Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 RUAB--Washington D.C. !

Aside from the dawn ‘til dusk community service we did for most of the trip, we also found time to bond not only with the city of Washington D.C., but also with each other! We traveled to what seemed to be millions of museums, including the National Archives, two of the Smithsonian Museums and the Spy Museum, and we visited perhaps a million more monuments, including favorites such as the Lincoln Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the newly raised Martin Luther King Memorial. 

 We also traveled to Senator Lautenberg’s office and spoke to his representative about our trip, and also visited the Rutgers Federal office and spoke to the representatives who fight for our financial aid and tuition sustainability year ‘round (write them and tell them THANK YOU!). 

 We also set RUASB history with the ASB group from Virginia by meeting up on the trip on our last night! Turns out that half of each group knew the other half, and by the end of our meet-up, we pretty much all knew each other after a couple of introductions and laughs.

It really is extremely hard to try to summarize every task, every person, every reflection, every inside joke, and every moment we shared with each other. The amount of knowledge we took from Washington D.C. isn’t something that can be entirely summarized by words. Which is why myself and my fellow RUASBDC’ers (Rutgers University Alternative Spring Break D.C. -- say that a couple of times really fast!), our site leaders Jacob and Henah, and our awesome Staff Partner Matt Ferguson (better known as “Mattstache”) will all take what we have learned and not only apply it to the Rutgers and New Brunswick communities, but also take it with us wherever life may end up leading us, which is something we all are definitely and infinitely grateful for.

- Christina Kelly & Nikita Patel

Day 2 & 3 of RUAB--Washington D.C. !

    Our group, along with several other select college groups, worked with the Washington D.C. branch of the Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP) Washington D.C. branch, which is based out of the Church of the Epiphany. On some days, our group was split into two groups, the Red and Blue groups, while on others, we worked together and in conjunction with a couple of the other college groups, such as the ones from New York University and Syracuse. 

         Throughout the week, we helped at several outreach programs targeted at alleviating the problem of homeless and hunger in and around Washington D.C. Throughout the week, our entire group, our sub-groups, and the other college groups like us were sent to many facilities in the D.C . metro area including Food and Friends, D.C. Central Kitchen, Bread for the City, CentroNia, Thrive D.C. and many other facilities.

             Now these facilities offered us our first token of insight into the true causes and effects into hunger and homelessness, and showed us just how multifaceted they truly were. For instance – when you consider the problems of hunger and homelessness – they seem to fall hand in hand, don’t they? Directly correlated even? Well, initially we believed that to be true. However, in these facilities, we did everything from chopping up cucumbers and onions for meals to be served at homeless shelters, to packaging food for people who suffer from AIDS and cancer, to helping to take care of bilingual 2-5 years olds of low income families. When we initially considered the problem of hunger (perhaps especially because in our mission title, it was grouped with the term homelessness), our beliefs streamlined it along with homelessness. However, in going to all of these facilities, each with different goals and initiatives that attack hunger in their own ways, it opened our eyes to the fact that hunger affects everyone. In America, 1 in 5 children wake up not knowing where they will find their next meal. And while some of these families are in danger of being homeless, it is not the case for all of them. What we realized is that some are of a low-income status due to the unavailability of work opportunity, while others who suffer from chronic medical conditions simply cannot afford to eat right after paying for their medical treatments.

Monday afternoon of our trip, we heard the story of a man that was homeless during the course of his adult life – twice. He began his story by telling his that he was once a man of many spoils and pleasantries, telling us of his former career on Capitol Hill and of his summer home and fishing boat on Chesapeake Bay. He told us that his lavish lifestyle and seemingly perfect family life drew to a sharp halt when his wife of 19 years filed for divorce. It was then that what he had yet to know as a serious depression that had plagued him all of his life, would then take over. In an instant, he found himself taking his last shower and closing his front door for the last time, and that night, as he recalled, he slept on a park bench for the first time in his life. It would be the first night of many in 3 years. 

