Is From: Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Lives in: San Diego, CA
Goes to: University of California, San Diego
Works at: Ikiru Japanese Restaurant
Attended programs in:
- Honduras & Guatemala 2010
Aika first met Service For Peace when she learned about it from a friend. She went ahead and applied for the first ever bi-national Global PeaceMakers, which brought together participants from the US, Brazil, Guatemala, the Czeck Republic, Slovakia, France, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador to serve in Communities of Peace in Honduras and Guatemala. Revered as one of the most international and dynamic trips ever, Aika had a powerful experience. This is what she shares:
I have gained so much through my experience volunteering for two weeks in Guatemala and Honduras with Service For Peace that has helped me learn and grow with a new knowledge of how people live in developing countries--and everywhere. Living for two weeks without a warm shower or not having toilet paper in bathrooms really made me appreciate everything that are simply given to me back home.
Through the experience working at the hospital in Honduras, I also recognize that life is worth more than just...breathing. Every life is valuable and limited. We need to live, keeping in mind that every second is precious and to be grateful for what we have.
Although there was a language barrier with many of the volunteers I worked with and the people we were serving and working with, I was still able to bond with them through creative gestures and through translators. The group of volunteers that I worked with gradually became a part of my family. The friends I have made and the experiences I have gained through volunteering for Service For Peace have changed me to live with no regrets, and recognize the problems people in other countries face. Even my parents have admitted that I came back a different person! I know this experiencwill stick with me for a LONG time."