Our last night in Grenada was an emotional one. We gathered at Mrs. Hopkin's house for a farewell dinner, and it is something I still think about to this day. Mrs. Hopkin is a truly remarkable woman, who is a retired nurse and founder of the South St. George's Welfare Association (SSGWA). She often accompanied us on our activities in her homeland of Grenada, and her compassion and nature for giving back to those who need it most is something we all were able to see. We all constantly said how we wanted to be just like Ms. Hopkin when we grew up, a true woman of selfless service. We were able to enjoy each other's company one last time before returning to reality, and say our goodbyes to people we had grown so close to in only 10 days. Trevor our bus driver and his wife, Ms. Williams, Ms. Simon, Ms. Hillary (the head lady of the Grenadian Disability Association) and Mrs. Hopkin were present for this occasion. This dinner really made me reflect upon my time in Grenada, the ups and the downs, and my biggest takeaways. We each went around the room to say thank you to our gracious hosts, and when Dr. Delpech said something individual about each of her students I got very emotional! She highlighted my positive experiences with children throughout this trip, and it has pushed me towards thinking of a future career in pediatrics. Also, Ms. Hillary mentioned how her granddaughter Nia (the child featured in the Service Learning page) could not stop talking about me at home, and how much she wanted to be a nurse when she grew up after playing with our stethoscopes; when she announced this to us it brought me to tears. The whole trip I felt as if I was lagging in contribution compared to my peers, and her noticing the love I have in caring for children made me feel like significant to the trip.

 

     What also comes to mind is a pre-travel activity we did, in which we each read a section of The Civically Engaged Reader and made a post about it and posed a discussion with our classmates. My assigned section was "Giving", something I think was a major theme of this trip. Looking back at what I wrote, I stated that in Maya Angelou's “The Sweetness of Charity” she talks of individuals who “may or may not thank us for our gift, but the gift is upholding the foundation of the universe” (Davis & Lynn, 2006, p. 190); and how I do not expect anything physical in return from the people of Grenada. Even though we received some gifts from Ms. Williams, Ms. Simon, and Mrs. Hopkin, just the feeling of knowing how many lives we were able to positively impact as well as the memories/experiences I gained were more than enough to take home to the U.S. Another portion of my post that I revisited was my statement which was "I hope before our trip we keep in mind “when we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed” (Davis & Lynn, 2006, p. 191)". Reflecting on all of our work on this trip, I believe that we did give cheerfully and accepted the people of Grenada's gifts gratefully. That being said, I believe everyone was blessed and took a little piece of this trip with them to keep forever.

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     There were times on this trip that I struggled with, whether it be my own safety or just being homesick. But coming home to our hotel room every night after a long day really, and supportive/compassionate peers and friends helped me overcome those daily barriers. Something I keep in my mind even until today was a statement by one of the charge nurses at St. George's Hospital. It was a simple statement she said which was along the lines of, "When you feel like you are incapable, think of what you experienced in Grenada." Coming back to the U.S. with that in mind just makes me more grateful for everything I have in my life, as well as what we have at our disposal here that they would be so grateful to have. I can confidently say that I look back at this trip as a chapter in my life that will be referenced again an again; whenever I think I can't do something especially as a nurse---I will think about Grenada and know I can overcome whatever obstacle I face.

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