Personal Narrative: My Relief Trip To New Jersey

The Relief trip to New Jersey was my first volunteer trip. It ensued from the 2nd of August to the 10th of August 2013, barely two months after I arrived in the United States. However, it was a terrific experience for me. This trip created a wonderful opportunity for me to meet forty incredible people who had the same objective as I did: helping people. These people were more than willing to work cooperatively with strangers in order to achieve this goal. During the nine days spent in New Jersey, we became more than a team, we became a family. We went to the beach, took pictures, played games, talked, laughed and prayed together.
We served for four days. We were divided into two groups and worked at two homes, Mrs. Judy and Fred’s. I worked

at Mrs. Judy’s home, sanding and mudding the walls for four days. The tasks may sound painless, monotonous and insignificant, but I assure you, they were not. Sanding and mudding were crucial requirements for the walls before painting. We had to fix earlier mistakes and create a smooth wall. The final paint job was a revelation of our excellent job. Besides, I was not for a single moment bored while carrying out my duties because we engaged in singing and storytelling. I met Mrs. Judy on our last day of work. Mrs. Judy was a nice, charming lady with an amazing smile with which she welcomed us into her lovely home. Although I never had the chance to have a conversation with her, I knew she was a strong, beautiful woman and I enjoyed working on her home. On the other hand, I was fortunate to chat with Fred, a charismatic man with a great sense of humor. Fred had been dejected after hurricane Sandy attacked and he hardly spoke to anyone. However, when troops of volunteers started appearing in his neighborhood to help build homes, he lit up and transformed to his former loving, delightful self. He worked with volunteers, and kept them company with great stories about his community.
I volunteered again in 2014 for the Sandy relief trip. This time, I advanced to tasks that required technicality. I worked on two apartments. I operated the hand saw, assisted in fixing doors in homes and received knowledge on the basics of dry walling in the first apartment. In the other apartment, I was involved in sanding, mudding and painting of walls. The sandy relief volunteer trip has become a part of me I intend to be a part of it as long as I can.
I sympathize with Mrs. Judy and Fred and other individuals in the community who lost their possessions and I admire them for their strength and willingness to move on. I believe it was a dreadful experience for them. The adage goes “when there is life, there is hope”, but these victims’ hopes were shattered when their homes were destroyed. Therefore, restoring smiles on their face by my simple act of kindness made me feel like I had accomplished something great. By volunteering, I was rebuilding homes, hopes and joy of victims of the unforeseen natural disaster. Most importantly, I believe this is what we as humans have been called to do, to love and care for our neighbors and those in need. The volunteer trip heavily reflects on my desire to work in the medical field. It has changed my perspective on my career as a neurosurgeon. I would not merely be a doctor who brings joy to patients and families with my head and hands but be a doctor who brings joy and hope with my heart.