By Jeremy, CCI Greenheart Exchange Student from Germany
My name is Jeremy, I’m 17 years old and I’m currently living in Buda, Texas. This last April 6th-12th our group of twenty students went on a Greenheart Trip to Oahu, Hawaii. Before the trip started I was so excited that I was already in touch with some of the other exchange students.
The week my group and I had was unforgettable. We did so many different and unique activities like surfing, snorkeling, hiking and simply laying on the beach enjoying the gorgeous Hawaiian weather. Our five days in Hawaii went by so fast because we had an exciting schedule that kept us entertained. Although many of us were often sore or sunburned from the day before (from that beautiful Hawaiian sun), we started every day enthusiastic about the new things we would see and do.
But having fun and being entertained was not all we did during this incredible week. We also volunteered twice at farms helping and learning about the environment. We also all became better at participating as a team. In the evenings we mostly gathered at the small chapel right next to our cabin and dining room where we learned something about Hawaiian culture, history and other Hawaiian related things. On certain days we also did workshops about interesting topics, such as fair trade, our worldview, and volunteering. We were also able to tap into our creative side by making posters.
One of my favorite evenings during this week was the campfire that we had. We made s’mores and talked all night. Each person was asked to sing a song in his/her native language, which was pretty interesting to listen to. We all made a lot of new friend during our time in Hawaii that we will hopefully stay in contact with. Maybe one day we will have a reunion! We are all very thankful that we were able to attend such an amazing trip and that we could be part of this great program! I, myself, learned so many new things about Hawaii, volunteering, our organization CCI Greenheart, and people from other countries! We’d like to especially thank our amazing team leaders Molly and Alicia and everybody who helped to organize this trip! It was an awesome experience!
Take a peek at the slideshow below to see the excitement, adventure, friendship, teamwork, and volunteer work that these CCI Greenheart exchange students were able to experience this past April.