Little did I know that when I agreed to go on a vacation, it would change my life. I never knew what suffering was until I looked into the eyes of a starving child. Right then and there, I wanted to give all that I was capable of giving. When I reached out a handful of candy, I knew I was making a difference, though I wished I could have done more. I now realize I have so much more than most people.

It all started when my mom called and asked me if I wanted to go to the Dominican Republic. "Yes, of course!" I said, not fully understanding what it was really all about. Well, I thought, the Dominican Republic! How bad could that be? It would be a nice vacation. Of course, my mother explained to me that this was not a vacation, that we were going with Tzu Chi for a hurricane relief effort. But I figured it shouldn't be too terrible to hand out a little stuff, do some sight-seeing and catch a little sun. Not too bad for a VACATION!

As the departure date approached, I shopped for clothes and packed my bags as if preparing for a long-awaited vacation. It didn't really enter my mind that I was about to help with a disaster relief mission. Even the night before we left, I still asked my mom about things like what I should wear and whether or not I needed any suntan lotion. I even joked about the Dominican Republic as a place with some great areas for scuba diving. When I met the other team members from New York and New Jersey at the airport, I got even more excited. We were all going on this vacation together.

My excitement and the feeling of going on a vacation grew still greater when we landed. Loud, upbeat music blared throughout the terminal and people were singing and dancing. I thought to myself: "So this is the Dominican Republic! Pretty cool! This is going to be quite a visit." Boy, was I wrong!

When we had settled into the hotel and were eating lunch, Mary called out to me, "Hey Jimmy, why don't you go and join some of those Tzu Chi members over there?" "Sure, I'll go," I replied quickly and enthusiastically. I figured, "Hey, this gives me a good chance to do some sight-seeing."

Was I in for a trip! It gave me the first inkling of what this weekend was going to be about. My attitude changed quite rapidly. Within the five minutes it took to drive to our destination, my thoughts went from "Vacation!" to "Oh, my god, you've got to be kidding." When we arrived at the storage area where some of the donated food was being kept, I really started to understand the intensity and the importance of the relief effort, though I still didn't understand our roles in it. Gradually it all became clear to me. As I stared at all the food that was to be loaded, I said to myself, "Wow, that's a lot of food, but it shouldn't be too bad. It'll be pretty quick with the forklifts." As I expressed my willingness to help with the forklifts, I heard someone utter the words I will never forget: "There is no forklift." A cold shiver went down my spine. At that moment, I fully understood the reason for my presence there. All of us joined in to move over three hundred twenty-five-pound bags of rice, noodles and beans. My muscles cried out. But I also came to know many of the Tzu Chi members I was working with. As the day went on, I kept thinking to myself, "Please, no more bags! I don't think I can take much more of this." We finished loading the trailer at about eight o'clock that night. It was a relief to get back to the hotel, where we were greeted with songs and food. At that moment, I felt that one day of hard labor wasn't all that terrible. Give me a shower and a good night's sleep, and I'll be fine. Wrong again! I was told that my wake-up call would be at three o'clock in the morning. Three in the morning! You've got to be kidding! I was to head out with the first group. I looked at my watch. Oh, my god, it was midnight! Still, I figured I could sleep on the truck. My last thoughts after I crawled into bed were, "I don't think I can take much of this."

It seemed I had just closed my eyes when my morning call came. I couldn't believe it was three o'clock already. All I could think about was, "SLEEP, I need sleep!" After we located the convoy of trucks, each of us was assigned to a truck. I figured, "Okay, I'm in my truck now and we've got a four-and-a-half-hour road trip ahead. Yes, SLEEP! What else can go wrong?" The convoy of trucks had gone for little more than an hour before the leading truck blew out two tires. It was about five o'clock in the morning. We were on a dark highway in the middle of nowhere with other trucks passing us at full speed. I felt a bit disoriented and scared and I was hoping for a quick fix to the problem. I thought, "What more can possibly happen?" But it happened. Before I realized what was going on, another truck was pulling up behind the one with the flat tires. They needed to lighten the load. As the rear doors opened, my heart sank and my muscles ached...

As the convoy slowly neared the town of Polo, its destination, the destruction of the hurricane became more visible. Roads were badly eroded, trees uprooted, debris scattered everywhere. My first reaction was, "Oh, my god, what happened here?" The convoy dropped me off at the wrong location, a hospital. As I made my way to the correct location, I saw lots of little kids sitting in the streets, doing nothing. One little boy was just sitting there by the side of the road, holding his baby sister. As he stared into my eyes, I couldn't help but feel pity and sorrow.

When I turned around the corner, the realization of how much destruction there was in the town of Polo hit me straight between my eyes. Looking across the huge gash where a landslide had occurred, I realized the power of nature. It looked as if a sharp butcher knife had chopped its way through the middle of Polo, slicing it into two halves. Right there and then, I understood the purpose of my "vacation." It was a lesson in LIFE. These people here really needed our help. My heart spoke to me: "Do something. Do anything you can to help ease the suffering you see before you."

As the day went by, the members of our group gave all they had to touch whomever they could reach. As we handed out the last parcel of food, I couldn't help but think, "We need to give them more." What made the deepest impression on me wasn't giving all that food to the families, but seeing that we had made a difference in their lives. At one point, some of the Tzu Chi women asked me to escort them to the restrooms in the hospital. As we walked through the same streets that I had walked up before, I saw the same little children sitting by the side of the road. "Oh, my god! These kids have been sitting here for a few hours now!" I was determined to find some candy for them. Yes, I knew there were strict organizational rules about giving things out. But if you had seen the emptiness in their eyes, you would understand. I searched all over the hospital for a bag of candy. Finally, I found some. As I went back up the street, I recognized the four- or five-year-old boy still holding his infant sister. Picture this boy sitting on the side of the street for god knows how many hours, holding his baby sister. As I reached across to give him a handful of candy, he gave me something that I can't even begin to describe in words. When I saw his expressionless face give me a smile, I knew I had made a difference in his life. In that one second, he showed me "LIFE."

On the third day, we arrived at La Romana, where people live under conditions that are hard to imagine, substandard for any living thing. As we drove through mountains of debris, I wondered how anyone could be living there. But this is all the people of La Romana have. When I took the opportunity during a break to hand out candy to some children, I passed by the home of a little boy who reached out trying to get my attention. As I handed him some candy, I noticed four or five of his siblings running around behind him and I also saw his mother feeding an infant inside. As I motioned to the other kids to come and get candy, she invited me in. At first I hesitated, but I was also curious to see how the people lived. I almost cried. Their entire home was about the size of my bedroom, put together with some wooden poles and sheet metal for a roof. None of the children wore any clothing. An empty space on the dirt floor probably represented their sleeping quarters. A few pots and a bottle of muddy water stood in the corner. I could not believe what I was seeing. I never would have imaged anyone living in conditions such as these. It made me realize that we shouldn't take for granted all the things life has given us. Just imagine no clean water! It is one of the most essential parts of life. My little bit of hardship over the previous few days cannot begin to compare to the suffering these people experience in a single day without food and water. It really made me reflect on my own life.

Before I went on this "vacation," I didn't know what Tzu Chi was all about. But working alongside Tzu Chi members and seeing the respect and love everyone had for one another, I made some true friends and I came to realize that Tzu Chi is like one big family. Now I understand why one of the favorite Tzu Chi songs is "We are all one family."

I am thankful to have been part of this relief mission. I am especially thankful to my mother for giving me this opportunity. To see what I have seen and to be able to help others has changed my view of life and of what is ahead for me. I hope I will be given another opportunity in the future. Thank you!