I just made it…
As our microbus pulled away from the Nepali village, many of us were wiping tears. We, a group of eight Americans, went to a rural village in western Nepal to build a school in partnership with buildOn, the non-profit organization that arranged for this trip. buildOn had told what to expect, but the experience was much richer than any of us expected. Despite the lack of a common language, we and the villagers forged a strong bond in a very short time as we worked side by side on the construction site and as we got to know each other on our time off. It’s amazing to see how close people can grow together while working toward a common goal. The way people who at first seem so different can come to understand and love one another is truly a beautiful side of humanity.
Many villagers hugged me and said thank you—thank you for coming this far to give a school to our children. They knew this may be a final farewell and said have a good life. There were lots of tears, more hugs, and smiles.
I never imagined myself of traveling halfway around the world to build a school. Now that I have experienced it, I know it is possible. As our microbus ran on the only highway in Nepal to catch a flight to Kathmandu, our group started planning for the next trip. Should we come back to Nepal? buildOn also has programs to build schools in Nicaragua, Haiti, Malawi, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali…
And the group chose to go to Senegal in late September 2019.
I sighed, looking at my work calendar for 2019. Next year, I need to travel to Japan at least twice to see my aging father, and there won’t be enough paid time off (PTO) left to travel to West Africa. Sorry team, I won’t be able to join this time. I closed the calendar and tried not to think too much about it. Family comes first. I could always contribute to the cause by supporting it in another way...
From time to time, my teammates would ask me if there was any way I could go with them, but I was so sure I did not have enough time. Winter and Spring went by.
It is now August. At my work, we just hired a new employee, and as part of my job, I had to add the new hire’s PTO in the “out-of-the-office” tracking spreadsheet. I have the sheet color-coded with PTO in green and sick days in blue, and as I was looking through the sheet, I realized that there is one row of green (5 days) below my PTO row. NO WAY, I thought. What kind of idiot miscalculates her own paid time off? —ME!! I could go to Senegal after all!!
The discovery was just five days ago. Since then, a lot of things have happened—I got PTO approved just enough to cover my trek, submitted the Trek Enrollment Form to buildOn, set up my buildOn fundraising page, created a Facebook page, and am now starting this blog. The cutoff date for the enrollment was today, so I just made it…!
I am raising money to cover the cost of construction. Your money will be 100% used towards building the school in Senegal. If we reach our fundraising goals, any extra money will help fund future schools around the world through buildOn. By making a tax-deductible donation, you will enable me to reach my goal and help to bring the gift of education to people who need it most. My fundraising page is here: https://act.buildon.org/KaySenegal2019
Why a blog? Because for me, this is a journey I would like to share with you. I did not know that someone like me, who is not rich or have special skills, could help build a school. If enough individuals joint force, we can make it happen. My trip to Nepal was possible because of the countless generous hearts who have supported me to get there and to bring more to the Nepali village. This may be my journey, but this can be yours. Join me on this journey by taking a virtual trip through my blog as I update it with stories and photographs — about my adventures in Senegal and our work to bring education to a part of the world that needs it desperately.
