ASB Reflections

Posted on

T-minus 24 Hours

It is less than 24 hours until my team departs for Newark, New Jersey!

I am so excited for our trip to Newark! On our trip we will be staying at a Boys & Girls Club and then will be traveling each day to the Jersey Shore to help reconstruct homes that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. My home town is on Long Island and so Hurricane Sandy Relief is something that I hold close to my heart. I understand the pain that these people went/are going through so I want to do anything in my power on this trip to help ease their suffering.

The months leading up to this trip went by so quickly and I can’t believe that I leave tomorrow. Throughout the first semester and the beginning of our second semester my team was able to build on our teamwork skills as we prepped for our trip. This included organizing fundraisers for our trip such as our Valentine’s Day candy-gram delivery and sticker sale. We were able to discuss our ideas and put them together to come up with great fundraisers. These fundraisers really helped with raising money for our trip and also  spread the word about our trip around campus. I also really enjoyed our pre-trip service project to the Easton Area Community Center. For our service we plotted seeds that would be planted in the EACC’s community garden later in the spring. I not only got to continue working with my ASB team but I also got to see what life was like in Easton outside of Lafayette. Our trip to the Easton Area Community Center was an eye-opening experience and I can’t wait to enjoy more moments like this in the coming week on my trip to Newark and the Jersey Shore!

Posted on

Night Before The Trip!

I can’t believe that the “What A Disaster” team’s experience will finally start tomorrow!! I’ve been thinking about this trip since proposing it last spring and now it’s finally here. I am so excited to engage in another service trip. Four years ago, I traveled to New Orleans for VENAVER (“Come and See”), my high school’s equivalent of Alternative School Break. It was during this experience that I became interested in disaster relief and recovery. The team did various relief projects around the city, met inspiring community members who worked to rebuild their communities, and toured New Orleans to see the remaining damage five years after the storm. I think the image still stuck in my mind is the houses with Xs on the doors from the initial search and rescue efforts.

I don’t know what quite to expect in Ocean and Monmouth Counties. Although I’ve been on the East Coast since Hurricane Sandy, I have only been to the Jersey Shore once so I can’t fathom what the areas look like about a year and a half after Hurricane Sandy. I am interested to compare my experiences from New Orleans to that of New Jersey and learn firsthand about how the government–specifically FEMA–responded before and after the storm. While the team has done research and discussed it as a group, hearing accounts firsthand always seem to paint a better picture of the situation on the ground. As one of the more seasoned ASBers on the trip, I am looking forward to guiding rookie ASB members during this trip. All of my VENAVER, ASB, and BreakAway experiences have been transformative and full of direct service, wonderful reflections, new friendships, inside jokes, laughter, and overall rejuvenation and renewal. As a result, I can’t wait to see what this What A Disaster! experiences has in store!!

Posted on

Pre-trip Predictions

After several meetings, planning sessions, and a pizza dinner, our team is all prepared to embark on our journey to Newark!  When I signed up for ASB, I wasn’t really sure what to expect– I suppose I am still full of wonder and curiosity about it– but regardless, I am very happy that I get to be a part of it.  I am looking forward to sharing this experience with my fellow classmates, some good friends and some new acquaintances.  I’m sure that after spending a week together we will have so many fun shared memories.  As for me, I am mostly looking forward to the service we will be doing.  I think doing manual labor will be so rewarding.  I love to get my hands dirty and really get involved, so this will be perfect.  I am also so excited to interact with children.  I am a tutor for young kids, so I have spent a lot of time with youngsters.  They always provide so much joy and are wonderful to be around.  A week of service will be an amazing way to spend spring break!

Posted on

All Packed and Ready to Go

So in a few weeks from now (and by weeks, I probably mean days!), someone is going to ask me: “what did you do over spring break?” To that, my response will be, “I helped rebuild New Jersey, of course.” And they – like I was prior to becoming a part of this trip – will wonder, “shouldn’t everything be fixed by now?”

Sadly, no – not everything is fixed. For some natural disasters, it may take years to clean up and rebuild. And for some people, the costs of rebuilding on their own are relatively costly – both in terms of monetary cost and manpower.

That’s where we come in. Tomorrow, (ASB Newark:) What a Disaster! will be joining over 60 other United Way volunteers in efforts to not only provide physical repairs, but also provide a helping hand to children affected by Hurricane Sandy by running various activities for the children to enjoy.

So while I look forward to the eventful week ahead of me, I must get some sleep to be ready in the morning! Until then!

Posted on

A Senior’s Pre-Reflection

This is the night before I am leaving for my ASB trip to New Jersey. It is March 15th, 2014. I am sitting at my computer and I have not even finished packing yet. I am still determining how I can compartmentalize. As I sit here, many thoughts are going through my head.

First is the uniqueness of experience. My level of community engagement has thus far mostly been limited to working with children and teens in my whole life. This experience is new to me. I may be an engineer, but I’ve never done construction type work. I am a mechanical, not a civil engineer. But that is beside the point.

