Kayla Green
Today was our last service day at the Nashville Mission and it was a nice day to end with. Today I started by helping teach one of the classes they have so people can work towards their GEDs. I really enjoyed helping the men in the class better understand the problems that as they explained to me were harder to understand the way the other people explained them. After I helped with the class I got to go back up and do some paper work and organizing for one of the people over the education department at the center. My high point of the day was when I talked a stubborn and lazy man into doing his math problems and helped another man figure out how to round up. My low point of the day was when I saw the appreciation dinner that the mission had for us and all I could think of was that I’d rather the men at the mission had gotten it because I could afford to buy my own food, I appreciated it and it was nice but I felt guilty eating it. My story of the day was when a man walked in and talked to one of the girls and gave her a picture with a saying on the back and then prayed for all of us in the room I really appreciated it. While I was in the room filing stuff and doing stuff the man we were doing it for talked to us about how he used to be on drugs really bad and how he was in college now and working at the program it was a very real example of how the program could turn someone’s life around so well. He encouraged us to join the other trip concord students are going on in april and said that he and one of his friends tried it for one night and ended up sleeping in a slide in a park. Oh and another funny story I wanted to share was that on our way home Jesse about hit three homeless looking people who tried to run across the road and we all joked about him going home from a service trip to help the homeless to admit that he had ran over three of them while there. This trip was an excellent way for me to have a fun rewarding experience over my break and I really appreciate that I got to come here and meet all of the wonderful people that we have worked with here in Nashville.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
KaylaGreen
Kayla Green
Today we went to the Music City Mission which was ran by the church next door. They handed out free clothes and food to people who needed it. They were very organized and when we arrived had jobs for all of us lined up to do. They were organizing clothes, and food, and cleaning up outside. At the beginning I was helping to wash out the trash cans and recycle bins, and then I cleaned up trash in the yard and raked up leaves. My low point of the day came when I was helping to organize the clothes and after the head of the Mission told me I couldn’t let people look through the clothes I was organizing a woman kept asking to look at the baby clothes, I’m not someone who usually tells people no they can’t do something so it was really hard to tell her that I couldn’t let her. My high point of today was when I was able to compile an email list of all the past volunteers for the mission and got to see they amount of other people willing to help. A lot of the people who came to the mission for help today spoke Spanish and I got to watch one of my friends who had taken Spanish class interact with them and get to help a little girl find something that she wanted. My random story was when we were at mall later tonight and one of our groups saw some of the people who visited there in newer nicer clothes looking better and with lots of shopping bags it just shows that some people will take advantage of good programs just to get more. The fact that small of a church had the initiative to do something on such a scale gave me a real respect for them. They were very organized and seemed to be very efficient with very little waste compared to the other programs we visited it might have been because it was smaller but I believe that it also said something about the level of leadership that was present. They said that they provided food and clothing for a lot of people who were illegal immigrants and I found that interesting cause I always pictured that illegal immigrants to be something that happened mainly near the coasts and not a lot inland.
Today we went to the Music City Mission which was ran by the church next door. They handed out free clothes and food to people who needed it. They were very organized and when we arrived had jobs for all of us lined up to do. They were organizing clothes, and food, and cleaning up outside. At the beginning I was helping to wash out the trash cans and recycle bins, and then I cleaned up trash in the yard and raked up leaves. My low point of the day came when I was helping to organize the clothes and after the head of the Mission told me I couldn’t let people look through the clothes I was organizing a woman kept asking to look at the baby clothes, I’m not someone who usually tells people no they can’t do something so it was really hard to tell her that I couldn’t let her. My high point of today was when I was able to compile an email list of all the past volunteers for the mission and got to see they amount of other people willing to help. A lot of the people who came to the mission for help today spoke Spanish and I got to watch one of my friends who had taken Spanish class interact with them and get to help a little girl find something that she wanted. My random story was when we were at mall later tonight and one of our groups saw some of the people who visited there in newer nicer clothes looking better and with lots of shopping bags it just shows that some people will take advantage of good programs just to get more. The fact that small of a church had the initiative to do something on such a scale gave me a real respect for them. They were very organized and seemed to be very efficient with very little waste compared to the other programs we visited it might have been because it was smaller but I believe that it also said something about the level of leadership that was present. They said that they provided food and clothing for a lot of people who were illegal immigrants and I found that interesting cause I always pictured that illegal immigrants to be something that happened mainly near the coasts and not a lot inland.
