The following reflections were made by the students, faculty, and Paraguayan who have formed Team Tobati over the past 10 years:
"When I think of Tobati I see the faces of my host family who honestly loved each of us American girls as if we were their own daughters or sisters. Staying with this family, I realized that Team Tobati is more than just your standard "community-service" trip. As much as the trip is about helping to building schools and distributing supplies, it's about forging a connection with people halfway around the world and discovering each other's similarities. The relationship K-O has with Tobati is symbiotic; we give to each other and rely on each other's generosity and spirit. What's great to know is that when I do go back to Tobati, I'll be able to recognize faces and see the progress made in specific schools and projects. Team Tobati has made me realize that more than anything I want to teach kids in a place like Tobati after college. Their spirit of fun and their thirst for learning are unrivaled- I've never see a child in Tobati complain of being bored, too hot, or too tired to participate in a game or lesson. Their spirit rubs off, and K-O students who at home may not like being outside working in heat work in Tobati without complaint." -Caroline Chiapetti (K-O class of 2007)
"I think my favorite part about living with the host family was actually being immersed in the culture instead of just observing it. It's such a more beneficial way of getting to know a culture when you sit down and actually have dinner with them every night and see how they operate and how their lives differ from ours. It seems like worlds away now, but when we were there, the same family values and morals were evident." Lauren Meter (K-O class of 2004 and Team Leader)
"One added bonus of the trip that I hadn't really anticipated was the connections made between the several alumni on the trip and the students themselves. These K-O grads, taking vacation time from college or work to keep their connection to Tobati, were living role models of devotion to Ron Garcia's vision. One in particular, Lynn Blanchette, K-O class of '99, was a member of the inaugural trip of 20 students to Tobati in March of 1999. She hadn't been back since then and was astonished by all that had been done by the Team for the town since then. Her first trip was still vivid in her mind, clearly a life altering one that pushed her to come back again. To see these alumni take leadership roles that week, to take part in all that the students did was wonderful to see. I was hard pressed to think of another way students and recent graduates could connect and combine towards fulfillment of a common cause." Ron Monroe (K-O English teacher and Team Leader)
"Living with local families in the area allowed us to really jump into the spirit of Tobati. Spanish speakers or not, everyone was able to communicate through the common theme of generosity." Liz Kellogg (K-O Spanish teacher and Team Leader)
"Team Tobati is easily one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I cannot even properly express in words the affect the people of Tobati have had on my life. Each trip is an amazing reminder that no matter one's socioeconomic circumstances, family and friends are the true source of happiness. We see this in Paraguay every day we are down there; the people, despite their poverty, approach everyone they meet with a kind gesture. They are gracious, kind, funny and accepting: things we do not often see in more "advanced" societies in the world day. Yes, Mr. Garcia wants us to go to Paraguay to appreciate the material things and the intangible liberties and opportunities we have as Americans, but more than that he wants us to see the persistence of the human spirit. Against unimaginable odds, the people of Tobati still lead happy, fulfilling, and just lives. He does not want us to simply go to see how lucky we are, he wants to use the people of Tobati as an example for us, a template for how to live and how to better our own lives." Benjamin Levison (K-O class of 2007)
"Team Tobati is amazing. To know that you are helping these people, you're not just sending a few bucks to a far off country, you're there. You're physically helping them build a classroom or even just playing with the younger kids. You can see their smiles, and they are the most wonderful smiles." Moe Casey (K-O class of 2009)
"My favorite part of the trip was just playing games with the kids. I was stuck playing goalie and had these little Paraguyans scoring on me like it was nobody's business, it was also a lot of fun to try and talk with the kids with very limited Spanish language expertise." Michael Sorosky (K-O class of 2007)
"I can't believe how amazing the trip was. It totally changed my perspective on how the rest of the world lives and the impact that an act of kindness can have not only on one person, but on an entire community. It's unbelievable how the gifts of going on that trip are still affecting my life. I've decided that I'm going to major in marketing and other work for non-profit organizations and the trip down to the Paraguay last march was totally what solidified that decision for me." Lauren Meter (K-O class of 2004 and Team Leader)
"I wouldn't spend my Spring Break anywhere else." Yuri Min (K-O class of 2008)
"When I go to Paraguay I can see how kindness, generosity, hard work, and a little bit of love can change someone's life." Uma Tantri (K-O class of 2007)
