Today we had a great free day at the Jardin Botanico Lancetilla and the beautiful beaches of Tela.
It was another great day, but I want to focus on this week instead. As I was gearing up to go on this trip, I was a little nervous. I have been abroad before and I think that it is normal to feel that. Less than 24 hours after we landed in Honduras, that feeling went away and was replaced by the excitement I had been feeling since I was accepted to be a part of this team.
I don’t want to repeat what has been better-said by my other teammates, except to say that this week has been amazing. Our work and our interactions have been spectacular. This team came together to paint a mural, with the help and leadership of the OYE staff and scholars. I can’t say for sure about others on the trip, but my major requires NO art component. Yet we still got it done. And it looked great. I’m so proud of it and the contribution we made for it. I’m just as proud of our work this week, as I am to be graduating in a short seven weeks from the wonderful university that gave me the opportunity to be a part of this.
Did we solve every single problem that is facing Honduras? Of course not. But through our interactions, our work, and, most importantly, our experiences, we leave Honduras tomorrow morning knowing that it’s better than when we first arrived. Through our tireless effort and our willingness to spend our break doing something worthwhile, we get to carry and share our experience with others, that we may inspire others to do the same.
From our interactions with the fantastic kids and teachers at the school, who were so eager to meet and talk with us, to our meaningful relationships with the great OYE scholars and staff, to the awesome food and music, and the heat, OH THE HEAT…these are the memories we keep. To add to that, today we got to share our host country’s drama of World Cup qualifying with their fierce Mexican rivals. What are the chances of us being here when something so awesome is talking place? To see the Hondurans cheer when they tied the game up and played to the draw was sublime. We may not have been able to be at the game, but we got to be apart of it all, even if it was just for a day. Even if the lingering thought of our departure started to become ever present.
But we’re not done, Honduras. We never can be. We’ve all been changed by your wonderful country and the people we met along the way. This has been a life-changing experience.
In my wildest dreams I can see Honduras playing the US in a knock-out round of next summer’s World Cup and while I wait to see that, I can continue seeking out new service opportunities and take the small steps forward that make this world better.
Best wishes to everyone who followed our blog this week. We hope that you have been able to appreciate everything we did. We look forward to seeing all of you upon our return.

-Kevin Kropp