alike. We were staying in Rabat with twenty-one other students and living with host families, which allowed me to gain a unique insight to the daily life of an Arab in Morocco.
After thirty minutes passed, and still no medical support, a local man offered himself as a translator. We told him to tell her to speak if possible. He relayed the message in the colloquial dialect, Darija. We waited in silence… “ظهري” she said, her voice barely audible. She had pain in her back. We instantly thought neck or spinal injury and felt for indications of pain along her back.
Not long after, a young Moroccan doctor appeared who, like so many, had little access to proper neck trauma treatment. The paramedics finally arrived. It took them well over a half hour to reach the scene. I was taken aback by the doctor’s lack of basic medical expertise as he removed the helmet, when she could possibly have a neck injury. I realized on that day my calling was service. I thought about possibly creating an organization that would aid countries by gathering some of the world’s finest teachers and doctors and sending them to universities and medical schools in Africa and the Middle East to improve education and training, raise money for hospitals, enhance medical technology, and fund more emergency vehicles to improve response time in crises such as this one.
I thrive and experience the most gratification when I help children and adults from any background or culture. Over seven mission trips I have rebuilt homes in the aftermath of destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Isaac in New Orleans. I reconstructed the spirit and lives of the poverty-stricken in Appalachia Virginia, and I watched the kids of Manus, Brazil buzz in excitement as I