Friends and Benefits

Hello friends!

Day 1:
7:30 AM arrival at the Rutgers Student Center. It was cold. It was early. Not fun.
However, after arriving and seeing everyone's bags in the vans, the group's adrenaline quickly rose and we all headed off to the open roads. Well...we stopped for some amazing bagels first and ended up getting a free green bagel in honor of St. Patricks Day. Huzzah!
After driving for about 3 hours, the group stopped by a Dr. Seuss Memorial where we took some typical tourist photos and had some fun. After going to the memorial, we thought why not visit the town's armory as well? Let's all follow Merz's gps! -__- bad idea. We were unable to find the entrance to the armory and eventually gave up. Ah well...at least we were able to hear Mike's goat cry. Soon after that little adventure, the group went to Crackerbarrel for some lunch where Merz beat everyone in checkers.



Arrival at the lodge: we all went to explore the mountain searching far and wide for some incredible views.

Day 2:
First day of school! Bright eyed and bushy tailed, the group woke up and left our lodge at 7:00 am. Needless to say that off of our college student sleep schedule, the group was not very awake at first. However, Jeannet's peppy attitude quickly woke the entire group up. After going over some facts about the school, the group split up into their separate classrooms for a fabulous day of classes!

During reflections, the group reflected on how amazing the staff was. Also, we talked about the special needs of the students and how we approached them throughout the day.

After classes, we all found a really cool tree house and did some more exploring.

Day 3:
Snow day! About 14 inches of snow fell from the sky. (Certainly not typical NJ weather) Anyhow, we were all assigned to a group home and spent the day there. Each of the homes were extremely accommodating and we all connected to each of the students there.

Here's to more adventure!

Pre Trip Jitters

The day has finally arrived! The night before our flight for our Alternative Break. We all have been waiting to leave for New Orleans from the moment we were selected to go on this trip.From getting to know each other a little more at each pre trip meetings to focusing on the issues that are still happening in and around the New Orleans area, I think that our team of very different but amazing students are going to have an amazing time and learn a lot from each other as well as from the students we will be working with.

Here are a few pictures from our last pre trip meeting.

I think we're a fine looking bunch :)

Actually, I think we're all more attractive in this one :)

You'll be seeing more pictures of Ashlee, Alyssa, Jarrett, Nikitia, Matt, Richa, Sonia, Itzel, Courtney, Paige, and myself later on this week!

Spring Semester Weekend at Camphill Village!

On Friday, all of us boarded our super comfortable van on Friday and headed out to Kimberton, Pennsylvania. After a two and a half hour drive, we finally reached Camphill Village. We were greeted by the volunteer trip coordinator and settled into a comfortable little home. That night we went over our itinerary for the next two days and bonded as a group. Around 8:30 A.M. on Saturday we got up and headed out on a tour of the village. We stumbled on a very interesting looking tree and visited several homes and the farm. We saw several baby cows and the rooms in which they make cheese. After the village tour, we worked in the apple orchard by dividing up our jobs and working with one of the villagers. Amanda was the brave and adventurous one out of the group! She climbed trees and picked out the rotting apples. Vicky, Fatima, and Anwesha helped plant compost around the trees. Andrea and Ayuni helped pick twigs with the villager. After hard work, the group split into pairs and went to specific houses to meet different people and help with any other tasks. Some of us washed windows and others helped collect firewood and recycle materials to ensure all the wood was used properly and efficiently. After that, we all split into different pairs again and went to specific houses to eat supper with the families. We experienced the kinds of dishes they ate (which included mostly salad, potatoes, and beef). We experienced how the adults suffering from disabilities were able to comfortably eat and spend time with their families. They were all given their own space and preferences to ensure that they were all happy. After supper, our group headed back to our house and spend the night playing Apples to Apples. On Sunday morning, we got ready for brunch and again split into different pairs and visited other houses. We had brunch with the other families of the village and learned more about how the workers started working in the village. Also, we interacted more with the people at the village and talked about the activities they did to keep themselves busy. Some of the women in the village would knit scarves and hats to sell in a near by shop. Some of the men would help collect firewood and plant trees. After brunch, the group went into the woods to help plant several maple and pine trees. The group planted a total of 16 trees! After that we headed back to our home and packed our bags and loaded our van. We visited the family of the volunteer coordinator to say goodbye and headed back towards New Jersey! Many of us felt like we accomplished something by helping the village take care of the environment and by spending time with the villagers. Many of us expressed feelings about how we wish to become more involved in community service. Some of us expressed how we learned more about how to interact with people that suffered from disabilities. The trip sadly came to an end but the group will get together again for a post trip service! It was an amazing and unique learning experience that will never be forgotten! 

