Eating maggots is probably not a part of the ideal spring break for most Duke students. But for junior Charlotte Dauphin, learning to brave the rainforest of Belize by feasting on the burrowing insects was the least of her adventures.
Last week, Dauphin, along with a number of other students who traveled abroad on mission trips over break, returned to Duke with more than a tan. Instead of celebrating their week of freedom at the beach, students in several religious groups devoted their time to helping others through mission trips and other service-oriented projects.
While some students' work was centered in the United States, others raised the funds to travel abroad. Two separate Chapel-sponsored trips worked with communities in Belize and Honduras; students involved with the Freeman Center for Jewish Life traveled to Uruguay; and the Newman Catholic Student Center collaborated with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to send a group to Juarez, Mexico.
Activities during these programs ran the gamut from attending educational seminars at the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay to climbing Mayan temples-a far cry from the usual at Duke. Yet the undergraduates and Divinity students involved attested that the trips were simply an extension of service work in which they already participated at home.
Dauphin, who traveled to Belize with a Chapel-sponsored group, compared the service she engaged in abroad - breaking ground for the foundation of a cafeteria for an elementary school - to work she had done in Durham with Habitat for Humanity. "This is the kind of thing I would do more often here at Duke if I had the time," she said.
There were also benefits to escaping Duke temporarily, Dauphin said. "At Duke, I'm always caught up in my own head," she explained. "At the end of the day [in Belize], I might have been bruised, but it was nice to feel myself doing something constructive with a body that's so used to just thinking. It's great to see the fruits of my efforts in such a physical way."
The team of 15 students and advisers who traveled to Honduras through the Chapel had a very similar experience. The group worked in conjunction with the Heifer Project International, a longtime partner in the Chapel's mission work, to rebuild a church for the small village of El Naranjo that had suffered severe earthquake damage.
Sophomore Alice Williamson expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to connect with the people in El Naranjo, a common sentiment among the students.
Senior Charlene Chen said developing relationships with students, teachers and members of a host church in Juarez was by far the highlight of her trip to Mexico. Despite the language barrier, she found the community very welcoming.
On the Juarez trip, students from both the Newman Center and FCA collaborated with the nonprofit organization Forward Edge to link up with a small school of 150 five- to seven-year-old students. In addition to helping with construction to expand the Mexican school, the Duke students were also able to teach some of the classes there. This allowed for "unique bonding" with the children as well as their parents, Chen said.
Like the three groups that worked in Central America, the Freeman Center group hoped the time spent in Uruguay would help forge lasting relationships abroad. Students were able to participate in grassroots social service projects with Jewish university students in Uruguay, which allowed them to "walk away with some great friendships," said Melanie Greenspan, program coordinator for the Freeman Center.
Greenspan explained that although this was the first year students from Duke have traveled to Uruguay, she hopes to continue to develop a partnership with the Uruguay branch of Hillel, the international foundation for Jewish campus life.
"Although we had a limited amount of time that week, we spent that time learning and asking what those people need so we know what to do to continue that work back in Durham," sophomore Maital Guttman said.
While Chen said she contemplated other options for spring break this year, she was happy with her final choice. "It gave me a completely new perspective," she said. "I would encourage anyone to do something like this, religious or otherwise. You realize that - as cliché as this sounds - while [service work] sometimes seems hopeless and overwhelming, you really can make a difference."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.