Habitat for Humanity in Portugal: a reflection by Jacqueline B.

It is always bitter sweet to talk about experiences that impact your life in such meaningful ways. I think hands down this is one of the best trips I have done with habitat for humanity from the people in the trip to the food.  Habitat for Humanity has grown with me in that I started at Florida then Canada and now Portugal. Habitat for Humanity has become something I associate with Penn state since I started to volunteer with them my freshman year. It is always a blessing to be able to help others but an even greater blessing to be able to travel and give back at the same time.

Every Penn state student from various campuses became like family including Florbella who was the woman who was in charge of our group in Portugal. As a group we worked well together and we accomplished a ton. I am very glad that we could visibly see vast improvements from the time we got there to the time we left. It was rewarding to work along the family who will be living in the house we were helping to build they were so kind and humbling that it made my issues melt away. Every trip is different and what we do in this trip it was making the walls from making cement and breaking down walls to make windows and doors.

I always live for trips like these since I live such a busy life but service trips always set my perspective right  again on what truly matters in this life, human beings. It is always refreshing to leave the country and experience another culture such as Portugal it was picturesque and the people were so lovely and kind. An experience I will not forget is meeting the mayor of Amarante which was surreal to be invited to one of their traditional candy festivals from local and neighboring towns. The trip also included cultural days where we got to see their local university and what they have to offer to students. We also learned of the first king of Portugal and his rise to the throne. Florbella also organized for us to meet some Habitat for Humanity college students who talked about their experience of living in Portugal and helping out with Habitat for Humanity they gave some insights on the country that we could have not possibly known had they not been there and around our age as well. Overall the trip lead to yet again to my personal growth in multiple ways that I think no other experiences or trips could have. It was the perfect beginning to my summer.