Never have I ever…

Never have I ever had to take care of 200 screaming campers.
Never have I ever had to share a house with 11 other people that I barely know.
Never have I ever had to explain the concept of raising one’s hand before asking a question.
Never have I ever had to wait until a certain time of the day to take a shower.
Never have I ever had to use the words “erexek” (“children”) and “soos mna” (“stay quiet”) so many times in one day.
Never have I ever had to live out of a suitcase for seven weeks.
Never have I ever had to live without any Internet access.
Never have I ever had to carry toilet paper around with me everywhere I go.
Never have I ever had Nutella sandwiches for so many meals.
Never have I ever lost my voice in such a short amount of time.
Never have I ever seen kids so grateful to receive such simple items like water bottles, t-shirts and toothbrushes.
Never have I ever had so much fun hanging out at home with the same group of people every single night.
Never have I ever seen kids so enthusiastic and eager about learning.
Never have I ever been so excited to be woken up at 8am with pillows being thrown at me.
Never have I ever had my name chanted by 200 kids.
Never have I ever been so happy to be without Internet access.
Never have I ever been so excited to answer the same question over and over and over again.
Never have I ever gotten so close to 11 people within such a short period of time.
Never have I ever felt so important to a group of kids.
Never have I ever heard children speak so passionately about where they come from.
Never have I ever felt so close to my homeland.
Never have I ever been so happy about the decision I made to participate in Youth Corps.

Eternally grateful,

Lori Tashdjian