About the author: Elizabeth, aka Mija, traveled with The Ties Program when she was 15 years old. She wrote this essay for her college entrance exams, and recently updated it for a college English paper. She is currently 28 years old, attesting to the fact that the trip is a “beginning” or a day of birth as Mija states in … Read More
Homeland Travel Reactions of the Kids, Nico’s Story
By Guest Author Molly Kaye, aka Mom Nico and I returned from his birth country in January, and Nico headed back to school. Since our return, his teacher has commented how different he seems. She says he is participating more eagerly in class and is more open and engaging. He was always a popular and charismatic kid, but now he … Read More
Family and Community
“[When I think about Peru] I think about how friendly the people are there and how they treat you like family even if they don’t know you, and I wish that it could be like that here in the USA.” – Two years after my first birth country trip, 14 years old, 2003 I first went back to visit my … Read More