Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time- or, to be more exact- six weeks ago, we were some-ones going on a trip somewhere, preparing for it somehow. We didn't know names, places or faces. We were individuals sitting in swivel chairs in a meeting room with no idea what to do next. We weren't going to Florida, or Jamaica or Cancun for our spring break, and that was about all we knew.

So we spent the next six weeks changing that. Through some planned and some unplanned moments, we grew to realize how interconnected we all were. Each week a different thread of our personal stories was raised and each week it was woven into the story of the group. We had goals that were the same (whether they were embracing the outhouse or making a change outside the Rutgers community), childhood memories that were the same, even hometowns that were the same. We began to understand that in order to make this upcoming trip as meaningful as possible, we had to first develop relationships with one another. It was almost too easy. By the end of six weeks, we were screaming and hugging, conducting and playing silent orchestras, referring to ourselves in terms of our colors, and picking outhouse buddies. 

As we learned about each other, we simultaneously worked to find out more about our volunteer goals in Tennessee.  Each week we strove to learn about the Cherokee people, about Once Upon a Time Breakaway, and about our itineraries once we get there. This task posed a challenge that became more abstract than we realized. A piece of paper cannot laugh or tell inside jokes, it cannot tell you the story of it’s past beyond dates and concrete events. Though we will leave Rutgers this week with an idea of who the Cherokee are, our greatest understanding is yet to come. We leave this community with open minds, flexible schedules, and a longing for a greater connection to the story of the some-ones in Tennessee. We are eager to help, but mindful of the difference between leaving a positive impact and leaving undesired changes. We are going to work with the environment, not against it. 

This Sunday as we depart, We are Tiff, Chris, Karen, Eunji, Will, Joanna, Sam, Kelly, Moses, Eden, Keith, Trini, and Erin. We’re not going to Mexico or Jamaica to sun-bathe, we’re going to Tennessee with new found friends to assist the Cherokee people in their environmental pursuits to preserve, restore and protect. There are still some-ones we do not know, somehows we have yet to come across, and somewheres we have yet to see. We are ready to meet them and weave together the story of the Alternative Spring Break Group 2011 Trip to Tennessee.