On Tuesday, we worked with a program called Street Sense, which is a newspaper written by the homeless of D.C. and sold by them as well, which serves as a way to help bring in personal revenue and aid in the improvement of their own lives by their own efforts. We were charged with the task of selling 5 newspapers to complete strangers. Does it sound as scary as it was? Well, it wasn’t that scary, but let’s just say that people can get tremendously hostile when you’re trying to sell a newspaper to help the homeless for a mere $1. Most of us couldn’t manage to sell our mere 5 papers, while each of the vendors are given about 100 papers to sell each day, which our mentor, L. Morrow, bragged he could sell within no effort. He told us of how the opportunity to sell these newspapers came as a tremendous blessing for him, and brought him up out of homelessness and into a slightly better condition. As we sold the papers, we saw many of the vendors selling as well, and quite passionately at that. 

 Stories and experiences such as these helped us to realize that homelessness can happen to anyone for an incredulous slew of reasons, the primary reason being lack of affordable housing. Homeless people are simply people who eat, sleep, dream, pray, breathe, and survive like those of us who are more fortunate – albeit the fact that they have no formal location to live and develop a life within. These stories also taught us that the stereotypes typically dubbed upon the homeless community –lazy, uneducated, you name it—are indeed unfair generalizations to make.

On Tuesday night, we cooked a large meal of lasagna, mashed potatoes and brownies at the Church of the Epiphany for the homeless and those of low income. We were to not only serve those who entered the church doors with a warm meal, but also with equality and with a smile devoid of any pity or stereotyping. I must admit, and I know I can speak for my fellow ASB’ers when I say this, we were quite apprehensive as to how we would complete such a task. However, as the night wore on at some tables, slight chuckles became loud, raucous laughter, and polite conversation turned into easy-flowing debates and discussions. We began to learn a little about those we had come to serve, as their hard faces began to loosen with laughter. We learned that some of the individuals were alumni of some pretty great colleges, mothers and fathers, and even travelers from as far as Ethiopia. As we all agreed later that night during our reflection, at some point during the night, these individuals had become more than just “homeless people” – they simply became people. 

Our last day with Sarah, the YSOP Program Director!

- Christina Kelly & Nikita Patel

Day 1 of Washington D.C. !

 

         As our minivan passed the “You are now leaving Washington D.C.” sign, the only thought my mind could process after a week such as this was how much fresher the air smelled than the air myself and my fellow Alternative Spring Breakers were to return to in Jersey. Spring Break has made me a traitor to the state of my residency, for I do confess that I fell in love with the side of Washington D.C. that they had warned me about.

         Why do I start this post at said numbing conclusion of the trip? Because how does one begin to tell a love story? How does one determine the moment a group of people are transformed from merely such to an emotionally-knit family? How does one describe the realization that the very place we came to enact positive change upon simultaneously enacted positivity upon us? Chronology will help with this, I suppose. 

So we arrive at the hostel, and automatically begin to take pictures (13 people on the trip, guess how many cameras/camera phones), automatically channeling our inner tourists and stopping random people and shoving our flash devices into their hands. 

  After food shopping, washing up, making our first family dinner (which was absolutely delicious), we sat down for our pre-service reflection (which, now that I think about it, is kind of an oxymoron … whoa). In this reflection, we were told to share our expectations for the week and share what we sought to accomplish. Of course, the general consensus was that we all wanted to give a hand at altering the horrible conditions of the homeless population in Washington D.C.

 

Never could we have fathomed how much more the experience had in store for us.  

 

- Christina Kelly & Nikita Patel

Days 6 and 7, plus Post-Reaction of Mason Neck!

Day 6:

Birthday Boys!

Today was awesome because we got to celebrate Tim and Mike's birthdays in D.C.! Carla and I planted balloons and happy birthday signs in their doorways late at night for them to wake up to. They were so happy! =)

After the very short-lived festivities in the morning, we went to put green mulch on top of the black mulch that was already on the playground. For some reason, I found it so much fun to shovel! Oh, but while I was shoveling, I found a beaver's head attached to one of it's legs. On the other side of the playground, someone found another limb. I'm just glad a child didn't have to uncover that! Why was it there in the first place? Mark explained that foxes will tear a beaver a part and place it's remains scattered nearby so that it can come back and eat it. Who would've thought a fox can take on a beaver?!

D.C. + Mason Neck ASBers

When we were finished, we got to go to D.C. and met with the ASBers from the D.C. trip! I got to see my beloved friend, Maitri and I was also able to make new friends as well!

