Teresa Fernandez, sociology senior, worked three hours a day five days a week digging a ditch in the hot African sun last summer. She even contracted malaria. But she had a mind broadening experience.

Fernandez was one of four students who shared their experiences about a two-month-long trip to Africa through a program named Operation Cross Roads.

They spoke Wednesday evening in the Ignatius Chapel.

Operation Crossroads is an organization started in 1957 between the United States and Africa in order to send U.S. citizens to Africa to do community service.

Heather Morgan, environmental studies senior, Fernandez, Reanda Fields, sociology junior, and Hajad Hassan, a Xavier University student, were the presenters.

These four people, although going to Africa by the same means, had very different experiences.

Fernandez and Morgan were sent to Gambia, a place known as “the smiling coast of Africa,” “We were a part of the construction group,” said Fernandez. “Our job was to dig ditches for ten more water taps for the village.”

“They taught me genuine kindness,” she said. “They took care of me when I was sick and they barely knew me.”

Morgan, while having a similar experience, was introduced to something totally different.

“I spent Sundays helping a nearby clinic,” she said. “Antibiotics are four times more expensive [in Gambia] than in America.”

Although Morgan and Fernandez believed the Gambians had everything they needed, they still believed they needed money.

“Almost everything is cheap except books,” she said. “Education is fiendishly expensive.”

Morgan saw the overpriced books and medicine but inexpensive clothes and trinkets.

Hajar Hassan, however, was a part of the medical project. She experienced treating very sick people with a minimal amount of medicine.

“We were limited to the medicines we could use,” she said. “All of our medicine sat on one desk top not organized in any particular order.”Hassan spoke of some children who had to get limbs amputated due to boils getting out of hand because there wasn’t the proper medicine available.

Even though she dealt with the diseases and medical problems of her Gambian village, Hassan still had an optimistic outlook about Gambia and it’s natives.

“Overall they were so kind and generous,” she said.

“I believe what’s keeping these people alive, despite their diseases, is there beauty”

The final presenter, Reanda Fields, spoke with a trembling voce and tear-filled eyes.

Fields was sent to an area named Malawi as a U.S. Ambassador. Her mission was to go and discuss HIV and AIDS with the Malawi natives.

“I can say a whole lot, but I won’t,” she said.

“I’m still dealing with a lot of what we experienced.”

Fields spoke about the malnutrition of the children, the poor education, and the extremely short life expectancy rate (37 years old) of the people in Malawi.

Fields mentioned the beauty of Malawi and it’s people.

She spoke of her good times and her bad moments.

“There are some children in Africa that didn’t know that there were African-Americans,” she said. ” That was one of the most hurtful things to me.”

“We all went for different reasons, but I have to go back,” she said, ” I have to go home.”