if you would’ve told me a year ago, that i would be traveling to rwanda…
not only i would’ve been like stfu & laughed in your face, but my reaction would’ve been like never in a million years.
[little did i know what awaited me]
my journey began on april of 2009 with a bus full of 40 stony brook students who decided to use their spring break for the greater good and therefore embarked on a 30 hour bus ride to Galveston, Texas.
Why Galveston, Texas? Well because during the month of Septemeber of 2008, Texas was hit by Hurricane Ike. Ike was the third costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States. It was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane and third major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane season. Galveston had in a way sort of been forgotten and it needed our help. There was still so much work that needed to be done in order to bring its people back to some sort of normality and well, we felt like we needed to do our part.
i decided to do alternative spring break (ASBO) as part of my 300 hour community service commitment to AmeriCorp. i did not know what to expect, this was the first time i was ever doing anything like this and i was out to prove something to someone. today, i’d like to say that i definitely succeeded.
this was a test. if i passed it meant that i was on the right direction, career wise, if i did not, then well, i’d have to figure out something else to do, because psychology & i were no longer friends and i was graduating at the end of may. so i went into this with an open mind and completely alone/petrified.
the trip to Galveston and back was probably one of the best 60 hours (30 hours there and 30 hours back) of my life. i think what i enjoyed most about that rediculous ride (um can we talk about how incredibly LONG the state of virginia is? i tell you it’s never ending and after the first three hours you begin to crave a burger because all you see are cows, and cows, and cows, and more cows, and finally you see some cows!) was the chance you get to know people. i mean, you learn so much about people when forced to be confined into small spaces for long periods of time.
brian and emily became my life during this trip, they were the ones i spent most of my time with and the ones i became closer to.
emily is this british firecracker who had a witty, smart comment for almost everything and whom i instantly connected to. she has a great personality and a kind heart. unfortunately for reasons i honestly still don’t understand to this day, she and i are no longer remotely as close as we were during this trip or the months that followed. we keep somewhat in touch and i know that she’s doing well for herself and is happy and that’s all that matters, i wish her the best of luck with everything and at times, i do wish things were different.
brian is my asian teddy bear and one of my best guy friends. he is a great, kind-hearted, lovable, funny, innapropriate and super smart human. he and i also immediately clicked and i am so glad we have managed to stay close friends, mainly because he is so patient and doesn’t hate on me when i cancel plans (which tends to happen often, because school owns me).
they made my week worth it.
Everything is bigger in Texas…
(this is completely and entirely true, the roaches are gigantic)
the alamo school was home for the week. i slept on a cot, in a room with 15 girls, and took showers in a trailer outside. this was of course, completely stepping out of my comfort zone (something i never thought it could be done).
i spakled. which i never thought i would. i’m a girly-girl who gets her nails done once a week, really? sheet-rock? messiness? this surprised everyone, including myself.
i met incredible little ones who were just happy to play with us. these kids (for the most part) came from families who lost a lot due to the hurricane. Having had lost their homes and schools these little ones had very little left, yet their optimism was unbelievable. they were so adorable.
i karaoked my way into one of the “funnest” nights of my life.
we cleaned up, we helped re-build.
and we left texas with the satisfaction of having had helped.
ASBO 2009, will forever be engraved in my mind as one of the best spring breaks of my life (thus far). i learned so much about others, about the want of people to help those in need, about myself. i got to feel the first real glimpses of joy and pride at having have made someone’s life a little better. this trip opened my eyes and made me realise that i was on the right track. i understood that the reason why i changed majors at the last minute would have a bigger purpose and that God did not put this incredible need and desire to help those less fortunate than i for no reason.
as soon as i got back to new york, all i could think about was volunteering and helping people improve their quality of life. little did i know that an even bigger adventure would await me a year later.
i have decided to keep a blog of all my past & present traveling adventures. i don’t want to ever forget the people, places & things who deserve the credit for helping shape the person i’ve become.
“the secret here is the present. if you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. and, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. forget about the future and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children.” – the alchemist by Paolo Coelho
