Reflections from Kristin Brubaker

When my family first booked our recent trip to Brazil it was too early to really get excited about the vacation. Even in the months and weeks leading up to our departure date (as Kacy was having us run around picking up 'essentials' like a gallon of hand sanitizer and a pound of Craisins) I was too busy to feel much of anything towards our visit. I was vaguely aware that after three months of way too many 12+ hour work days I'd have a break, and I was very much so looking forward to that. But the 12+ hour work days kept me from investing much further thought into my upcoming relaxing, tropical vacation. You can imagine my reaction, then, when I got our itinerary for the trip a few days in advance: our relaxing 'vacation' included close to 20 classes we were to teach and a daily wake up time of 6am!

Although the trip was not what I originally had in mind, it was an amazing and eye opening experience. The students' desire to learn was inspiring, and the school that has been put together in partnership with PRECE has the potential to transform so many lives. In every PRECE stop my father thanked everyone for taking such good care of Kacy. What I saw, though, was more than these people simply opening their arms to Kacy, it was an amazing symbiotic relationship. The success of the environment, communities, and organizations came from working together and depending on each other. Each of the communities we entered thrived assisting each other in ways that we in America wouldn't even consider. Because Kacy has entered these communities with the goal of helping and learning, she in turn has been invited into countless incredible families, including the large amazingly interconnected and close PRECE family. Students help each other, families care for each other, and in the long run individuals grow and succeed because of each other.

What I left with was respect for everyone I met involved in PRECE and their affiliated partners, as well as confidence and amazement at what, if provided the resources they need, these individuals can accomplish. In the long run it might not have been the topical vacation I was looking forward to, but it did offer me an opportunity to open my eyes and learn from others. Plus we did get to visit a beach or two, so all in all, I’d call the vacation a success.