The D.C. trip was so cool because everyone was so lax and being themselves. I definitely got to see different sides to people! But not just this, it was personal for Ruby and I because we both had family who were in WWII, so being able to see proof of the soldiers' commitment and honoring them, was a wonderful thing. When I got back from VA, I called my grandfather and he cried, saying how happy he was that I was able to see these monuments and honor his friends and those who passed away. It was the first time in a long time he and I talked and I'm glad that this was the subject because I know it's so close to his heart.

Oh, random side note: my fear of dogs has been shattered for some reason! We were walking to the Lincoln memorial and I stopped to play with two puppies! They were so cute! I don't know how or when, but I'm glad because dogs are so cool!

Day 7, aka, Dooms Day and Reaction:

Our last planet protectors shot =(

Goodbye beautiful home!

Today was the day we were to leave...None of us wanted to. If we had the chance, I think we all would've stayed. Mason Neck became like a home where we were free from others who judged us and had companions who brought out our true personalities. We were comfortable with one another, and now, we had to go back to school, face our other friends, and be separated. We made a pact that we'd try to get to see each other every now and then during the semester, and it truly is working. I've met with  Phil and Mike so far and soon, Carla. I hope I'll be able to be in touch with the people who created such memories as "Scerber" and giving me the opportunity to eat my first grilled cheese sandwich. I love every one of these amazing people and the memories made will never be forgotten! Thanks to Mike, Ruby, and Tim, such an environment was created where we could have them in the first place, so salutes to you three wonderful people! Lastly, salutes to the rest of the participants who made such an impact in my life. I bid you all adieu and wonderful lives! Hopefully I'll be a part of it and hopefully you, the reader, can have similar or even better experiences!

Days 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Mason Neck!

Day 2:

It was such an interesting day because none of us expected the amount of work ahead of us. We began the day by learning about eagles. We learned about how large they were, how fast and high they can fly, how they choose their partner, how large the eggs are, and where they were located on the park. After this, we were taken outside where we were able to tell the difference in how hawks, eagles, ospreys, and seagulls fly. It was so awesome trying to figure out which was which! For some reason, we couldn't find an adult eagle, but we were able to find an infant. Did you know that bald eagles aren't actually "bald" until they are mature of age? They still have a nice lock of brown hair!

After having some fun bird watching, we had a small hike where we found a marsh, plenty of turtles, and interwoven pathways that we later found out led to a beaver den. Once we were done exploring, we went to work! Now, for the first day of work, we had to shovel gravel onto a little machine called "The Gator," drive it to the trail we working on, dump it on the grid, rake it till it was distributed evenly with a five inch width, and tamp it with a huge water barrel. Sounds like a lot? Yes, well, it was! But it was so much fun! Especially rolling the water barrel and smoothing things over! We did not leave until we accomplished our goal and let me tell you, the last hour that we were there, was so intense! We pitched in all our efforts to complete the last bit of the trail we had left in such little time and when we finished, it was such an accomplished wondrous feeling.

There are so many memories of this particular day that it would take at least two hours to explain, so I shall leave with this note, do NOT come between Ally and her gator. I think they're in love...but a reckless one because she abuses it sometimes by hitting trees, poor thing!

Day 3: (I'm going to be brief from now on for your convenience! I realize I tend to rant a lot!)

Look at this before pic and the completed one at the bottom!

Today was especially awesome because we got to put the finishing touches of the trail by putting in two pipes to drain water and to put a thinner soil on top. Then, in the evening, Tim, one of the park rangers, did an owl call for us and several came flying and called back. It was so suspenseful when we were quiet waiting for the barred owls to come, and when they did, we were all in an uproar! Not many were supposed to arrive but at least three or four came circling and calling back to us. Afterwords, we were able to have a s'mores bonfire at the cliff we found on Day 1. That was such a bonding moment! We told scary stories, funny, crazy ones, and while all this was happening, an army of turkeys were slowly creeping up on us. It was like a mini army taking small steps toward us, waiting for the right moment to ambush. It sounds funny now, but some of us were actually scared! Quite a handful of the group had previous experiences with turkeys that wanted to attack them, so imagine a whole army of these things encroaching towards you; kind of scary, no? Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of this happening. We were either engrossed by the stars or too scared. But best believe, we left when they got a little too close for our comfort. You don't mess with those things man!

COMPLETED trail =)

Day 4:

Our collective effort, y'all!

