Integration Integration 3 I just found out that I am officially going to Honduras in May and I couldn’t be happier. For some context, my dad is Honduran and ever since I was little my family and I would visit since most of my dad’s family still lives there. As I got older, the poverty in Honduras became more apparent to me and I wanted to do something. My aunt is a director for an organization that provides safety, housing, education, etc to children at risk (I don’t really like to call it an orphanage) in Honduras so I asked her if I could help out. The first time I volunteered was in the summer going into high school and it sounds cliche but it completely changed my life in that what I want to do in the future is centered around what I do in Honduras. After doing the many Moreau assignments that allowed me to think about what I am passionate about and how that should shape my career, I know that that is what I want to do. “Look for the task that will continue to stretch you. That’s all important in discerning that really vital vocation in one’s life” and for me that task is my work and time in Honduras (“Three Key Questions by Father Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). If I hadn’t made the decision to do what I did, I don’t know if I would have any idea of what direction I wanted to take in life. This is why it’s important “to test the waters - just get out and experience life” in order to get to know yourself (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau Week Four). Throughout the years, I have created these beautiful friendships with both the children and the people who run the community. When I wasn’t working on projects, like repainting the houses, I was playing soccer in the fields with the older boys or just talking with the girls my age while we braided each other's hair. Even though they aren’t technically allowed to have phones, many of the older kids do, so I still keep in touch with them via Facebook or Instagram. I also https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ created this special bond with the lady in charge of the community, Mae, who is seen as the “tia” or aunt of all the kids. Because the community for the children is in the countryside, it is pretty isolated. I stayed with Mae during my first time there and I learned a lot from her. She is this strong amazing woman who dedicates all of her time and love to these children. She is the type of person that you know is special right when you meet her. Mae sort of became my second grandmother. Because Mae never had any kids, she was never a grandmother and I remember one day she said I was like a granddaughter to her and I will never forget it. When we watched the documentary on father Hesburgh as an inspiration for a life well lived, it made me think of people that I know that I could look up to as role models for a life well-lived and I thought of Mae ("Hesburgh” Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). I truly believe that my relationship with Mae has allowed me to live a better life. I would not be the same without meeting her and hearing her story. These are the relationships that characterize a life well lived (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Because of covid, it has been almost two years and a half years since I’ve been able to go to Honduras; I used to go at least once a year for a month or so. I feel like I am my truest and happiest self when I am there. I am not the only one who notices that either. When I asked my best friend about when she has seen me at my very best, she responded with when she saw me in Honduras (Moreau Week 5). I think a part of why I feel like myself there is because I am not caught up in the chaos of everything going on around me. When I am there, I am fully present and since there is no service anyways, I am never on my phone. This goes back to the idea that the article from Week 1 discusses “why we need to slow down our lives” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ The people in the community in Honduras have taught me more about life than any class I have ever taken. Similar to the man in the video from Week 6 who was paralyzed, these children have faced so much adversity yet they are still grateful for what they have and make the best of the situation they are in (5 Minutes by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six). I believe that Nuevo Paraiso (the name of the community for displaced children) has allowed me to develop into the person I am today and I hope to continue to help Nuevo Paraiso and the children develop as they have helped me. Whenever people ask me what my dream job is, the first thing that comes to mind is working at Nuevo Paraiso. I would not only be able to spend all my time with the children but also improve the community as a whole. I constantly think about how this could happen. Getting to the root of the problem would be to get rid of poverty as a whole which would mean to get rid of capitalism which is not happening anytime soon. That’s why, although it may be a band aid solution, these communities for displaced children are necessary. Anyways, I am beyond grateful for my experiences at Nuevo Paraiso and the thought that I will be back in just a couple months brings tears of joy to my eyes.