Michael Gladstone, Walsh Jesuit High School student, reflects on a recent immersion trip to Ecuador: I was told to go into my immersion experience in Ecuador with an open heart and an open mind. What I did not predict was the magnitude at which God’s presence would fill these open spaces through the people I grew to love.
Archive | Solidarity Stories
Little Mustard Tree, Where are Thee?
Posted on 15 March 2013.
Little Mustard Tree, Where are Thee?, a poem written by Carolina Dominguez, Spring Hill College ’13 after her immersion in Kingston, Jamaica.
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Using the Love in Your Heart
Posted on 07 February 2013.
It took a trip to the other side of the world for me to realize that sometimes, solidarity just means being there. Our team spent a little more than a week in rural Tamil Nadu, in the southern part of India. Much of our time was spent at Loyola Higher Secondary School where we taught for one day, but much of our time on campus was spent with Dalit, or “untouchable,” children.
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Try to Talk to People No Matter How Hard
Posted on 29 January 2013.
Before our flight took off we were given the routine instruction to turn off our cell phones, for me it marked the beginning of a week of detachment from technology, my daily routine and life as I formerly knew it. As I prepared to power down my phone I received one last text message.
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Finding Commonalities, Building Friendships: An Immersion Experience in Belize
Posted on 24 August 2012.
Sometimes the hardest part of an immersion experience is returning home. Everything feels, looks, tastes, and sounds a little different than it did before.
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Who is Your Cause?
Posted on 06 August 2012.
Last week Maria sat me down in our kitchen to braid my hair and I started thinking about why I had wanted to come to the Oakland Catholic Worker this summer…
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Solidarity: Living the Life Laid out for Us
Posted on 02 August 2012.
In preparation for a service immersion trip, it is hard to predict the kind of experience you will have…
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“Solidarity: Through love, we are united to one another”
Posted on 01 July 2012.
As we walked past the classrooms, beaming faces and tiny hands reached out to us. High pitched “hola’s” followed us everywhere we traveled. Every once in a while, petite hands snaked their way into our grasp or around our waists. We looked down to find shining little eyes staring up at us with curiosity and acceptance. Love poured from their stares, touch, and sweet little voices.
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“Solidarity is mutual respect and understanding”
Posted on 08 March 2012.
Looking back on my immersion experience now, I see now that the concept of ‘solidarity’ is a complex one. For me, the foundation of ‘solidarity’ with another community is made up of a mutual respect and understanding between the two communities, along with an overarching unified theme of wanting to learn about the other.
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“Solidarity is a combination of both empathy and understanding”
Posted on 24 February 2012.
I recently returned from an immersion trip to New Orleans, my second immersion experience but my first domestic trip. As the student leader for the trip, I spent a great deal of time preparing our group for what to expect, but the actual word ‘solidarity’ was never brought up in our pre-trip meetings. I think that many of the general concepts of solidarity were touched upon, but the word itself is hard to define and therefore hard to teach. I am a firm believer that ‘solidarity’ is one of those rare words that can take a unique shape depending on the individual experience.
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“They wound up teaching me more than I could ever possibly teach them”
Posted on 24 February 2012.
This past January, I was blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime; I embarked on my first-ever international service-immersion experience, which was organized by the campus ministry office of my primary undergraduate institution (Canisius College in Buffalo, New York). This experience enabled twelve Canisius College students and two Canisius College professors to live alongside the Dalit (also referred to as the “Untouchables”) for two weeks in the province of Tamil Nadu in southern India.
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“It is the common thread of humanity that eternally connects us all”
Posted on 15 February 2012.
Technically speaking, the word “solidarity” means “the feeling or expression of union in a group formed by a common interest”. While preparing for my two week service-immersion trip to Southeastern India, that term was thrown around in discussion quite a lot. The leaders proclaimed it as a “cornerstone” upon which we were to base our trip. Going into the experience, I had such a basic dictionary definition of the word and essentially nothing else. Yes, I knew that I was going to form bonds with the people with whom I worked and interacted; however, after actually going through this magnificent experience, I now fully comprehend the meaning of this term.
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“Being in solidarity with another suggests two or more people on equal ground”
Posted on 27 September 2011.
Being in solidarity with another suggests two or more people on equal ground. Maybe the world does not need help per say but rather solidarity amongst all people.
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“Even if it is as simple as a dirt-covered marble”
Posted on 07 September 2011.
“We were able to have a small glimpse into their lives, what troubles they face and what brings them joy… even if it is as simple as a dirt-covered marble.” -Sandy, Canisius College
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