Five Years on with Sara

Tue 25th February 2020

Sara was one of our very first recipients of support at The Realising Dreams Foundation. Sara spent a life-changing year as a teacher touching the lives of young people in Honduras ahead of realising her dreams to study languages at university.

5 years on, we’re delighted Sara has agreed to share her journey since then with us.
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The Realising Dreams Foundation – 5 years on.

“You are often asked ‘What’s your five year plan?’ I’ve never had a very clear answer to this but if you had asked me that question five years ago, I could never have imagined what the answer would be.

“At 17 years old and in my second last year of high school, I was starting to think about what was going to come next. I knew that I loved learning languages and studying them at university seemed like the obvious next step. I wanted to apply to study French and Spanish, with my sights set on the University of Edinburgh.

“Five years ago, the path I was on changed completely when I heard of Project Trust. Project Trust are an educational charity that send young people overseas to volunteer for a year. It was through Project Trust that I was given the opportunity to teach English in a primary school in rural Honduras.

Sara during her time in Honduras in 2016/17

“Five years ago, the Realising Dreams Foundation helped make this possible. In order to cover my costs for the entire year I had to raise £6,200, which was a valuable part of the experience but very overwhelming. Not only did the Realising Dreams Foundation aid me in my fundraising by printing leaflets to further my efforts, but they also offered an award to help me reach by goal!

“I went on to have the most amazing year in Honduras. I moved to a tiny town of 800 people in the mountainous Lempira region and taught English to all six grades of the primary school. I also taught some extra classes in the high school, and evening adult class and even ran a choir for a while!

“I managed to achieve some tremendous things in the year I spent there. I gained a home and a family on the other side of the world. I made lifelong friends in the form of the other volunteers, some of whom are still my best friends. I lived away from home for a year, without seeing my family for most of that time, proving I can handle things on my own. I overcame challenges such as hospital trips and rowdy children. I became fluent in a language that I still love to speak. I curated a blog which provides a powerful look back on to so many aspects of my year, for me and for others. I became a teacher and experienced everything that comes along with it. I cherish all of these things and endlessly appreciate the fact that I had the opportunity to achieve all of these things

“Now, five years on, I am in my third year studying Chinese and French at the University of Edinburgh. If I hadn’t become fluent in Spanish while living in Honduras, I never would have considered studying Chinese and now I have just returned from 5 amazing months studying in China.

“Five years on and Honduras has taught me I am more than I ever thought I could be. I am stronger and more independent than I knew. I am adventurous, spontaneous and brave. I know just how happy and confident I can be. All of these things are due to the opportunities that I have been afforded in life, opportunities that I am incredibly thankful for and at least part of that thanks must go to the Realising Dreams Foundation for their support. “

Sara while studying in Shanghai in 2019/20