---

2,697 miles from Aberdeen, four Northern State University soccer student-athletes spent their spring break trip serving others in the small town of Tecpan, Guatemala. Teya Trujillo, Lonneke van Eijk, Kristen Calderon, and Frédérique Beens broke down their trip and the important impact it had not only on the rural community, but also on themselves and the other NSU students that traveled south.
 
They spent their spring break in the small rural community called Xetonox in Tecpan, Guatemala, working with Hug It Forward. The non-profit helps to empower rural communities in areas of Guatemala that do not have schools for children, by assisting those communities in building bottle schools; which are constructed with used plastic bottles stuffed with local trash for insulation, rather than other costly materials that are used in the United States and other developed areas.
 
Over the course of the week, the NSU students mixed cement, sorted different types of bottles, and tied the stuffed plastic bottles into the walls of the school. In addition, they spent time with the children and members of the community, working alongside them to help complete the vital project. Each of their experiences were unique, however the women all had a common thread in that their experiences gave them perspective and memories that will last a lifetime.

What made you decide to take this trip?
Trujillo: I decided to go on this trip because it sounded very interesting; I had never been out of the country and I just loved the idea of a volunteer abroad trip. Especially one where you would tie plastic bottles (which are one of the biggest forms of trash that is harming the world's oceans and wildlife) into a school for kids. 
 
Calderon: I decided to take this trip because I loved going on domestic mission trips back in high school, and when I heard about a volunteer trip abroad from some of my fellow teammates, I just had to sign up. Also, my professional aspirations include working as a Physician Assistant in areas similar to these small communities in Guatemala with Doctors Without Borders or on medical missions.
 
van Eijk: The main reason that I chose this trip is because I wanted to help the community and learn more about their culture. Another reason is that I wanted to visit a new country. 

Beens: I like to help people in general and this was an option to help the children to get an education but also to develop the community. Another reason was that this was an opportunity to see another country in the world and learn another culture. 
 
Why was it important for you to take this trip and volunteer your time?
Trujillo: One of the most important parts of this trip is I learned that being able to use my freedom and opportunity I have here in the States to go out there and help those that have way less than us, makes them feel not forgotten. When you know there is a better life out there and millions of other people are living it, it is easy to feel forgotten. The people have told me how much it meant to them for us to go out there. It is so hard to make sense of it and put it all into words.
 
Calderon: It was important for me to go on this trip because I hope to lead a career where I can give medical attention and help communities like those we visited in Guatemala.
 
van Eijk: For me it was important to do this kind of work, because I like to help people and interact with children and give them a good time and some amazing memories. 

Beens: It was important for me to do this because I like to help people and this was a great opportunity to help people. But I also wanted to see how life is going in other countries, how people live, what they do to take care of the family and I realized that they work really hard for the little things in life. 
 
What are some of the meaningful interactions or stories from the trip?
Trujillo: The stories I have from this trip do not do what we did out there justice. It is a "you had to have been there" experience, but you really just had to be there to know how powerful this experience was. I created so many new friendships and connections with this community and the Hug It Forward team. 
 
Calderon: The entire trip to Guatemala was full of life-changing moments. One of my favorites was just trying to speak broken Spanish with a group of eight-year-old girls and yet somehow, we were all able to communicate with smiles, hugs, high-fives and a couple of Spanish words. When we were leaving the work site on the last day, they ran up to me and gave me a little hand-made book full of notes and drawing and the sweetest hugs.
 
van Eijk: One of the most meaningful interactions for me was when we were playing with the kids who did not speak any English. We still could understand each other and have a little conversation. I really liked to see these kids having fun and learning new things from us, that even without speaking the same language we could understand each other and build a beautiful connection! 

Beens: There were a lot of meaningful interactions, but the most meaningful interaction for me was with the children. We built the part of the school together with the children and played games with them. Even though I don't speak Spanish there was so much interaction with them. All the little things that they have in their life give them such a big smile on their face and that is very special. 
 
What did you enjoyed the most during this experience?
Trujillo: What I enjoyed most was being present with the community, being off my phone and making such important connections with everyone there. 
 
Calderon: I enjoyed the human connections and the friendships I have made with all the children, adults from the communities and the fellow students from Northern. I really loved the simple moments of sharing smiles and hugs with all of the people we met because they knew that they were not forgotten.
 
van Eijk: What I enjoyed the most was absolutely the interaction with the children to see how happy they were when we came and to see how proud they were to build their own school. 

Beens: The part that I enjoyed the most was working with everybody together. Nobody said that they didn't want to do things that we had to do. It was one big team, the students, the children but also the community. Everybody was helping each other out and that created a good mood to keep going and help each other always wherever you go. 
 
What did you find to be the most difficult part of the trip?
Trujillo: It was difficult for me to leave the people, knowing how good I have it here. From now on, a day here in the States could never be a bad one after learning how those people live and how content and happy they are with all they have. 
 
Calderon: The hardest part is knowing that we live here with so many opportunities and material things here in the States, and other the communities live with so little. 
 
van Eijk: The difficult part was saying goodbye, not only to the community but also to the amazing group of students who were on this trip.

Beens: The most difficult part of this trip was saying goodbye. I loved being there and working together for a better future for them all. Another part that wasn't especially difficult, but interesting was that I realized what I have back home and how grateful we should be for that.