Alyssa Biasini's journey to Guatemala with Kindness in Action

Over reading week, I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala with Kindness in Action (KIA) with a few of my classmates. This experience was truly amazing, and is one that I'll never forget. Our team worked in some remote villages up in the mountains near Jalapa, one of which a dental team had never been to before. We worked for four days in the clinic, all at different schools. Each day brought highs and lows -- I was able to help out many children and adults, some as old as 70, but it was sad to see that we had to send some people home at the end of the day because we didn't have enough time to treat everyone (since we were unable to treat after dark). On the other hand, I was really amazed to see how our team pulled together and worked very hard to try our best to provide treatment for everyone -- we worked from 8 in the morning until 6 in the evening on the third day! All of the people of Guatemala were so gracious for the treatment that they received, and I'm so glad I was able to help. Not only did it open my eyes that we are so fortunate here in Canada to have easily accessible dental care, but it also allowed me to reflect on how very fortunate we are in general. Many of the people living in the villages of Guatemala did not even have clean drinking water, until two people that I met on my trip set up 'Wells of Hope' to drill wells for fresh water. They built a camp near Jalapa, and this is where our group stayed. They donate four months of their time every year going to Guatemala and drilling wells, building schools, and supporting volunteer missions. I found this to be very inspiring, and after going on the trip with KIA, I would like to make sure I continue to go on volunteer missions every year in the future! I encourage everyone to travel on a volunteer trip at least once in their lifetime, because it is an incredible experience that can't be described in words.