It is still hard for me to picture the impact that Hurricane Sandy has had, now a year and a half ago. My hometown was hit, but not drastically affected. As for Lafayette College, where I was at the time, I was in a friend’s dorm perhaps a ten minute walk from my own when the storm hit. I was going to walk back, but the wind was so strong I could barely open the door to the outside. Thus, I ended up sleeping on the floor for the night with covers, thanks to some help from a gracious host. It was unsettling to sleep with all the chaos outside.

I know areas of the country such as Long Island were hit very badly and have not yet fully recovered, but it is hard to describe or understand something like this until you see it first hand. In a matter of hours that is exactly what my group and I will be doing, and we will be doing our part to help, understand the issue and raise awareness.

I on a certain level, am nervous and do not know what to expect. But I also know that it will be a rewarding and memorable experience. More to come.

Posted on

Jersey Shore

Tomorrow is my first ever ASB trip. As I pack and wash my clothes for the week ahead, I can’t help but to think what my friends are doing now. Are they back home taking 12 hour naps? Are they on their way to some exotic resort or heading to the beach to enjoy the heat? This and more runs through my head even as I write this article. So I ask myself, “Should I have done any of these things for my first ever college spring break?” The answer is no.

Although these things are the popular things to do for spring break, I want something different; furthermore, I want something meaningful. Now sleeping for 12 hours is great and all (I love sleep!) but doing service means more to me. It means giving back and that is something I love doing. It is something I’ve been doing since middle school and I certainly don’t want to stop now. College is supposed to be a place where we not only learn from distinguished professors and scholars but develop a better understanding of those around us. Now that is something ASB has to offer.

It is a trip that takes a group of volunteers to a location and does service for a week. A week dedicated to not only understanding our community around us but giving back as well. It is a week filled with laughs, smiles, and of course, service! This week should be one for the books. I couldn’t ask for a better way to start my first ever college spring break. So in a choice between sleep, beaches, and ASB? I’ll take ASB. That’s something that’s truly priceless.

 

Posted on

Alternatives that make a Different-ASB New Jersey

I am so excited (and nervous) about my upcoming ASB trip tomorrow.  I made this trip to Newark my first choice when selecting trips because I found I was identifying with working with those that experienced the devastation of Hurricane Sandy because I lived that storm being from Long Island, New York. My family and our home was effected but not to the extent of those in New Jersey. I also am interested in rebuilding in several senses of the word. I am looking at possibly majoring in engineering and this experience may help me explore that further but it would also help me understand how rebuilding requires active citizens. The element of creating a documentary about the effects of media also raised my interest as it would allow for me to explore how to teach others about giving back to community.

Now that I have learned more about the trip and about meeting others with similar interests as me, I am even more excited. I am going with 11 other Lafayette students and we are going to work with many others to make a difference – this spring break is going to be more than a break – we are going to make a difference and I am so excited to be a part of it – catch up with us in Newark and see what we can do!
Posted on

Rebuilding After Sandy

Our team is leaving for our trip to the Jersey Shore tomorrow morning in order to work with United Way to help clean up and rebuild from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. On the eve of our departure, I have had a lot of time to reflect on what this trip truly means for me. Even though I have participated in similar service trips in the past, this trip is personal for me in a way that no other service experience has ever been.

I was born and raised on Long Island, one of the regions that was ravaged by the hurricane and is still trying to recover from it. The storm struck when I was here at Lafayette and prevented me from having the opportunity to get home and be with my family during this trying time. Though my family was fortunate enough to only lose power for a few days, other families were not as lucky. For some, the power didn’t come on until a month later. For others, the power never came back on, as their houses were completely destroyed by the storm. Sitting here at school that week was one of the most difficult times in my life because of all the uncertainty that I knew existed back at home. Were my friends and their families alright?

I’m going on this trip to do what I believe is my part in the rebuilding process. It is my hope that I can give of myself this week in a way that I was unable to last year. I want to contribute to this massive rebuilding process that has served to show just how much resolve the people of New York and New Jersey, in addition to all those affected, truly have. It has been a trying process for many of these people and offering our time can hopefully encourage them to continue along this path towards recovery.

 

Posted on

Julieta’s Story

1/24/14

Listening to Julieta’s story was very moving. I feel that it was a good experience to sum u the week because it provided meaning to both the listeners and the teller, which is to say that it was mutually resonant. I hope that we have welcomed LUPE into our lives this past week as they have welcomed us into theirs. Thanks for a profound and amazing trip!

—-Anna

 

 

Posted on

Colonias

1/21/14

Today was particularly powerful. A specific moment that resonated with me was when we met the first colonia family. The daughter was living proof of what motivates LUPE volunteers to continue to promote immigration reform. Listening to her accomplishments and aspirations to obtain higher education was very moving, and the look on her mother’s face was one of strength and pride. It really put into perspective how important it is for future generations to be able to benefit from legislation such as deferred action because in the end the undocumented people are simply reamers striving for a better future.

—-Jen