Rolling into A-Town: March 18, 2012

When I was preparing for my AB trip to Atlanta back in College Park, it was fair to say I was in a mixed state of emotions. I was excited. I was going to spend my sophomore spring break doing something new and worthwhile, in contrast in last year's, which I spent at home sleeping and relaxing (which is nice however...). I was going to be exploring a new city in an entire region of the country I've never been to before. However, I was also anxious. I would be spending an entire week with fellow students I had not met before, and get to know them through working and bonding together. I would say after our first full day in Atlanta, that anxiety has faded and been turned into appreciation.
Our first day in town, we were able to volunteer at Cafe 458. This was not only a great experience, but an eye-opening one that also prompted me to question things. I got to perform a variety of duties, including sweeping the sidewalks, organizing and cleaning tables, marketing for the restaurant, and going out on the street and giving out discount coupons. The last thing was probably my favorite duty, but difficult at the same time. I got to observe the layout of downtown Atlanta, as well as experience the church-going culture of the metropolitan city on a Sunday. I also was exposed to other things, like people smoking marijuana in the middle of the street and homeless people asking for money. Definitely one of the hardest experiences of the day was when someone refused a coupon, but a homeless person inquired about the restaurant after hearing me. After telling him the goals of the nonprofit restaurant, he talked about how hungry he was and if he could get a meal at Cafe 458 that day. Reluctantly, Danielle and I had to break it to him that they did not serve for free on Sundays.
The day ended on a high note for me after playing Apples to Apples with the group and heading to reflection. After a long day of serving, playing basketball, and surviving sleep deprivation, I completely forgot about the day's obstacles when we sat down and learning more than we have yet about all of each other. That makes me more excited than I have before about the progress of our trip- not only are we learning more about hunger and homelessness in this urban area, but we will be learning more about each other each day.