As our trip to Tennessee approaches, I am realizing that I am on the verge of learning a huge amount about a community I do not know very much about. While thinking about this trip, I am remembering how much I gained from my ASB trip to Washington D.C, a city that is not too different from Philadelphia, where I grew up. I can only imagine how different this trip will be! I expect to not only learn from the service projects, but also walk away with an understanding of a lifestyle I have yet to experience; one without wireless internet, or even bathrooms in the same building we sleep in. I can’t wait to experience the Smokey Mountains and the Cherokee culture, and to meet new and interesting people. I think one of the most beneficial aspects of our trip is that we are engaging in many different areas of service such as child care, spending time in the senior center, as well as environmental work. I am a little bit nervous about my first time as a trip leader, but I feel confident in my amazing team and our faculty advisor that this will be an unforgettable service experience!
I told my foundations professor in the engineering department what I am doing B during Spring Break. He encouraged me to write journal entries about the engineering problems on the Native American Reservation and elsewhere I will be going to in Tennessee. He said that that there are some places still in the United States that don’t have access to clean water nor electricity and I was very surprised. I always thought that everyone in the US had those basic amenities. He told to write down my observations and to assess what needs to be done to improve the quality of life. I am going to a region in the US that I have never been before and I am excited to learn the Native American culture as well as many other new things and see a different part of a country I call home. I intend to follow my professor’s advice and I will document what I see. I will also help out in any way possible to make one less day difficult for the people who live there.
We can’t wait to hear how everything went!!