September 2, 2015 - 20:07
![lortega's picture lortega's picture](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ebf06a3f6bb1aa9028a0d23a5922566e.jpg?d=https%3A//serendipstudio.org/oneworld/files/pictures/SerendipStudioAvatar.png&s=100&r=G)
Last summer, I decided to travel for the first time, by myself, and across the country from where I am from (Texas) to meet with a group of 9 strangers to work on a 21-days-long, back-country community service project Maine. It has been the most rewarding experience of my life so far, and I cannot imagine who and where I would be without it. It pushed me physically, mentally, and emotionally, and it gave me the opportunity to find parts of myself I had never even imagined existed. That summer, I learned what it means to be happy and at peace with one's self and surroundings.