KaylaGreen
Kayla Green
Today we worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission and I had a good time. Unlike some of the volunteers who had to go down to the basement to organize and didn’t get much interactions with the participants I got to go up to a classroom and interact with the men of the Mission. I was in a math class room for men trying to build up their knowledge high enough to get their GEDs and I helped them work out problems that they had trouble with. The men in the class were very nice but took a few minutes to work up the courage to ask for help. My highlight was when this huge man who looked like he could break me was needing help and said when I went to sit down “you can move my puppy dog folder” it ticked me pink lol and kinda made me see him a different light. My down moment of the day was when I was put in the basement because classes were over and all I had to do was fold boxes up or blankets. My story of the day was when one of the guys from the class the same one as the puppy dog folder decided that when there was a break he was going to go out and smoke and tried to convince me that smoking was good for him and that it would turn his insides black to match his outside. Another story I’d like to share that made me sad was when a black man passed by us as we were on our way to the movie night at the center for human development and told us that we needed to “watch out for those monkeys that all black people were monkeys including him”, that kind of talk from anyone let alone about themselves is something that just kind of bothers me because it not only shows a general lack of respect for other but also for themselves. Another high part in my day and one that I was extremely grateful for was when one of the men in the class I was in stood up to pray and thanked me and the other person in the classroom for coming out to help them, and the fact that other people throughout the day took the time to genially thank us for coming out made me feel like I was really making a difference no matter how small.
Today we worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission and I had a good time. Unlike some of the volunteers who had to go down to the basement to organize and didn’t get much interactions with the participants I got to go up to a classroom and interact with the men of the Mission. I was in a math class room for men trying to build up their knowledge high enough to get their GEDs and I helped them work out problems that they had trouble with. The men in the class were very nice but took a few minutes to work up the courage to ask for help. My highlight was when this huge man who looked like he could break me was needing help and said when I went to sit down “you can move my puppy dog folder” it ticked me pink lol and kinda made me see him a different light. My down moment of the day was when I was put in the basement because classes were over and all I had to do was fold boxes up or blankets. My story of the day was when one of the guys from the class the same one as the puppy dog folder decided that when there was a break he was going to go out and smoke and tried to convince me that smoking was good for him and that it would turn his insides black to match his outside. Another story I’d like to share that made me sad was when a black man passed by us as we were on our way to the movie night at the center for human development and told us that we needed to “watch out for those monkeys that all black people were monkeys including him”, that kind of talk from anyone let alone about themselves is something that just kind of bothers me because it not only shows a general lack of respect for other but also for themselves. Another high part in my day and one that I was extremely grateful for was when one of the men in the class I was in stood up to pray and thanked me and the other person in the classroom for coming out to help them, and the fact that other people throughout the day took the time to genially thank us for coming out made me feel like I was really making a difference no matter how small.
JonathanWilliams
Jonathan Williams
Reflection for Nashville ASB
March 10 2009
Our group arrived at the Campus for human development 8:00 am .Wendy the director for the participants took the group on a tour of the campus. On the floor there is a day room were the homeless meet from 6:30 to 7:30 for showers. The showers take in about 100 people every morning Monday thru Friday. There is also a mailroom were the participants of the pre-odyssey program can receive mail from family members and employers. The program is for participants to learn to find a job and to develop the skills to be successful in everyday life. There are G.E.D classes to give the people the ability to fill-out job applications. In the odyssey program there are about 75 participants living on campus some are required to get a full-time job and stay clean from addiction for seven months. The campus offers a safe house for intoxicated homeless arrested instead of the officers taken them to jail. Chapel offered m to allow god into their hearts and live in a more positive state.” Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love ,the Campus for Human Development provides hospitality with respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence.” This quote is the campus’ mission statement they believe the seven core values Spirituality, Love, Hospitality, Respect, Hope and a community of non-violence the goals can and will be met. The work started after the tour our group painted bathrooms, shelves for storage and cleared brush from a fence line.
