Seeing is Believing

Coming into this trip, I really did not know what to expect. I had always wanted to go to Greece and this trip truly made a dream of mine come true. Being the only student not from UGA, I was very nervous and anxious about meeting people on the trip and as to whether or not people would open up to me. That was not a problem at all; every single person on this trip and been so nice to me. I have never felt left out or not included and I always have someone to talk to.

When we went to Praksis and heard a man’s story on being an immigrant and knowing no one, it really affected me. I felt as if I connected to him without knowing anyone on this trip. His name was Abdul and although he has a much more intense story than me, we still relate. He discussed with us how he had to come to Greece with nothing and no one. He has no friends here because everyone is back at his home. I knew how important it was for me to come to Greece and meet knew people. I could not make it through this trip without the people here. It must be really hard for him and he must feel lonely.

Hearing his story really impacted me and the way I look at things. The service week has been a great experience. One day we were there for hours sorting tons and tons of medicines by chronological and alphabetical order. That opened my eyes to the need for help. All the medicine we sorted someone in the world needs and will be very lucky to have. Sorting medicine helps out in a lot of ways I didn’t think it would. Another day, we had a party at Praksis with all the families and their children. This was such a fun day for me. The smiles and looks on the children’s faces were priceless and will never be forgotten. Just us being there to play with them made them so happy.

I truly do feel like I have made an impact while we have been here during service week and working with Praksis. My three words are “seeing is believing” because I truly believe you must see something to believe it. I saw many areas that need help and met people that need help and now I truly believe in the goodness of helping.

Madison Weiss