When we were researching our trip to jamaica a few months ago, we came across this great map online. There was a note on the map saying that the map was free but that in return, they would appreciate donations to local schools. We were inspired to bring a bunch of school supplies with us and visit a school one day.
This ended up being the most rewarding experience that we had on that vacation. It was so interesting to see how kids in other places spend their day. The facilities were so basic but the kids were amazing. They were all smiles and just adorable. I'm sure that just like kids anywhere, they were happy that we came and distracted them from their studies (sorry, teachers). Our friends filmed the whole experience to show their own kids just how lucky they are in their state-of-the-art modern school facilities.
What made the whole day even better was that before we went, when we mentioned the idea to our helpful hotel staff/friend he mentioned that he has 2 kids but only gets to see them once a month. We worked it out with him, for him to take us to his kids' school on his day off. It was a huge bonus for us to see the big smiles on his kids faces when they saw their dad walk in and even better was the smile and pride that we saw on his face when he was able to introduce us to his children.
You know? Snorkeling is fun and laying on the beach is relaxing but getting to meet real people and see how they really live and even get a chance to share some of the things that we take for granted was the best part of the whole vacation.
