Coming Full Circle

Post Merida Blog Reflection by Katie Kapp

Merida will always hold a very special place in my heart. I went on the first ABST to Merida two short years ago as a freshman, and I fell in love with the city. Between the kindness, generosity, and love I witnessed and felt from all in Merida and its surrounding pueblos, I knew that my first visit to Merida would not be my last. So when I learned I would be co-leading the ABST to Merida this year, I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement.

Last year, I decided to serve a summer term as an AmeriCorps member in my hometown, inspired by my experiences on ABSTs. My main responsibility was to be a “teacher” in the day-camp for 3^rd-6^th graders. One of my coworkers led an activity for our children where they made a splatter painting, which was then cut up and distributed to all who helped make the painting. When I returned to campus in the fall and reflected on my time as an AmeriCorps member with CSC Assistant Director Jessie Badach Hubert, she encouraged me to come “full circle” with my experiences.

Drawing upon my days as a day-camp “teacher,” the transition to being a student leader and “maestra” at Nueva Vida was an easy one. Bringing the splatter paint activity to Nueva Vida was my idea, and I can confidently say it was a successful one, evidenced by one of the girls shouting, “Soy una artista!” (“I am an artist!”) as she threw paint on the canvas. We cut up the painting and gave a piece to each Nueva Vida girl and staff member, Gannon team member, and community individual who helped us throughout the week. The painting was representative of the community that we, as ambassadors of Gannon and the United States, worked to build with the Mission of Friendship and the Yucatan region.

Warmed both by the long, sunny days and the open, generous hearts of its residents, Merida was as beautiful as I had remembered it. I am proud that I was able to guide eight students through their experience in Merida and share my love for the region with them, and I definitely emerged a stronger leader from the experience. Coming home, I carried a sense of peace with me, knowing that I had internally come “full circle.” I don’t know when I will return to Merida again, but I do know that it’s a question of “when,” not “if.”