Students from West Point recently came to volunteer at JWOC. In their blog posts they explain about what they did and what they learned…


I have done a lot of community service project before in the past, especially in foreign countries. However, I have never traveled to Asia. All of my projects have been in Central and South America. I was a little nervous before this trip because I just didn’t know what to expect. However, I had a blast running our self defense class and helping out in conversational English classes.

 It was an interesting challenge to overcome the language barrier during these activities. This was especially true during the conversational English classes we helped out with. I often found myself relying on my body language or simplified English to help them learn. This challenge was not only beneficial for the student learning English but it was a lot of fun for me to think of different ways to express what I wanted to say.

I also had an especially fun time during our self defense classes. I can say with confidence that the participants all learned something from the class. Some may have learned more than others but if nothing else everyone including myself had a great time. In addition to interacting with the kids who participated in our self defense class, I also had an amazing time playing with the kids between classes.

Through all of my experiences I have always found it amazing how happy all the kids are despite the poverty they live in. I am truly envious of these children’s ability to live a happy life without the worldly possessions that we often take for granted. I always felt so welcome and everyone I encountered, staff and students, were always energetic and polite. All in all this was a truly rewarding experience.