No greater feeling

it has actually taken me about 2 years to write the experience i had summer 2009 with kuleba...because every time i thought of what to say i couldn't explain the feeling....kuleba has opened up my eyes to things i never knew were possible... the chance we had to bring gilbert and mukiza to the united states was amazing because you can only really believe something when you see it for yourself...as for many non Americans, America looks like a place of fun and everything is perfect.. which is not true..gilbert and mukiza had the chance to see that first hand... they thought all Americans teenagers partied all the time which for most of us isn't true...we went all over from p.a. to Washington dc, jersey and the most important and of course new york city..i just have to bring this back to the airport when i saw them in JFK...that moment brought tears to my eyes...because i was a part of making their long time dream a miracle...from then on we just had an amazing time showing them around..one thing that stuck to me was in the Holocaust museum Washington dc...the year before that we were in the Kigali memorial and the same exact faces i saw that day were the faces at the museum.. because they suffered through the same thing.. at the museum the genocide in Africa had there area also and i knew it felt good to see that there story is also heard here..because at the end of the day that's what they want for there stories to be heard so that something like this doesn't happen again....kuleba is just an eye opener and deserves to keep going for ever.. its showed me not to give up and when i want to give up on something i just think back and know that i cant because there are others that need help.. and i pretty sure this kuleba team will keep this going for years.. because the world needs everyone of us to never give up and make a difference ....for the people that made this possible many thanks...try and keep it coming so that we would be able to help there entire community because everyone deserves a chance to be able to go to school and have food....i hope this is to be continued because kuleba exchange has just begun

yours truly,
maria

Time After Time...

It's been a few weeks since our adventure has come to an end. I miss everyone so much and it makes me so happy to wake up each day thinking of the times we all shared and how committed we were each day as a team to just make the best of any situation and activity. This truly has been a life changing experience for me because it showed me that i am much more capable of so many things I never thought I was. I have never given myself time to just think and appreciate life and what it brings. This trip brought out the best of that and now that it's all over, I still carry on with myself with that same perspective. and I owe it all to the people who just stood by me all the way.

I also see this trip as our OWN season of the Real World. LOL. Reason why is because for two whole weeks I was going to be with people I didn't know much of besides the staff. We all come from different boroughs and backgrounds. The only difference was that there was no drama, or fighting! We all got along so well and we got to learn more about each other each day and it's a good feeling knowing that after this experience is over, you leave with SO MUCH MORE than when you originally walked in with. New friends, new experiences, etc.

Amy, Aimee, Yael, Dana, Gilbert, Mukiza, Maria, Jennifer, Nori, Axel, Oliver, Aurelio.
Thank you all for contributing yourself to this experience and making it worth while.
I love you guys all, very much. I hope the rest of your summer is as great, as the moments we spent it together.

Love always, Edwin Alejandro.
<3

I have been friends with Mukiza and Gilbert for 2 weeks now but I feel like I could've known them my whole life. Our bond was out of this world. Not only did you teach me about life but it is because of you that we got to know and love each other the way we do. They were always willing to listen , loved to learn, always willing to share and enjoyed every single thing that came at them. Everytime i think of them i envision their smies. We went through all of this together
Amy, Aimee, Yael, Nori, Edwin, Maria, Axel, Aurelio, Oliver & thanks to everyone who helped and everyone we met along the way.
None of us have been to most of the places we went to and I am so glad that as a group we got to experience this beautiful journey. Kuleba Exchange has changed my life and me. I Miss You Mukiza and Gilbert. I Love You Guys! You will always be in my pocket aka my heart LOL

Jenny