As the school year draws to a close, many people reflect on the school year, or if you are graduating, everything that you’ve done to finish this chapter in your life. This year, I participated in Alternative Spring Break, a week-long service trip in a different city to help and serve those in need. It’s a week of living a minimalistic lifestyle that contains small living quarters, long days on your feet, a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and connections that last a lifetime, both with the people you travel with and the people you are there helping.
It opens your eyes.
Being in a different place, helping people you would have never encountered if you didn’t go on this trip, opens your eyes to see a whole different part of the United States. Before this trip, I’d never been on an airplane, so this trip had the biggest impact on me out of everyone. Hearing life stories from the residents at the older adult daycare where I volunteered was what made every day fly by. Making house visits to young adults with Cerebral Palsy who lived every day to the fullest now makes me look at life differently. It’s a pretty incredible thing seeing how different two people’s lives can be.
It’s a great way to start traveling.
Traveling to Georgia and seeing a different part of the country was one of the best things I had ever chosen to do. After I’m done college, I definitely want to spend time going to different cities in the U.S. and even spend some time abroad. It makes you more cultured, gives you experiences, creates friendships, and teaches you gratitude, all which will make you more desirable for future careers and will present countless other opportunities.
It creates connections and friendships.
I became so close to the seven other students and teacher I traveled with the second day we were there that we all became great friends. I feel so lucky to have traveled with such a great group of people that only made my experience so much better. Sharing a room (and a bed) with two other girls forced us to become close, but running into the ocean at night, hearing about each other’s favorite things, and exploring the gorgeous city that is Savannah together created best friendships that will last forever.
It leaves a lasting impact.
The time I spent at St. Josephs/Candlers helping the disabled and adults who had nowhere else to go during the day was the best way I spent any spring break. I feel so lucky I was chosen to be one of the few students to have the opportunity to travel to Savannah. To see all that I have back at home that these adults don’t have due to financial and medical reasons was shocking and humbling. My friends and family are probably tired of hearing me continuously talk about it, but I can never not talk about it enough; it was the best opportunity I’ve had after the toughest year of my life and finally made me come out as a stronger person with a different outlook on life.