Alright, today was SO great! WHY?! I got a compliment from Mark (one of the park rangers)! So, I was tamping steps leading to a trail and he asks who did a particular step. I look at Mike, then I look at Tim, both in desperation hoping one of them will say they did because I think we all had this gut feeling we may have had to do it again, and so, forced, I shyly admitted I did, and he said it was really good! Man was I happy! Suddenly a load was off and filled with all this happiness! For me, to get a simple compliment like that boosted my energy so much! I was so psyched to complete tamping and rejuvenating the steps. But we did

 not just clean up steps today, we moved a huge tree out of one the trails. It took the effort of everyone of us to move it. It was really great to see how our collective effort can move things, both physically and metaphorically. Yes, we moved a tree, but we also built a trail; one that a woman told us is her favorite. We fixed the steps where so many came by and thanked us for making it better for them. Emotional movement is such a wonderful thing, n'est-ce pas?

This was also the day that we realized Sarah had a fascination, border-line obsession, with tools. You had to see this girl work for yourself! Once she started something, it was her project and hers alone. If she needed assistance, she'll call out to you, otherwise, let her hammer, rake, and smash all she wants! 

Side note, today was also the day I happened to look like MIA. I didn't see it until I saw the photos. It's quite uncanny! What do you think? 

Look at the wonderfully tamped, clean bunch of steps!

Oh, I almost forgot! We also went to the marsh and cleaned up...A LOT! It angers me how people can destroy our planet so badly. What angered me so much though was when I went to the little pond that formed and saw a row of turtles diving into water that was clearly filled with so many bottle caps, wrappers, containers, etc. I found so many odd things besides these. For example, why in the world there was a shoe, a lighter, styrofoam, and a baseball there is so mind-boggling. The turtles are living in such hazardous conditions.  It makes me so sad to think that....and what if I had to live in these conditions? If everyone thought this way, the world would be so much cleaner. I made it my mission to delve into as much water as I can without actually getting wet to get almost all the trash. Others, on the opposite side of the water, were picking up large branches and rocks and placing them in Mark's truck. I helped a bit with that and oh boy were those things heavy! We even had to break a fallen tree in half!

I can't place this where I'd like, but I hope you  can see this well enough!

Day 5:

Today was not much effort. We made the osprey nests and got to place two of the three in position! We received a call later that day that one of the nests were already being used (the one we placed at the cliff). The other one, we found the following day to have branches in it! Isn't that exciting?! What we made were being used by these wonderful creatures! It was awesome being able to see the fruits of hour labor not go to waste =)

When we had to put the osprey nests up, we had help from Bob and his team from the local power company, and my goodness! I had a lengthy conversation with Bob about the Marine Corps, the Navy, and WWII. He told me he was lucky because he was enrolled when it was "peaceful," and told me stories of places he's been, people he's seen. He reminded me of the men in my family: my father, grandfather, and uncles, all of whom have been in some sort of faction of the military. Hearing stories from another is so surreal yet nostalgic knowing that there are other men who are proud of their past and willing to share. He's met my grandfather once in passing and that was amazing to hear. But not only this, you would never think he'd had such a history simply by looking at him. Such worldly knowledge and experience! I feel like I could talk to him all day! Though we only talked for about 45 minutes, I knew I'd miss him as we drove away from his vehicle, and indeed, I did.

After putting the osprey nests up, we went on a hike to see the beaver's den, and when we finally located it, we also found a huge snake, an eagle staring at us for about half an hour near the den, and wonderful, winding trails with bridges and rocks that forked off the main trail. The trail was more of a bonding time than an exploration. I found that I have a fascination with trees. Trees are so beautiful. They stand so tall, yet were created by a tiny element. They are beautiful in their stature, roots, color, occupants, and branches: basically, in every way possible. There are so many and they all have various different functions for animals, people, and the surroundings. They can shade, let light through, and can let a downpour of water fall on you. They're somewhat a source of comfort for me because of their beauty but it's also they're smell (I LOVE the smell of bark and wood!). For some reason, it allows me to escape from everything and focus on myself, my thoughts, and be free of all burdens. Because of this, I like to sleep beside one at parks and here, it was no different. I simply think they are majestic wonders. So, while we were on the trail, I couldn't help gawking at them! P.S. I hope you don't think I'm weird! I simply have a fascination with trees and nature in general!

