What Do Students Say?
Alyse Age 16, Malibu, CA
This summer I was privileged to be given the opportunity to travel to Peru with various members of the three US Youth Leadership Councils with the Roots & Shoots Program of the Jane Goodall Institute. Once there, we were asked to complete a service learning project in the small riverside community of Sapo Playa. Although I knew that I would be interacting with the people of Sapo Playa, nothing could have prepared me for the connection that I was able to make with them.
Upon arriving in Sapo Playa we were warmly welcomed with singing and dancing. After singing the national anthem and taught them the hokey-pokey, we got to work. For our service project we painted the local school, planted palm trees, helped make fencing, painted ecologically friendly signs, and helped to thatch the roof of a gazebo.
Throughout our project, I got to know the people of Sapo Playa, especially the young children. As I worked I would play tag and tickle games with the children. They spoke no English and I spoke no Spanish, but I soon came to realize this did not matter. The children of Sapo Playa taught that cultural differences do not matter; children are the same everywhere. No matter where you go, all children, love to play and have fun. Thinking about this I quickly realized that the same idea applies to adults. Like children, adults everywhere simply want happiness in their lives.
The people of Sapo Playa also taught me that happiness is not achieved through material objects. These people lived in small wooden houses with thatched roofs, but this neither bothered nor embarrassed them. As our guide Basilio explained, they were honored to welcome us into their houses. They had such love, warmth, and pride in their families that they felt no need to be ashamed of their surroundings. I saw with my own eyes how love can connect people and allow them to live a happy life even without what most people from the US would declare as the bare necessities.
The quiet but warm people of Peru taught me two important lessons that I shall never forget. The first being that people everywhere are the same at heart. The second being that all you truly need in life is love. My trip to Amazonian Peru was unlike any other trip I’ve ever experienced and I hope that I keep the lessons I learned there with me forever.
