Day 1 (Looking at the glass half full)

Ah, what an eventful start to our ASB trip! Well, for me it started even earlier since I was out of bed at 8 am and had to catch my bus from Baltimore to New York. This was my first time travelling to New York on my own and as nerve wrecking of a task as that seems, I was excited.

Our group met up at the Main Concourse of the Penn Station as planned. After that long journey I just wanted to come to the hotel and unwind; little did i know that this was only half the travelling for today. It took us quite a while to first find the subway station and then the right platform. Going up and down flights of stairs with luggage made up for all the exercise I missed during the winter break.

However, even during these hard times the team stuck together and didn’t panic. Everyone was tired from the journey but all of us had come with a positive attitude that would not be shattered so easily. I feel like these dire moments actually made us more united, so not a bad way to start an ASB trip with the team!

After finally reaching the hotel, we decided to eat out for dinner since no one had the energy to prepare a meal. Dinner table conversations were uplifting and made us forget about the hardships we faced earlier. I’m excited for the rest of the trip and am confident that our unity will stand the challenges of the Big Apple!

-Tahaimage

DAY 1

After an early morning of airport lines and traveling our team finally made it to Chicago! We are so excited to be here and to finally be putting all our semester long work into action. We spent the day planning the logistics for the week, not forgetting which night we are going to have Chicago deep dish pizza, of course. We also saved some time for some more learning. We watched a documentary on wards of the state that was very moving.

I believe our group is very prepared for our week of service, but I also know that there is a lot more to be learned. I hope we all keep open minds and try to absorb as much information as we can so we can further our own knowledge and make this truly an unforgettable experience.

I know this group has the right passion, heart, and work ethic to not only make a difference in Chicago, but to take what we learn and make a difference back home too, and that is what I hope we are able to accomplish.

-Lauren