was our staff. The staff and the entire audience held up tissues and waved them as we sang the final chorus of the song. After performing over 80 shows around the world, I felt a sense of peace as I stood on that stage and sang one final time. With tears in my eyes, a smile on my face, and joy in my heart I finished the song. It was hard to believe that performing was over for me, but I could not be sad for one second because of all the experiences and opportunities I had been given over the last year.
Sunday morning came quickly as we awoke at 7 am to head on a three hour drive to Guanajuato for host family day. We spent the day walking around the beautiful city and looking at museums. Guanajuato is known for their famous mummies. Before entering the museum, I assumed these mummies would look similar to Egyptian mummies wrapped in cloth. Wrong. These "mummies" were actually perfectly preserved human bodies that were dug up from the ground only one hundred years ago. It was like I was walking through a horror movie with the faces of the mummies frozen in pained expressions behind glass cages. It was certainly an experience to see these Mexican "mummies." We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together at a delicious Italian restaurant and then headed back home to pack our bags for the final time.
It's crazy how many extra things you accumulate over six months and how there is never enough room left in your suitcase for your final trip home. Somehow, I managed to successfully cram it all into my suitcase.
As much as I was dreading it, Monday, my final day as a student in Up with People, had arrived. I prayed that time would slow just for one day, allowing me more time to be with my family. We arrived to the facility and began the morning with our last cast meeting. We tried to recreate our cast photo that was taken during the second week of staging in Florida. It was fun trying to remember who we stood by, not having any idea we would become a family. Once we took the recreated picture, we were told to find our pictures on a table that had been matched with someone else and we were supposed to talk about how we thought our partner had changed and grown. I was very concerned that I might be paired with someone I did not know too well, but I was overwhelmed with excitement to see it was the one person who knew me best, my best friend Brekken. We found a quiet spot to lay down next to each other and talk about how we have changed. It was very heartwarming to hear from my best friend how she thought I have changed and to listen to who I have become.
After lunch, we all began getting ready for our final banquet. All the women and men were in a rush to look their best for our last night together. When the time came, we headed to the banquet facility, which was a beautiful outdoor garden covered by a tent.
When we arrived, we found tables with our closest friends and began the unforgettable evening. The banquet started with dinner and a few superlative awards. Dinner was filled with laughter and many great stories from the semester. As dinner came to an end, seven of us made our way to the stage to sing a song that we had been working on for eight weeks. All I remember as we sang was looking into the faces of my family and seeing tears in their eyes and beautiful smiles on their faces. When we finished the song, I was amazed to see everyone applauding and giving us a standing ovation.
And then the time came that I had been dreading-saying goodbye. We had about 20 minutes to say goodbye before we all had to load the buses for our six-hour drive to the airport in Mexico City. So much love was felt as we all said our goodbyes. Tears of joy and thankfulness were cried and hugs of appreciation and gratitude were given. I never really felt like I said goodbye and I was at peace with it because these 120 individuals from around the world have made such a impact in my life that I will carry them with me wherever I go. Each one of them has changed me and touch my heart in some way, so no matter where I go in life, they will always be a part of me.
Now that my year as a student of Up with people is complete, I can only look back on the year with gratitude for all that life has blessed me with and thankfulness for each and every person that came into my life and changed me. I have changed because of my incredible host families, my international family, and my family back home. I can never put into words the appreciation and love I have for Up with People, but I can honor the program by sharing my memories, stories, and passion with the world through my eyes-eyes that have witnessed unreserved love, cried tears of humility, seen kind hearts, shut out hate, and eyes that have been opened to the world. Thank you Up with People for letting me see life through new eyes. Thank you host families, Cast B 2012, Cast A 2013, family, and friends for giving me a reason to see the world in a new way.
My heart belongs with Up with People and I am truly grateful that I have been given the opportunity to work as a Promotions Representative for Up with People for the next year. Thank you for the adventure, here's to the next adventure on my journey through life.
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