At the end of our trail, we were able to walk on the one we had helped create! It was such an awesome feeling walking on it and reflecting on it's conditions before we arrived. "We used our hands and created this thing," I thought. 

Day 1 of Mason Neck

The majority of our first day was driving down to VA, getting groceries, and checking out our place. Let me tell you, none of us expected what was to come:

We met at the Rutgers Student Center at 7 AM but we didn't leave right away. The reason? The majority of us were hungry and felt dead. I got only about an hour or two sleep while others had none or a few hours like myself. But don't worry! It was all out of sheer excitement and nervousness for this trip! For me especially, I was restless because I knew no one intimately, nor was I going to be near anyone of that caliber. In addition, none of us knew what exactly we were going to be doing besides building osprey nests and one night dedicated to owl calls. So when Tim (our staff partner) and Ruby drove up to the curb with really nice, high-tech Dodge Caravans, I was particularly excited even though I didn't know how to work anything in that car. It was awesome because my insecurities fled. When it came down to it, I decided to ride with Ruby, and the car was filled with ladies with no knowledge on the inner workings of this car. Speaking from experience, it is better to have at least one person who knows how to function the little things of such a magnanimously high-tech vehicle. There were several times where we were trying to figure out what was going on with it and eventually just gave up. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out what the little things were though (before we had enough I mean =p)! Not to mention, having the radio stations change in the background as we crossed several different states was a lot of fun!

We had a pit stop in MD and it was interesting because it was my first time being in such a group that was so outrageous in public WITH me! What I mean is, I did not expect us to do our planet protector insignia (as displayed to your right). When we actually did it as a group in a circle, I thought to myself, "YES! Fellow crazies!" This was when I personally felt like we finally became a group rather than the small factions we had previously. THEN, Tim, Phil, and Ally started stretching outside. Why? Of course to wake those muscles up, but I'll let you on in a little secret...it was actually meant for practice to see what would work for the yoga-truck stop we're planning on creating! Don't you think that'd be a great idea?! Just think about it, truckers can take a rejuvenated break that's healthy and with minimal costs!

In any case, we finally reached our destination: Mason Neck State Park. I was so nervous watching the signs go by indicating we're at the right place...we were here man! Well, technically! We kind of got lost finding our house...but it's all good! We went to the cliff and saw all these amazing trees, bones scattered on the ground, and a dead raccoon. Later we found out that the area is being rejuvenated AND one of our osprey nests was placed there! In any case, it was such a beautiful sight looking out into the water! If my memory serves right, to our right was W. VA and to our left was MD. Imagine being in one state and being able to see two others right beside you. It was such an experience! After taking a few commemorative photos, we went back into our Caravans and finally found our house. Let me tell you: the house was NOT a cabin! What it was was a mansion! It was awesome! We went in and everything was just newly renovated. There was a porch with rockers, a wonderful backyard where we found an eagle nest nearby, many rooms, beds and bathrooms, and a BEAUTIFUL kitchen! Both the dining area and porch had beautiful views of the sunset. After thoroughly examining the mansion, we went food shopping! This was my favorite part of the day. Why you ask? Well, while a handful of us were convening about the list, a cute, little, elderly woman approached us thinking we were in high school and asked what our purpose/ initiative was in VA. When we told her, she brightened up and complimented us about the work we're doing, even though we had not begun yet, and was so open with us. She was the fresh air that I definitely needed for the day and set an "accomplishment bar" for me to accomplish or exceed for the trip. I think that my fellow ASBers definitely exceeded all expectations!

Pre-Trip Expectations for VA!

Hello! My name is Mona Elgindy and I was one of the students on the trip to Mason Neck State Park, VA! To get to me know me better, I thought I'd let you know a few things about me and the expectations I had for this trip:

According to the description we were given for the trip, it sounded like we'd be doing a lot of outdoor activities in the park. I was so excited! I've never had the chance to go camping or go hiking because my father wasn't really into it, so hearing about being able to build osprey nests, see eagles, etc. gave me such an adrenaline rush! The most I've ever done was hang out in the dessert with my family and a bunch of camels, so you can understand how glad I was to know that I'll be able to smell the grass and feel it's dew against my ankles and feet in the morning, be able to hear and see animals I've only read about in books, be able to bond with strangers in close quarters, etc. I finally was able to do something with nature AND with people who'll share the same enthusiasm!

