May 21, 2017
Vanderbilt student-athletes will blog all week long from their service trip to Jamaica in partnership with Soles4Souls. Follow @vucommodores on Twitter and check back on VUCommodores.com all week for updates. Recap Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, and Day 7 here.
A pair of Commodores, Avery Hoelting of Lacrosse and Jordan Newham of Bowling, reflect on their time in Jamaica in today’s blog post.
Avery Hoelting, Lacrosse
Today was a day that made me truly realize how much I am going to miss the people on this trip, all of the emotions we felt together, and the accomplishments we made as a team. Although today was an “excursion day,” and was not one where we served the potential-filled and amazing kids of Jamaica, it was a day that brought together all the joy we felt this entire trip.
We began the day in Negril that had a beach that was more beautiful than any one I have ever seen before. After walking on the beach and being awed by the turquoise blue water and soft sand, some of us took a glass bottom boat out to a reef to snorkel, where there was an immense amount of vibrant-colored fish and coral. We then headed to Rick’s Café where we cliff jumped and I soon realized it was one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done. Today was the perfect day to do all of these activities because it made me come to the realization I would really miss the people on this trip and the things we accomplished together. Although our biggest accomplishment today was simply getting ourselves to jump, we accomplished way more than that this trip. We all seemed to find a way to step out of comfort zones every single day all in different ways and jumping off the cliff today was just a small act that signified it all. The smiles, laughter, and pure joy we brought each other, but more importantly. the young kids of Jamaica will forever be an unforgettable experience.
As we rode the bus back to the hotel after cliff jumping, I was staring out the window at the true natural beauty of Jamaica, as I have every bus ride this past week and it really hit me how much I would miss the bus rides to and from our shoe distributions, all singing as well as laughing and talking about our heart-warming experiences. Never have I poured so much of my heart into seven days and I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to get to know, not only everyone on this trip, but the kids of Jamaica and the potential they have to bring so much joy to our world. After this week, I have realized I’ve never smiled so much in seven days. The connections I made with some the kids we gave shoes to will be of my fondest memories as well as the connections I made with the people on this Soles4Souls trip. The experience I have had here is indescribable and I cannot even begin to explain my appreciation for being given an opportunity to make a difference on others because it also made a difference in who I strive to be myself. This trip has made me recognize the power behind a smile and the way they can so effortlessly spread happiness and love and I will be forever grateful for the greatest experience I’ve had in my life so far. I hope to spread the joy that I felt this week throughout my life; all of the little kids I have met this week will always hold a special place in my heart as well as all of the people I got to know along the way.
Jordan Newham, Bowling
As the week comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on everything we’ve had the opportunity to do. When this week started, I wasn’t sure what to expect of this experience, myself, and the people we’d get to meet. Looking back on it makes me realize what an amazing trip this has been. I feel so fortunate and proud to be apart of Vanderbilt Athletics.
Throughout this week I had the opportunity to meet many incredible young kids. One of my favorite things from this week was the ability to bond so quickly with people that you meet at any given time. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces and their energy throughout the days was something I couldn’t have imagined. Before this trip, I knew we would be doing something special but I never realized how much it would be until we actually started working the distributions.
Some of the best parts of the trip were following the distributions when we had free time to play outside with the kids. I feel like this week really allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and I’ve truly never felt more happy. We were fortunate enough to wrap up this week with some fun excursion days.
Today we traveled to the Negril beaches as well as Rick’s Café to go cliff jumping. Despite being absolutely terrified to jump, I eventually succumbed with the support of my peers and did it and it was an absolutely amazing experience. All in all this week will be something that I will never forget and always hold close to my heart.