My Syrian Experience

Be it the birth of Christ or the victory of the revolution against the Greek-Syrian, many families come together to share during the holiday seasons. Even though traditions and beliefs are different in every household, an ultimate goal is reached; unity. This among other valuable lessons, I learned working by the side of Lupita and a number of genuine souls.
At the beginning of my eight grade year Mrs. Duarte, Lupita’s mom, made an announcement during youth group. The special needs group at the church was coming together to form a caroling choir, Estrellitas de Dios. The choir’s goal was to spread the joy of Christmas to those in need. With three months in advance these kids were to practice different Christmas carols every Monday for …show more content…
For many of those kids their future was already planned out and it wasn’t to be a promising one. They were to depend on their parents for almost everything and their education would stop with a high school diploma. To my surprise there was also two deaf kids who were willing to use their hands and sign the songs along with the rest of us. Off the bat, those kids made me realize that with a good attitude anything can happen. When we were finally formally introduced, a little girl gave me a compliment and I quickly felt welcomed. That night and every Monday I went home amazed. Through their actions I learned to accept and build relationships with anyone regardless of their …show more content…
Every visit touched my heart and little by little made me view life differently. I had become more caring and accepting towards others. Personally, the visit that impacted me the most was the Children’s hospital visit. I remember how excited all of our kids were to perform. The nurses had told us we were only allowed to sing from outside the hallways. As we caroled from hall to hall, little heads began to pop out from the rooms. Most of these kids were to spend their Christmas at the hospital. At one point of our visit my voice began to break, and tears began to roll down my face, but the special needs kids kept me strong. Once again they were the ones teaching me valuable lessons. No matter what we were experiencing, they never stopped singing and smiling. They knew what they were doing, and the joy they were bringing. Through their performance that night I learned to stand stay strong and lighthearted when times get