I was so psyched for this trip to begin and to meet the other members! For several weeks before Spring Break, our team met together on Sunday afternoons to get to know each other better. A few of us had met at an Alternative Breaks dinner earlier in the semester and already we had inside jokes. For example, ask Phil what is meant by "Bambi ain't cute!" and you'll get a story about the dangers of meeting deer, or ask Ally why she's called the "Black Dragon" and you'll get an interesting narrative of the dialogue we had at dinner. Meeting the other members for the first time at our first pre-trip meeting was therefore very nerve wrecking! Some seemed like they did not want to be there while others were very excited. Honestly, I thought I wouldn't get along with some of the members, but as time progressed, all of us began to open up more through all the interesting bonding activities Mike and Ruby (our site leaders) made us participate in.

We made so many crazy memories just from those meetings! Thanks to that, it wasn't at all awkward for any of us going into living quarters with one another! On the actual day we were to meet at the student center to leave for the trip. It was surreal and exciting, I think, for all of us.

ASB Boston 2012 - #superheroes #bostonblackout

I may be a little bias, but I'm going to go ahead and say that ASB Boston 2012 was the best Alternative Break trip in the history of forever.

I do, however, want to apologize that I did not blog prior to the trip, and due to the fact that we had no electricity (which we'll discuss later) I could not blog during the trip. I guess that just means that this post will have to be super amazing.

The night before the trip, I was overwhelmed with excitement, as I'm 100% positive everyone else was. I absolutely could not wait to meet up with everyone at an ungodly early hour in the morning (I think it was like 8 or something), and begin our 5 to 6 hour travel to Boston, Massachusetts. Due to the fact that I'm extremely last minute (meaning that I had to pack in the morning,) my excitement kept me up, and the time change I got approximately 45 minutes of sleep. Usually this would make me absolutely miserable, but nothing was going to stop me from having an amazing time with the people that I've grown to love in just 5 short meetings.

The train ride was about an hour long, and we had to walk a few blocks through NYC to our Megabus. We got food at a corner deli, then endured the extra long bus ride with plenty of yummy homemade vegan baled goods (cranberry nut muffins, chocolate chip cookies, chai brownies.) #isthatvegan

I use hashtags because they later become a large part of our trip.

When we arrived in Boston we lugged our bags up and down so many flights of stairs and had a few (not really) near death experiences. That was a joke, I promise.

We found the hostel, and settled in to just relax for a few hours. The hostel, Hostelling International - Boston, was actually really really nice. I've never personally stayed in a hostel before, but this was far better then I had imagined from hearing others talk about them. It was really fantastic that they reserved a private kitchen for us, and Ralph (a staff member) got us pizza for dinner the first night! Everyone that works there was so nice, and it really felt like home, even if it was for just a week.

We had dinner, hung out for a while, and went to sleep so we'd be awake to go to our first service site:

The Greater Boston Food Bank! Here, we worked with a few staff members to package bottled salad dressings and condiments. We also got to meet and work with a few students from Indiana University - Bloomington. It was so cool to see how everything works, and the amount of food in their warehouse was unbelievable, I could only imagine how many people they could feed, but It was also kind of sad that even with all of that food, people would still go hungry. The GBFB is the largest food bank in New England, and one of the largest in the country, as a matter of fact, they distributed almost 35 million pounds of food last year, feeding healthy meals to close to 545,000 people!

After the salad dressings and condiments, we took a break and had lunch with the students from Indiana, and relaxed for a little while. Then, back to work! We then worked on a conveyor belt thingy where we packaged boxes of cookies, crackers (so many trisquits), and other snacks to be sent to all different organizations in New England. This sounds really silly, but it was almost like a game! We have the numbers of how many meals we made possible and stuff, once I have them I'll update this post.

Although our first day did not give us much person to person interaction, it was so cool to see how many people work in this food bank. I thought that it was amazing that they were able, with the help of both volunteers and staff, to sort, package, and distribute a ridiculous amount of food to the people who really do need it. I think it's amazing that there are people who are so passionate about this, that they chose to make it their career, their life long commitment.

