This year World Bridges took  a trip to South America to volunteer at the Maquipucuna Eco Reserve (www.maqui.org). We spent two and a half beautiful weeks learning, exploring, and giving back. We volunteered on an organic coffee farm, we caught and gutted fresh fish on a Tilapia farm owned by a women’s cooperative, we trekked deep into the jungle mountains to search for rare and endangered orchids for a habitat restoration project, and many more exciting adventures. Below are some testimonials from this years participants.

Karal Flores

Ecuador was a very humbling experience. It shined light on on aspects in my life to pay more attention to along with shed on new perspectives that I wanted to acquire. I can say that I have a lot to learn about the world, so much more that I thought. I will say that when it came to being pushed far out of my comfort zone I did hesitate. However, I’m proud considering that I went through it and I can say that I survived in the rain forest. Not a lot of people can go through the adventures and problems that we faced. I learned that there’s more of a survival tactic in other places of the world, very different from ours. Specifically when it comes to languages, the best way to learn one is to be thrown headfirst into that country.
Personally, I’m still going through my development in my home language, but conversing with Norma (one of the workers off Macqui) felt really rewarding. We talked for over an hour about anything and everything and to be able to have a full conversation made me believe anything really is possible…life can be hard only if you make it that way. And with this, I believe international travel is essential for everyone. You can’t learn as much from a conversation over the phone, a magazine, etc compared to actually breathing in the same air as others in a different land. The U.S. itself can very much be a bubble and to burst out of it and realize there are greater opportunities and experiences out there leaves many the desire to learn. Cross cultural interactions have led to personal growth for myself and others should really take advantage if they have the opportunity to do so.

Sincere Justice Allah

People move – by choice or force, people move. My grandfather left rural Southern China toVietnam for a greater opportunity and the possibility of upward mobility. My parents leftVietnam to Hong Kong and Malaysia to flee communism and eventually, settled in sunny Los Angles, California. I left Los Angles (Baldwin Park, to be exact) to Oakland so I could enjoy a greater peace of mind without my parents constant criticism and mainly, to be my own man. When we were in the city of Esmeraldas, a predominantly Afro-Ecuadorian population, we had the opportunity to check a Chinese restaurant called Chifa Esmerladas (literally translates to “let’s eat together in Esmerladas”, however, Chifa is a term for Chinese restaurants, which is a basically a Cantonese word made phonetically into Spanish). Almost nearing the end of our trip, I tried once more and used my Cantonese skills – this time to a twelve year old Chinese Ecuador kid. “Tu habla Chino?” “Si” “Que tipo” “Cantonesa” – instantly, our eyes lit up and the  questions ensued. “Were you born here?” “In Quito” “Is Spanish your first language?” “Yes” “Can I speak to your father (the chef)?” “Sure”. Here, a Chinese man in his 30s or 40s, with long hair, a smile and round face, reminiscent of Bruce Lee or my own father in the late 70s. I was interested in his (and their) migration story, so I asked “Why did your family move here from China?” He retorted and posed the question back to me, “Why did your family move?” I said, “For a greater opportunity to make money” (even though, that’s not the complete story, I knew the statement wouldn’t offend him) He said, “The same thing.” I didn’t think I could travel all the way to Ecuador for such a simple answer. I’ve learned much about ethnic history and push/pull factors to what influences people’s immigration patterns, yet through short conversation with this man – I reflected on my own life. Sometimes truth is really is that simple – people move.

Please join us again for our biggest annual fundraiser. Please watch your inboxes during the coming weeks for important updates, fundraising totals, and contests!

What am I getting into?
Simply put: providing the opportunity of a lifetime to young adults of color from low-income backgrounds who have never traveled outside of the United States.

This year, we have a goal of recruiting 30 runners and raising $9,000 to expand our programs and offer international service-learning opportunities in Ecuador. Your support helps us cover the cost of plane tickets for emerging leaders from the Bay Area to travel abroad for the first time. On these trips they will be exposed to organizations and people that are effectively transforming their communities and institutions. Since our program participants are from low-income backgrounds, your contribution makes this life changing program possible.

Jess – who holds both U.S. and Philippines citizenship – comes to us with fifteen years in nonprofit leadership work, including both local and international work with nonprofits InterVarsity and Global Urban Trek, and over twelve years of living in Southeast Asia.  He has two graduate degrees (an Masters in International Economic Development and a Masters of Divinity), and is also a PhD candidate in Organizational Leadership, with a focus on non-profit leadership. He speaks Tagalog, English, Spanish, and conversational Chinese.

Please join us in welcoming Jess to World Bridges.  Under his leadership, we hope to deepen our program, and ultimately our ability to  connect young Bay Area leaders with inspiring peers and organizations both at home and abroad.  We are excited to work with Jess to implement his vision in 2011.