Reflection for Nashville ASB
March 10 2009
Our group arrived at the Campus for human development 8:00 am .Wendy the director for the participants took the group on a tour of the campus. On the floor there is a day room were the homeless meet from 6:30 to 7:30 for showers. The showers take in about 100 people every morning Monday thru Friday. There is also a mailroom were the participants of the pre-odyssey program can receive mail from family members and employers. The program is for participants to learn to find a job and to develop the skills to be successful in everyday life. There are G.E.D classes to give the people the ability to fill-out job applications. In the odyssey program there are about 75 participants living on campus some are required to get a full-time job and stay clean from addiction for seven months. The campus offers a safe house for intoxicated homeless arrested instead of the officers taken them to jail. Chapel offered m to allow god into their hearts and live in a more positive state.” Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love ,the Campus for Human Development provides hospitality with respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence.” This quote is the campus’ mission statement they believe the seven core values Spirituality, Love, Hospitality, Respect, Hope and a community of non-violence the goals can and will be met. The work started after the tour our group painted bathrooms, shelves for storage and cleared brush from a fence line.
AnneEndres
Anne Endres
Dr. Sally Campbell
PSY 350
7 March 2009
Alternative Spring Break
I have volunteered at different agencies aimed at helping the less fortunate around my hometown of Charleston, West Virginia, but none of my prior experiences compared to that which I experienced today. We arrived at the Campus for Human Development in Nashville, Tennessee, around 7:30AM and began working shortly after Wendy, one of the directors, gave us a tour of the facility. Wow, was it a large facility! During our tour I learned that there are numerous programs designed to help people on several levels. These people, more specifically, participants, are encouraged to participate in classes such as writing, literature, art, spirituality, and drugs and alcohol awareness that are scheduled throughout the weekdays. Additionally, the participants are awarded points based on different aspects. The encouragement of the people to participate was evident today, although there were no scheduled classes since it is the weekend. I was amazed at the art displayed throughout the campus – each work of art has been accomplished by the participants! It was nice to see how the participants are applying their newly learned skills.
Today I learned a few things. First, I learned that many of the participants at this agency are men, and many of whom suffer chronic homelessness. Second, I learned the true definition of chronic homelessness – it is defined by having been homeless for at least one year, or by having been homeless at least three times in the past four years. Third, I learned that my perception of homeless people caused me to be almost fearful of working with them – when our van pulled up through the alley and entered the parking lot of the campus, we were almost all kind of frantic and worried what we should do with our (valuable) belongings. However, after meeting some people at the campus and learning more about things going on, my stereotypical fears disappeared and I began to realize how much of an eye-opening experience this week would be.
I wasn’t sure what to expect food-wise, either. We went to the Nashville Rescue Mission for lunch, and it was really crowded with participants. Sill being a bit fearful of what was on my plate, I just sampled a little bit of everything. I felt bad doing this, but at the same time I was prepared; I stashed a few granola bars in my pockets. I also felt bad for wasting this food, but maybe tomorrow will bring different food. Overall, I am happy to be here and eager to help many homeless people in Nashville.
Dr. Sally Campbell
PSY 350
7 March 2009
Alternative Spring Break
I have volunteered at different agencies aimed at helping the less fortunate around my hometown of Charleston, West Virginia, but none of my prior experiences compared to that which I experienced today. We arrived at the Campus for Human Development in Nashville, Tennessee, around 7:30AM and began working shortly after Wendy, one of the directors, gave us a tour of the facility. Wow, was it a large facility! During our tour I learned that there are numerous programs designed to help people on several levels. These people, more specifically, participants, are encouraged to participate in classes such as writing, literature, art, spirituality, and drugs and alcohol awareness that are scheduled throughout the weekdays. Additionally, the participants are awarded points based on different aspects. The encouragement of the people to participate was evident today, although there were no scheduled classes since it is the weekend. I was amazed at the art displayed throughout the campus – each work of art has been accomplished by the participants! It was nice to see how the participants are applying their newly learned skills.