The next day was, by far my favorite service experience. Unfortunately though, we had to split up. Some of us went to the food bank again, and I, with I think 7 others, went to The Boston Rescue Mission. This non-profit is a completely free recovery/rehabilitation center. Their mission statement describes what they do far better than I could:

• To offer resources that prevent and end homelessness
• To support the recovery, health, faith, and independence of those who have a history of substance abuse, incarceration, and homelessness
• To raise awareness about the root causes of these life risks
• To serve everyone with respect, integrity, and grace
• To continue to learn, grow, and excel in our services
• To be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us by our supporters
• To reflect the teachings of Jesus and the love of God in all we do

We vowed to keep up a suggestion that Aman made, and that was to hear as many people's stories as possible. This became a central driving force in the trip, at least it did for me, and the BRM was a perfect place to begin. We helped clean, prep, cook, and serve for two of their dinner seatings. The first is open to anyone on the street that wants a hot meal, and man did a lot of people come in there hungry. I felt so bad that I couldn't give them extra, as they kept asking, but regardless they seemed to really appreciate the food. We all made an effort to at least say "Hey, how are you? What's your name?" and I thought it was beautiful that people were actually caught off guard by these questions. It seems as if some of them hardly ever have an opportunity to talk, they hardly ever have someone interested in their name or how their day is going or how they got to where they are now, and I loved seeing people's faces literally soften, and their smiles show as we made eye contact with them and had a real humanistic conversation. This was the first really meaningful moment for me on this trip. I was moved so much.

The second dinner at BRM was for the residents of the rehab/recovery program. These people were so friendly and after we got done serving them we had an opportunity to sit down and chat. Many of the reactions were similar to the one that I talked about above, it was really uplifting and I couldn't help but leaving that place smiling, regardless of how exhausted we all were.

I also want to take some time to speak of two people that I personally met at the BRM. The first, the woman who was coordinating the kitchen stuff that day. She was, by far, the most amazing woman I've ever met. She was inside of the program for ten months to get clean and get her life back together, and left the program only 4 days prior. She was the funniest, coolest, most approachable, most fun, and most optimistic person I've met. Ever. It was amazing to hear her talk about how much the BRM has helped her, and how she believed in it so much that aside from managing a Starbucks, she wanted to continue to work there two nights a week. She said that she feels so connected to the BRM and all of people people inside of it that she just couldn't leave. From watching all of them interact, you can really tell that they really are like one big beautiful dysfunctional family.

The second person was a man who had become addicted to a lot of drugs, including heroin. I only got to speak with him briefly in the dish room as Aman and I struggled to be efficient. He had, thus far, been 2 weeks clean and said he's really feeling like himself again, and planned to keep with the program until he was ready to be back on his own.

I have so much respect for these people, it was really touching to see people really willing to get better regardless of how hard it's going to be. Someone at the BRM said that all of these people are good people who have made some bad decisions, or have gone through some really rough times, but none the less they are good people. 

At one point, after seeing a case manager come down into the dining room to speak with one of the guests, I turned to Erin and said "I'm pretty sure that I just changed what I want to do with my life," and I meant it. I know that one of the goals of these trips is to change people and help people to grow, and I can honestly say that this did happen for me. I've always said I wanted to work with addiction, but never did I consider that I could open up a non-profit and really, truly help people who need it, without making it medicalized and expensive.

I want this to be my future.

I personally plan on going back to Boston this summer specifically so I could do service with the BRM again, it was such a fantastic experience.

The night before in reflection we talked about a homeless couple that was sitting next to the bus stop, and how some of us felt uncomfortable and maybe a little hypocritical for not stopping for them. On our way back from the BRM though, we were running very late for dinner and the other half of group had already began cooking, we saw a man sitting on the sidewalk with signs and a backpack. I turned to Erin and asked her if we could stop and ask him what his story was and after some hesitation (due to the time) she agreed and we went over and talked to him. His fiance was in the bathroom and he was trying to gather enough money for some food. He told us about his life, about his divorce with his wife who had cheated on him with his best friend, about his children that live with her, about losing his apartment, about a fire that ruined his things, so many terrible things happened to this man and he was still there, with a smile on his face, trying to make it through the day only to go sleep in a stairwell infront of a consignment shop at night. As we all sat around him we attracted some attention from other people on the street and others were joining in to listen to Jeremy's story. Eventually a man named Eli stopped to make sure Jeremy was okay, apparently Eli was "a saint" according to Jeremy, he comes by every day to make sure Jeremy is okay, to make sure he's got what he needs, he'd bring him food and coffee some days, and offer to bring him shopping others. Apparently Eli did not only help out Jeremy, but he had other homeless people that he checked up on each and every day. Hearing this was more moving than anyone could imagine. 

