Making a life by what we give

My older sister recently graduated from college and while sitting in the audience of Radio City Music Hall, waiting for the commencement speaker to hurry things up and finish, she ended her remarks with the following Winston Churchill quotation: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."   His words have resonated with me over the past few weeks as I began to prepare for my second trip to Jamaica (let's be honest, preparation isn't really the best word... I just finished packing at 8:30a.m. this morning, 30 minutes before we were supposed to arrive on campus to leave). Making a life by what we give... what do I, a 20 year old college student, have to give to this world? Hopefully, by the end of  this blog post, I'll have a clearer understanding of what I have to offer while on this adventure.    I arrived to campus this morning with my roommate and fellow GSI-er to a group of 14 pleasant, excited and warm individuals. I recognized my fellow returners--Andrew, Allie, Jane, and Julia-- and was happy to see the newest additions to the GSI clan. I knew Thea took time to carefully choose students who would work well together, and I was not disappointed. Add this to an easy ride to JFK, a short wait at the security line, and a somewhat overpriced, but delicious sandwich at the JFK airport, i was content as could be.    Arriving at Montego Bay transported me back to last year. I had been on service trips before the inaugural Stevens GSI in Jamaica, but I could not help but notice how comfortable I was. It was no doubt a change of scenery, however that initial shock was not as pronounced. Merit, our driving guru and go-to man, wrapped his arms around me in a genuine and welcoming embrace. All worries, cares, and concerns melted away.   We embarked upon the first leg of our journey: the 2.5 hour drive to Taino Cove in Treasure Beach. We stopped for chicken jerky along the way (if you are unaware of the jerk, you really must hop on board... think BBQ sauce with extra kick and 1000 times better). As I slathered my chicken in jerk sauce and ate my meal, I could not help but listen to the laughter and conversation by my fellow GSI members. The conversations at dinner ranged from the locations at which we'd be serving, to difficult biomedical engineering courses, to our predictions of how many mosquito bites we'd each receive, to our excitement for the upcoming week. It is here where I found my answer to the question I first posed at the beginning of this post.   The GSI team is unique in the sense that each of us has a different background. We come from different places, we have different interests, and we have different comfort levels. Despite what many people think about our "generation," I am consistenly impressed with our desire to learn and to experience things entirely. This group does not know what it means to do a slipshod job. Each person that I am here with gives 100% of themselves to the task at hand.    So, what do we, a group of college students, have to give to this world? The answer is simple: we emit our positivity, we ignore the odds against us, and we give all of ourselves until there is nothing left.    Jamaica, how I have missed you so.    -Olivia S.