Day Eight: Working (and Living) as a Team!

            Working with everyone has been a really great experience. It’s interesting to see the different roles that have been taken on and how everyone has found their own niche. Some individuals have discovered a hidden talent of cutting down trees with machetes and others have crawled into the tiniest of spaces to claim bottles and cans that have been left behind. It’s amazing to witness how much we can accomplish as a group and how well we work together despite the short amount of time we’ve spent together. Our ability to work well translates into the way in which we’ve learned to live together. We quickly established a routine of shower and cooking schedules as well as sleeping routines. We’ve formed our own little family and it’s awesome that sixteen strangers can live together so harmoniously. 

There is a unanimous positive attitude on this Bahamas trip. Everyone is quite responsive and extremely enthusiastic during reflection. I speak for everyone in saying that reflection has formed into more of a deep heart to heart revelation of everyone’s inner feelings and thoughts as opposed to a mandatory nightly interview. With regard to working together, we take pride in our strong chemistry for which is expressed through our amazing teamwork. Another indication of the amazing positive attitude encompassed in our overall trip atmosphere is shown through the overwhelming feedback that we give to each other. I see teamwork occurring at each separate duty, whether it be group pulling of weeds or working together to capture and dispose of even a single piece of trash. It is truly amazing how a group of complete strangers can be so positive and enthusiastic about service, and that is something that I can say is why AB is such an amazing and successful program.

At this point in the trip, the group has really connected like a family. Reflections teach everyone new things about each other and our free time enable us to find out more about each other’s backgrounds. We all feel that we can tell each other anything, which is an amazing feeling after a week. Everyone works very well and more importantly we consistently encourage each other to be the best they can be. At this point I can truly say that this has been one of the most amazing opportunities I have ever had in my life and it has been an honor to do community service with the people around me. The craziest thing is that I have been working with individuals I already knew but it wasn't until this trip that I really got to know them. The team works very well together and we never forget to have fun, making every day memorable. I really do not want the trip to end but at the same time I cannot wait to see what the remainder of our trip has for us. I know we will do great things together, I am just anxious to see what we have left.