The never-ending green canopy of the Amazon Rainforest was a familiar view as our plane circled the village below. We were preparing to land and our circling plane was intended to be both visible and audio communication to those below to clear the runway.

The Achuar village of Chicherat has a dirt airstrip that is partially covered in grass. The airstrip was our access point to the village of Tiinkias, a community I have visited many times. Now, 14 students from SigEp chapter at Nebraska were my companions.

Nate Kuta, Nebraska ’15, one of the students, sat behind me with a big smile on his face that was plastered to the window.

“This is my first experience in a small plane,” Kuta said.

It was clear by the expression on his face that he was enjoying the journey.

This was the second year the fraternity brothers had asked me to lead them on a life-changing journey. One of my main goals always is to create a framework that allows the students to have an authentic experience with the extraordinary people who call the rain forest home.

Our five-day stay with the Achuar was filled with activities and experiences that would forever change the students’ outlook on life. One thing for sure, this is not a journey to Disneyland. Nothing against Disneyland, but I’ve never heard anyone come back from a visit and admit it was a life-changing experience.

While we stayed with the Achuar, we worked and learned about their way of life. We learned about the rain forest and we played. Playing was particularly important to the Achuar because it offered us the chance to take our relationship deeper.

It rains in the rain forest; but, this never stops the Achuar from having fun. So, when it came time for a soccer game, everything proceeded as planned.

It was Team Achuar, whose members consisted of elementary and middle school students and their teacher against Team Ingy. The SigEp members were Team Ingy, which is what the Achuar call visitors from outside the rain forest.

The rain poured and the game continued. The clay field became muddy and greasy. Stopping and accelerating became tricky for the untrained legs of the students from Nebraska. As they passed the ball from player to player, often the ball rolled away as the visitors’ legs spun in place unable to gain traction.

On the edge of the field, the village women watched the game and roared with laughter. The game got sloppier and the playing field greasier as the rain continued to fall.

The Achuar children scored first, which brought cheers and more laughter.

The SigEps weren’t about to give up, and with persistence they scored a goal. What followed was a sight I am sure the Achuar had never before seen. After the goal, all the SigEps ran across the field, jumped into a belly flop and slid across the muddy field. The laughter from the Achuar was louder than the rain.

When the game was over, both teams went to the river and washed off their mud-covered bodies. The only clean part of the students’ bodies was their white teeth, showing because of big smiles.

Afterward, a couple of the University of Nebraska SigEp students summarized their experience.

“The trip was a genuine experience that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. It opened up my eyes to how beautiful and kind the rest of the world can be. Also, it helped to show how people can be so different yet so alike,” said Nick Wilkinson, Nebraska ’18.

“I realized the importance of appreciating what you have and not taking anything for granted. I also learned to work extremely hard and always keep working toward living your dream,” said Connor Koukol, Nebraska ’17.

When we help shape young minds toward this type of outlook, it creates hope for a different future – a future where the laughter is louder than the rain.

Dean Jacobs was born in Wahoo Nebraska. Growing up in the Midwest gave him an appreciation for the simple things in life. He was employed in sales and marketing by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals for 10 years. After a great deal of soul searching Dean left the security of corporate America, and decided to pursue other dreams. This was the beginning of a process that would lead to a traveling adventure that would span twenty-two and half months and cover twenty-eight countries. Taking photos became a natural expression of the journey for Dean as he documented and verified the common ground of our humanity. To Dean, photography is a discovery process where something extraordinary can be found within the confines of ordinary life.

Originally published in the Freemont Tribune.