1. For my STEP Signature Project, I participated in a Buck-I-Serv trip to Ghana and volunteered in an orphanage and school. We lived on site in a volunteer home and our daily activities consisted of chores (cooking & cleaning), as well as teaching lessons in the classroom and spending time with the children. We also had the opportunity to travel to surrounding cities to experience the culture firsthand. 
2. I went on the trip thinking that I was a very grateful person for everything I have been given and everything I have been able to experience so far in my life. However, I think that there is a deeper level of gratitude that can only be achieved once you fully immerse yourself in a situation like the one I experienced in Africa. I realized how many small things I take for granted in my daily life because they seem standard for the lives of everyone around me, but you do not realize their importance until they are no longer standard. I also entered the trip under the notion that the people I would interact with in Ghana are unhappy or desperate because that is how they are portrayed in the media. In America, when you see things about less developed countries, it is oftentimes in the form of sad commercials or articles urging you to donate to “starving” or “helpless” children. This was actually the opposite of what I experienced. I have never met such wholesome, caring, compassionate, kind individuals. I could genuinely talk about these people and experiences for hours on end because they showed me that you make your own happiness. They are aware that their situation is less than ideal, but they do not fixate on it. They never played a “woe is me” card or tried to get me to feel bad for them. Instead, they offered me their snacks to make sure I was fed and gave me infinite hugs. The days were filled with laughter and playing. They showed me that happiness is not contingent on what you physically have, or your situation for that matter. Happiness is based on how you decide to live your life and perceive the things around you. Happiness is based on the relationships you have with others and finding joy in small, everyday things.  

My new view on the world is that life is not fair, and it is truly what you make of it. That in the grand scheme of things, miniscule things do not matter. That there is so much more to life than a schedule, or the media, or physical appearance. That you can learn something from everyone, regardless of their status or situation. Being able to learn about a culture firsthand is a priceless experience, especially when it comes from someone your age who has experienced a completely different life. That just because someone lives differently from you, it does not mean you are better than them or that your way is superior. I realized that I need to stop making assumptions about others because they are rarely accurate, and you truly have no idea what is going on in someone else’s life without them telling you. Because of this project, my meaning of life and perspective has been completely transformed and I feel so grateful to have gotten this opportunity.  

      3. The first situation or event that led to my personal transformation was the living situation that we experienced as a whole. We stayed in a home where we slept in bunk beds and shared one toilet amongst 20 people. We drank water from bags that were oftentimes room temperature and cooked basically every single meal (no restaurants or pre-made items). Driving on their roads felt like riding a roller coaster and we packed in the buses on top of each other. The dishes were done in buckets outside on the dirt, and same with the laundry. We swept the homes and school with a bundle of straw tied together with a strip of plastic. There was no air conditioning inside the home to combat the high temperatures and 99% humidity. Yet, our living conditions were still better than most people who truly live there. I felt extremely grateful for the ice-cold shower I was able to take before going to bed each night and was able to gain appreciation for things that I overlook in my everyday life. Privileges that I did not even realize were privileges.  

The interactions I had and relationships I formed with not only the people in the orphanage but also the other volunteers were major contributors to my life changing experience. I feel lucky to have been able to meet and converse with such amazing people who opened my eyes and allowed me to see life through someone else’s perspective. The children filled my heart each and every day with love and made me feel like nothing else in the world mattered other than spending time with them. We spent a lot of time with the teachers at the school, who were actually my age. Because they were older and we were able to communicate with less of a barrier, I was able to develop deeper connections with them and I learned about their education system, in addition to how they view America and the politics of their own country. Everyone I met showed me so much love and true caring. They were selfless and I now try to model myself after what I learned from them. I also was able to develop relationships with other OSU volunteers and made connections that I can continue to foster back at school. I am grateful for this trip because it allowed me to develop so many new relationships, I would not have been able to otherwise.  

The third event or activity that I felt had such a great impact on me was our tour of the slave castle. I think that it is difficult to fully comprehend atrocities just from reading about it but being on-site floods you with a new set of emotions. We went down into the dungeons where the slaves were held and I dripped sweat, but then realized that I was there by choice, with water, not hungry, and in a smaller group than the groups who were held there against their will. In those moments I realized that some of my struggles are incomparable to what others experience and I need to complain less. There was a specific part of the tour where the guide told us that women only got the opportunity to bathe before they were going to get raped, and my heart dropped. Everyone went silent. Everything I saw and heard during the tour helped put everything into perspective for me. Furthermore, every experience I had in Africa put things into perspective for me, in a way that I don’t think I would have been able to achieve otherwise.  

     4. I think this project has transformed my entire life and I will continue to pull lessons from it for the rest of my life. I gained a deeper appreciation for life as a whole and I have noticed the change in perspective I have had. I think this trip showed me compassion and care in a new way that I can translate not only to my own relationships, but also my future career of being a healthcare provider. By experiencing a different culture and way of life, I feel more knowledgeable and a more well-rounded person. It has inspired me to think more about privilege and inequalities not only in America compared to other countries, but also within the United States. By sharing my experiences, I think I can challenge stereotypes associated with other countries, as well as bring attention to organizations and situations that could benefit from awareness. I put emphasis on different areas of my life now and value relationships more than ever. The people of Ghana inspired me, and I now want to be the best version of myself for everyone around me. I want to take advantage of all the luxuries in my life and spread positivity to the people around me in the way that they did to me. I now value my education so much more than I did before because I was able to see how hard it is to get to college from their position. I will work even harder than I was before to make sure I achieve all my educational, career, and personal goals because I have opportunities that some could only dream of, and I refuse to waste that.