Today I learned a few things. First, I learned that many of the participants at this agency are men, and many of whom suffer chronic homelessness. Second, I learned the true definition of chronic homelessness – it is defined by having been homeless for at least one year, or by having been homeless at least three times in the past four years. Third, I learned that my perception of homeless people caused me to be almost fearful of working with them – when our van pulled up through the alley and entered the parking lot of the campus, we were almost all kind of frantic and worried what we should do with our (valuable) belongings. However, after meeting some people at the campus and learning more about things going on, my stereotypical fears disappeared and I began to realize how much of an eye-opening experience this week would be.
I wasn’t sure what to expect food-wise, either. We went to the Nashville Rescue Mission for lunch, and it was really crowded with participants. Sill being a bit fearful of what was on my plate, I just sampled a little bit of everything. I felt bad doing this, but at the same time I was prepared; I stashed a few granola bars in my pockets. I also felt bad for wasting this food, but maybe tomorrow will bring different food. Overall, I am happy to be here and eager to help many homeless people in Nashville.
AnneEndres
Anne Endres
Wednesday March 11, 2009
Today we worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission – for my group this was our second day here, and for the other group it was their third day. I am happy to be in the group that travels to other places more frequently. In addition to helping at the Nashville Rescue Mission, we have volunteered at The Campus for Human Development and the Music City Mission. It seems like the other CU group is almost stationed at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I enjoy helping at all three places, but my time spent at the Music City Mission was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I think it helped because I was able to interact with the Spanish mothers and children. This morning at the NRM I was able to interact with the male participants who are studying to take the GED exam. I helped teach English, and we more or less focused on the reading comprehension branch of English. I was assigned to help one male student who seemed to be not much older than me; he may be in his early twenties. We read passages and then answered questions about each passage. It was sad to realize the level of the passages we read were pretty simple, and that a man this age was struggling to read such passages. However, it was rewarding to be able to help him gain a better understanding of certain words and phrases throughout the passages. At times we took breathers from reading and I tried to teach him some grammar skills. I focused on trying to deter him from saying ‘ain’t’ and tried to do so in a friendly manner. Also, I asked him if he knew any Spanish words and I taught him some basic Spanish language and grammar. I think he enjoyed taking these few small breaks from reading to do some learning in other areas of grammar and language.
It was almost difficult to parallel the lives of two people around the same age. My student told me that he is going through the GED program for the second time, but I did not ask for any details. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I have been blessed with so many things that I sometimes take for granted, such as a proper education. It struck me this morning how valuable a K-12 education is, and I can almost assume that the student I helped today did not receive such. I really hope he gets back on track and obtains his GED, because I’m sure job opportunities will arise and he will really be able to turn his life around.
This morning it displeased me when the students I helped teach took a fifteen minute smoke break. I know smoking habits are probably hard to break because of the attached addiction, but they should still try to wean themselves away from smoking. It makes me wonder if the NRM has any classes on smoking awareness and the effects of drugs and alcohol. I remember Wendy, one of the directors at the Campus for Human Development, telling us about the variety of classes for the participants, such as drug prevention.
In addition to being able to teach, it was rewarding to be fed a feast this afternoon at NRM. Billy, one of the men who successfully completed the turnaround program, showed his true appreciation for the CU volunteers. In a way I felt bad for being able to eat this delicious and extremely well-prepared food while the homeless men were eating fractions of this food downstairs.