In the next few days we visited a few more service sites, My Brothers Table, where we did prep work, cooked, served, and cleaned. As well as The Center for Homeless Veterans where we packaged bags of toiletries and socks, took a tour of the center, and spoke to some of the residents. 

Lee gave us all "Smiles".

After our last day of service we decided to add our own impromptu service site to our trip. "Food Not Bombs shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities around the world to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment. With over a billion people going hungry each day how can we spend another dollar on war?" We found out where they set up their tables and showed up eager to help out. They where so inviting, and this quickly became one of my favorite movements. They set up a small table with rice, potatoes and other vegetables, hot soup, water, and bread, which was mostly, if not all donated from local restaurants and stores. Anyone was invited to come up and grab a bite of healthy, and filling food. After the first hour at FNB, I had already collected so many stories and talked to so many people. Everyone, regardless of their situation, had a really good heart and a fantastic sense of humor. One man, Lee, was such an inspiration to all of us. He was so cheery, friendly, caring, and open. I did not really get to listen to his story, but I absolutely suggest asking our site leader, Will, to tell you more about Lee. I can be sure that you'd feel inspired.

Also, before we left on our last day, we stopped by a park, gave 

out PB&J's and met up with Lee again.

Wait, I think it's so funny that I absolutely forgot to expand upon the fact that we lost power a few days into the trip and were powerless for close to three days. There were multiple fires in our area, and because of this a great deal of damage was done to a few of the underground transformers and we lost all power, including hot water. The fact that I forgot to write about it earlier, though, just goes to show you that it really did not affect our trip much. Although it was annoying, none of us really complained about it, and we remained optimistic and still had a fantastic time. I honestly think that the fact that we lost power provided us with more of an amazing experience. Sitting around a table with a few flashlights eating pasta and talking about our day was fun. I know it may not sound like fun, but in a way, I'm kind of glad that it happened. I'm strange I guess.

Now, I'd like to share a few quotes from our trip. If you weren't on the trip they probably won't be funny, but whatever.

"It tastes like a small bomb." -Val

"I haven't had good Vietnamese food since--" -Nina

"Vietnam?" -Val

"...I was going to say Texas..." -Nina

"So why is it called Moo?"

"See, it's ironic, it would be called Oink."

"Is this guy from Harry Potter?" (asking about Ryan Gosling)

"I always got left out... and had to take care of the farbies." -Val

"Does it smell like a library?" -Val

"I was still stuck on the shitter at that point." -Val

"We did a wonderful version of 'We're Off to Find our Savior.'" -Erin

"I wanted to be a crayon." -Sabotta

"The nostrils... they're very temperamental." -Val

"Pecans, crayons... Same concept." -Val

"I fit 32 grapes in my mouth." -Val

"You're a black belt, right?"

"No, but I have a sandwich..." -Nina

"I just want to taste the cream, but I don't want to put my finger in our cannoli." -Mary

"Your hair goes in every direction, and I think you get handsey during the night." -Val

"I guess I need to check my legumes." -Val

"The vegan said we're having meatballs, damnit." -Erin

"Is Aman green? What color is Aman?" -Will

In summary, for those who do not feel like reading my entire novel-of-a-blog-post, I'd just to say that this trip has been my single best experience this far in college. I learned so much about myself, about my group, and about the world. I now think about homelessness in a completely different way, and I no longer will pass someone by just because I've been taught to assume that they're going to use my money for drugs or alcohol. I will collect as many stories as possible, and continue to fuel my own, as well as other's passions to help with hunger and homelessness. I will continue to build and maintain the relationships that I've built with my other group members. I will always remember that we all only are a fire, an identity theft, an expensive hospitalization, or a lay off away from becoming hungry and homeless.

Oh and, Erin and Will are the best site leaders ever, and Nina is the best staff thingy ever.

I will never, ever forget ASB Boston 2012.

With Love,

Joie DeRitis