AMH2020 student*
“I've learned that
people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people
will never forget how you made them feel”- Maya Angelou.
The people of
United States Military are those we should take our hats off to and get on one
knee for. All those men from the navy, marines, and army keep us safe and let
us live the lives we always wanted without any complaints. We should do the
same in helping those deployed or retired live safe, tummy full lives because
that is our job as citizens. We cannot back out on the men that have risked
everything for us because they deserve so much more than what they are given.
Americans need to step up by sending more boxes and donating more money to the
troops, they should not have to carry out the struggle of what they went
through in war in real life, they deserve a break.
Maya Angelou’s quote makes
me think after I help out veterans or send boxes to Afghanistan that I feel
like the good man behind the window, that one does not know. I feel like I am
that man who gives what he can and is appreciated even though has no clue what
he looks like and how good his really intentions are. In doing my service project I thought how my
nice deed of buying good and shipping them to men deployed made me a better
person and impacted someone’s life greatly and community.
I
chose the job in mailing a box to Afghanistan and it was definitely one of the
highlights of my year. I admit right now I am not a person who gives back to
the community at all, I would much rather donate money than physically doing
the action. I would rather give money because when I do physical work and see
the poverty and conditions people are living in leaves me very emotional and
depressed and I would much rather not feel those emotions. By mailing a box to
Afganistan I was able to see a different part of myself that I never before
encountered. The first task in creating the box was going to Publix to buy the
goods required for the box and I literally went ham. I felt as if the best way
possible to support is by buying everything on the list, so I did. I thought of
Cuban grandma at that moment because all she wants is for me to do is “comer
comer comer hasta que yo me explota,” she taught me to always be giving in
everything I do and never take the cheap way out of things.
In picking each
good I felt happy that I was giving back to those soldiers who have nothing in
the ugly, hot, desert that is Afghanistan. It was time to go to the post office
and when I got down with all the things I bought I realized I bought so much
more than what would fit in a flat rate box. I thought mailing something would
be a piece of cake but it ended up being “una locura.”
I have never mailed
anything in my life and it took me forever to figure out everything. Every time
I would go to the counter with a sealed box thinking it was done the lady kept
telling me something else was wrong, I kept thinking, “Que dificil es esta mierda,
soy un tremendo bobo”, It was time to pay and send the box and the lady at the
post office was already giving me a rude look, not caring I put the box on top
of the counter, so excited that the stuff I bought would soon be in the hands
of a soldier. The lady then began to roll her eyes at me and tell me rude
comments about packing the box so much but I didn’t care. I then paid and left
and felt like a new person because I gave back to the boys out there fighting
for us.
My
core value is happiness and mailing a box to Afghanistan related to my
happiness. I am the type of person who always gets Christmas gifts for everyone
because it makes me happy when I see them light up when they receive something
special that I bought them. Also, I love taking pictures to remember those
happy funny times that I can relate with my friends and family on whether it be
karaoke to Celia Cruz on Christmas or attending Ava’s college party, times I
want to remember forever. From going out to buy goods and shipping a box to a solder
I believe that I reached their happiness because they got a present full of the
things they love. I just wish I could see the look on their faces when they
received it. The impact that I made on that soldiers’ life must be a big one
because I hope he believes that there are people like myself who thank him for
being over there and putting his life in danger so I can live a happy life. I
hope all the soldiers and veterans know that there are people out there who
want to give back to them and make them comfortable and happy. I have
confidence that the project of sending goods to Afghanistan8 will touch all of
TCC and lead to all of Tallahassee carrying out actions like these to impact
our troops.