"I can't think of any moment during our trip to Tobati where I was ever not having a blast. From start to finish the work, the people and the experience where amazing." Emily Goodman (K-O class of 2007)
"Tobati helped me realize how much we take for granted here at home. Once you spend a few days in Tobati you realize how gracious the people are there, and how special the trip really is for them. Seeing how much they appreciate Kingswood kids really makes you feel like you've made a difference. It's a once in a lifetime experience that's unforgettable." Mary Gordan (K-O class of 2006)
"The team has saved hundreds of lives by providing medicine and doctors for Tobati's most humble residents. The team has also provided new classrooms and computers for our schools. Tobati can never repay the team for its work." - Luis Andres Ayala Kunzle (Tobati community leader)
Team Tobati has "been focused since 1998 on garnering the resources and providing the manual labor to improve education and health care in Tobati, Paraguay, one of the poorest regions of Latin America." - Points of light Foundation
"Working with Team Tobati has been one of the most incredible things I have ever done. The citizens of Tobati, although surrounded by poverty are the nicest and most generous group of people I have ever met. The experiences I shared in Paraguay with my fellow students and with the cordial residents of Tobati will be with me for the rest of my life."-Benjamin Elliott (K-O class of 2004)
"The most rewarding feeling I experienced in Tobati was seeing how excited and happy the poor kids were when we opened the new playground we built. The kids played in the playground for hours. Another incredible experience was traveling to local schools teaching English and techniques to avoid local illnesses to young children. The kids in Tobati are incredible." -Brian Sonenstein (K-O class of 2005)
"While in Tobati we spent one day at a small grade school in the poor village of Rosado. Me and my friends really enjoyed playing with the children at the school and teaching them to play pato, pato, ganso (duck, duck, goose) and then working together with the students and local workers to construct new classrooms." -Liz Reni (K-O class of 2006)
"What I enjoyed the most in Paraguay was working at the San Jose Obrero school (a small grade school in very poor Tobati neighborhood) and playing soccer with the poor kids afterwards. I really felt that these young students looked up to us and respected what we were doing." -Adam Soliman (K-O class of 2005)
"What attracts me to Team Tobati is the purity of its purpose, the clarity of its goals and how this group allows students to truly help the less fortunate first hand. The experience we all have every trip is a real one that is forever engrained in our hearts and souls. It reminds us the importance of being persons for others and caring beyond self."-Alex Zequeira (former K-O spanish teacher)
"It was an experience of a lifetime."-Christopher Pinciak (K-O class of 2004)
"Taking part in Team Tobati's community service trip was a truly unforgettable experience. By seeing how people live in developing countries, I learned to appreciate what we have in America that we take for granted."-Christopher Gent (K-O class of 2003)
"Traveling to Paraguay with Team Tobati in each of the past three years has inspired me to help those around me who are less fortunate."-Marek Barwinski (K-O class of 2003)
"Taking part in this community service trip is an eye opening experience for an American teenager." -Ian MacDonald (K-O class of 2003)
"A wonderful opportunity. Inspirational, educational, and fulfilling." -Mr. John Riley (former K-O math teacher)
"The memory that stuck out most from Paraguay was when we went to Mompox and the teacher told us the kids prayed for us because they thought we were on one of the planes involved in the September 11th terrorist attacks."-Nina Musumeci (K-O class of 2004)
"Knowing that you make a difference in these kids' lives, makes you feel great."- Tyler Northsworthy (K-O class of 2003)
"Working with Team Tobati was the most enriching experience of my life. Leaving Paraguay was one of the saddest days." -Elin Hollis (K-O class of 2003)
"Seeing how grateful and excited the Tobatians are when we arrive is an incredible feeling. It is great to see how everything we do to collect supplies and raise money goes directly to the people who need it." -Jon Landsberg (K-O class of 2002)
"Going to Tobati is definitley the most worth-while thing I have ever done. The people I met and the things I did and saw, I would not trade for anything."-Eloise Anne Rarey (K-O class of 2002)
"The education center itself is incredible. Two years ago it was just the walls of a janitor's house. Now, someone can actually imagine it being what it is supposed to be, and it's cool to see what we're helping to construct. It's going to help those people alot. -Alex Kotkin (K-O class of 2003)
"Traveling to Paraguay has showed me how one person is able to institute change but when people work together for one goal they are able to transform lives."-Leila Smaga (K-O class of 2002)
"Coming from such a privileged society, the culture shock was unbelievable. Its amazing how much in such a short time a small private school can make a difference in the lives of many Paraguayans in Tobati, and the trip is truly mind-altering." -Emma Bates (K-O class of 2001)
