Philippines (2014-2021)

Being a YES Abroad student has taught me about the importance of being kind, welcoming, and a friend to all. Living in a host family has taught me the importance of sacrificing one's own desires for the benefit of a group, the simple joy found in interacting with my host siblings, and the smile brought to my host mom's eyes when I try many new foods such as dried fish, jack fruit, and fresh lumpia without any hesitation. During my time in the Philippines, I have learned more about worldly views, cultures, mass communication, myself, and other human beings, than I have in my whole life. I have not only made friends from the Philippines, but from all over the world, and I have never felt more alive than I do today. For some reason, it feels as though I had an undiscovered half of me that was sitting here in the Philippines simply waiting to be discovered.