Day 7: The Trip of a Lifetime!

Everything good must come to an end, and sadly, Once Upon a Time was not an exception. But, after a week together, we grew together as our own little Tennessee family. I don’t think any of us knew what this trip would grow to when we first flew out of Newark airport on that Sunday morning, but I don’t think any of us regret choosing Once Upon a Time in Appalachia. If anything, I think all of us knew that this Alternative Breaks trip was the right one for us, and we couldn’t be happier with the decision we made. Once Upon a Time will always have a little special place in each of our hearts and on that note—#livefreeordie!

 Plaque now hanging at Once Upon a Time!

Day 6: Sun's Out!

The sun is out! After all of the muggy and rainy weather in the past week, Friday finally gave us a break and it was a beautiful, sunny, cloudless day. Our morning started like it always did, with the morning song. Arleen then taught us all how to make fresh blackberry jam, using her own blackberries from the garden!

Arleen!

After our “cooking” for the day, we decided to finally get our hands dirty! Privet is an invasive species that slowly began to take over a region known as Happy Valley. If not taken out and maintained, the plant would cover miles and slowly choke out the rest of the local species. As Alternative Breakers, we were happy to take the Privet out:

And remember the fish game? Ed, being the handy-man he is, fashioned his own fish pole in a few days! We played in the open field in Happy Valley after pulling out the privet and to answer my earlier question… of course us Rutgers women won!

Girls score!

This is where the day turned a little for the worse… we had some car troubles, BUT nothing a little hootenanny can’t fix! At an old elementary school, the Rocky Branch Bluegrass community throws a jam session where there’s live bluegrass, mountain music performed by only the best!

On to the next day!

Day 5: Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Good morning Thursday! Unluckily, the weather still wasn’t looking up but that wasn’t going to put us down! There were a few changes in the schedule, but of course our one constant, the morning song was sung. Our day then got rolling with a trip to the Sequoyah Museum. Sequoyah was the man responsible for making the Cherokee language readable and writable.

We all drove back to Once Upon a Time where Archie Reynolds, the owner of a great collection of Cherokee and Native American artifacts, spoke to us. Archie is a member of the Cherokee Warrior Society and talked to us about the similarities and differences in Native American and American societies. We ended our day with helping Ed out by moving some lumber around (Ed made almost everything on his property with his own hands!) and painting some gourds. Thursday was a very relaxing day, because of the bad weather L but luckily Mother Nature was going to come around soon. On to the next day!

Day 4: Free Day!

We’re halfway there! J And halfway done with the trip! L Wednesday was our free day, and by suggestion of Ed and Arleen, the group of us decided to go to Bald River Falls and the Lost Sea Adventure. We sang the morning song and then were on our way off.  Little did we know, getting to Bald River Falls would be our getting “lost adventure.” Luckily, Tennessee is easily the most gorgeous place to get lost in

Is there anything like this in Jersey?

Fortunately, we finally reached our location!

And we even got to go on our Lost Sea Adventure, which is America’s largest underground lake!

We ended our free day with some city night wandering in Knoxville, home to the University of Tennessee. Some of us (mostly the girls…) did some shopping and then we went to Tomato Head Café for some delicious food! We walked around Knoxville a little longer and took some pictures of the city highlights:

On to the next day!