Tomorrow, I will be heading to Chesterfield Virginia for my first ever ASB trip! I do not really know what to expect, but I am hoping that it is similar to the program that I volunteered for back home with special needs kids. All that I really know about this trip is that I cannot wait to go! And I need to pack, but that’s not what I’m blogging about. My team is awesome, and everyone seems just as excited as I am for a break that looks like it will be a perfect combination of fun and fulfilling. As for me, I am looking forward to continuing the work with special needs kids that I miss so much from my time back home. For one of our pre-service events, we went to a Best Buddies event near Valentine’s Day, which reminded me of the joy I get from helping kids with special needs. I have been looking forward to this trip all year, and cannot believe that it is finally time to leave for this amazing trip!
I can’t believe it’s tomorrow.
It still hasn’t really sunk in that in less than twenty-four hours we’ll be on the road, heading down to Virginia. I think it’ll start to become real when I finally get around to packing, but then again, maybe not until I wake up tomorrow morning, and roll my suitcase to March Field parking lot. My excitement for this week has been building for months and months, especially after seeing the presentations that the Interim trips went on. And here it is; finally the time has come.
Although I’m ecstatic to go on this trip, I’m also slightly apprehensive. I’ve never been on a trip (more like an adventure) like this before with my peers. I’ve also never spent extensive periods of time with those that are developmentally disabled, but I am incredibly excited for this opportunity . All of this makes for a completely new experience, so it’s understandable that I’m somewhat nervous. Never the less, I welcome the week with open arms, and I know it’s going to be a learning experience for all involved. I hope I return to Lafayette with some new perspectives on life, as well as a sense of fulfillment, and maybe if I’m lucky, a bad farmer’s tan.