In college, I traveled to Brazil and lived in a village in the Amazon rainforest for 1 month.

The goal was to help the village complete a couple of projects they set out to accomplish with the extra hands that we provided...

(A Thread)

The first days were tough. The language barrier, the time difference, the unique way of life that we had never experienced before.

It was challenging to assist them when we couldn't understand how they worked as a unit.

As the days progressed, we began to form bonds with some of the villagers. Many of them were our age and we communicated through music, dancing, and movement.

The projects began flowing as well and we were able to build a foundation for a fish food factory in only a couple days.

After the fish food factory, our communications were on lock. Our next goal was to plant fruit trees to expand their sources of food and rebuild part of the forest that had been cut down.

These projects were stressful. We often hit many roadblocks and frustrations as a group.

People got sick, it poured rain, but we had to push through and the Brazilians stopped for nothing. They supported us, encouraged us and laughed at us as we stumbled through many of our tasks.

Each day ended in exhaustion, a hot meal, and celebration of what we had completed.

At the end of our month, we had accomplished more than we set out to originally, and the villagers were grateful.

We formed deep bonds with a group of people by adapting and figuring out ways to communicate that wasn't through language itself.

Often times those bonds are stronger when everyone involved goes through a struggle together. You come out on the other side a winner, a king.

When you have a team, it's important to understand how everyone communicates. Find a common ground and utilize it to progress through your struggle.

Embrace the moment and know that when you come out of it, you will have learned more than you ever imagined.