March 21, 2012

Today was the third day of our Spring Break service trip, and so far so good. Time is flying by. I’m having so much more fun than I thought I would be on this trip, especially considering how wary and nervous I was the night before we drove down here. I kept having second thoughts about the trip and what it would be like, if I would get along with all of the other people, and what the service activities would be like in Atlanta. But everything is going so well so far; it’s so much better than I had expected. The other people with me are a huge part of that. I never would have thought I would ever be hanging out with such a diverse group of people all at the same time. Honestly, I kind of love them all already. Anyways, today our group had to split into two groups: one worked in Café 458, the other went to Career Services. I was part of the group that stayed at the café, and it was an interesting experience. We had already worked there on Sunday, so we were basically old pros. Just kidding, not really. Today exposed an entirely new aspect of the place because, as opposed to Sunday when we served the general public, we instead served the people who are a part of the program ACSS runs for homeless people. We helped prepare food, clean the kitchen, serve food, talk with the people there, and other things in general to keep the process moving smoothly and efficiently. Personally, I volunteered for dishwashing. When we were there on Sunday, volunteered to do the behind the scenes work. Both times I neglected to put myself out there for a job that would allow me to interact with customers and the clients. I’ve always been a really shy person; I don’t even open myself up much to parts of my family or some of my friends, let alone strangers in a completely different city than where I’m from. So today it finally hit me that in order to get the most out of this trip, I need to start challenging myself, and forcing myself out of my shell. My resolution for tomorrow is to volunteer for a job that will force me to talk to the clients and share parts of myself with them, and hopefully I’ll learn something from them in return. Another part of today’s service was our invitation to sit in on the A.A. meeting they held in the café. It was seriously such a powerful experience. I felt so privileged to listen to these people’s stories about their lives and obstacles they have faced and overcome. One of the men there said he was kicked out of his house at 19, and that struck me because that’s how old I am right now and I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to be thrown out on the streets. The rest of his story allowed me to gain so much respect for him, as well as all of the other people there, for being strong enough to have the courage to help themselves and conquer their disease. I don’t think I could do what they’ve done and it’s just so amazing to me. I also really liked that two of the men there expressed how happy they were that we were there. One of them said he just enjoys being around young people, and it just sort of eased my conscience to know that we weren’t viewed as intrusive or anything. I really just thought that was a fantastic aspect to the whole day, because it let us see a very personal side to these people and how they’re dealing with their situations. The rest of the day was fun, too. We went to the MLK Memorial and had lunch outside and it was absolutely beautiful out so that was definitely enjoyable. Aaaaaaand free Rita’s! Woop woop! That was a pretty solid part of the day in my opinion. But my five hours of sleep were catching up to me at that point, so I was stoked to come back and take a nap. *Cue Spongebob narrator voice* Two hours later… We had dinner (delicious) and then reflection. Honestly, I really love the reflection part of the day. I love listening to people talk about their experiences and learning more about each person as an individual. And I really hope everyone is as comfortable as I am within this group. I actually like sharing my thoughts and opinions on stuff. I like being a part of the conversation and letting people know what I’m thinking. It’s probably one of my favorite parts of the day because I truly love getting to know all of these people here with me. Overall, awesome day, awesome service, awesome bonding, and awesome reflection. I’m stoked for tomorrow though, and I really hope I get the chance to put myself out there and get a better feel for the clients and how we’re helping them in the ACSS program. K thanks bye. ☺ Danielle