Wednesday March 11, 2009
Today we worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission – for my group this was our second day here, and for the other group it was their third day. I am happy to be in the group that travels to other places more frequently. In addition to helping at the Nashville Rescue Mission, we have volunteered at The Campus for Human Development and the Music City Mission. It seems like the other CU group is almost stationed at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I enjoy helping at all three places, but my time spent at the Music City Mission was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I think it helped because I was able to interact with the Spanish mothers and children. This morning at the NRM I was able to interact with the male participants who are studying to take the GED exam. I helped teach English, and we more or less focused on the reading comprehension branch of English. I was assigned to help one male student who seemed to be not much older than me; he may be in his early twenties. We read passages and then answered questions about each passage. It was sad to realize the level of the passages we read were pretty simple, and that a man this age was struggling to read such passages. However, it was rewarding to be able to help him gain a better understanding of certain words and phrases throughout the passages. At times we took breathers from reading and I tried to teach him some grammar skills. I focused on trying to deter him from saying ‘ain’t’ and tried to do so in a friendly manner. Also, I asked him if he knew any Spanish words and I taught him some basic Spanish language and grammar. I think he enjoyed taking these few small breaks from reading to do some learning in other areas of grammar and language.
It was almost difficult to parallel the lives of two people around the same age. My student told me that he is going through the GED program for the second time, but I did not ask for any details. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I have been blessed with so many things that I sometimes take for granted, such as a proper education. It struck me this morning how valuable a K-12 education is, and I can almost assume that the student I helped today did not receive such. I really hope he gets back on track and obtains his GED, because I’m sure job opportunities will arise and he will really be able to turn his life around.
This morning it displeased me when the students I helped teach took a fifteen minute smoke break. I know smoking habits are probably hard to break because of the attached addiction, but they should still try to wean themselves away from smoking. It makes me wonder if the NRM has any classes on smoking awareness and the effects of drugs and alcohol. I remember Wendy, one of the directors at the Campus for Human Development, telling us about the variety of classes for the participants, such as drug prevention.
In addition to being able to teach, it was rewarding to be fed a feast this afternoon at NRM. Billy, one of the men who successfully completed the turnaround program, showed his true appreciation for the CU volunteers. In a way I felt bad for being able to eat this delicious and extremely well-prepared food while the homeless men were eating fractions of this food downstairs.
AnneEndres
Anne Endres
Tuesday 3/10/09
Today we spent the day at Music City Mission in Nashville. So far, today has been my favorite work day, and there are a few reasons why. Music City Mission is located in the Spanish district of Nashville, or at least it seems to be. When we drove to and from lunch (we got to go to CiCi’s Pizza!) we passed many buildings with Spanish titles – these included restaurants, Laundromats, and clothing shops. The Mission is right next door to a Nazarene church, where a retired pastor ministered; his son now ministers. They opened up this shelter next door in a building that used to be a church. This facility is the cleanest and best kept one that we have volunteered in all week. I think the cleaner environment created a more positive atmosphere for many people in the group, myself included. I spent the morning in an upstairs room with Ginny folding and sorting sheets, pillows, pillowcases, etc. Many of the sheets were in good condition and we threw out any that were not in acceptable condition and that were stained. After we finished upstairs, we shifted downstairs and helped various people with their duties. Little did I know that one of the most rewarding moments of my life was soon to take place.
Upon greeting a few of the women and children who came to the shelter in need of food or clothing, I immediately noticed how much Spanish was being spoken, and this observation tickled me pink. I began speaking to the mothers in Spanish, and then with their permission started talking to the small children in their native language. Soon after playing with and speaking to two small girls, one of the mothers asked me if I could help her. She led me over to a table where one of the Caucasian gentlemen who were in charge of the facility was stationed. He spoke no Spanish, and the Spanish woman understood little English. The problem at hand was that one of the Spanish women’s friends, who stood almost hesitantly behind her, wanted some diapers for her baby boy. It was confusing because the more outgoing Spanish woman kept saying “Numero uno, numero uno!” and the man in charge falsely understood that they wanted one diaper. Instead, the woman was requesting size one diapers for her shyer friend’s son. The man kept asking in English things like, “Where’s the boy? How old is he? Do you have any other children?” My Spanish knowledge helped me facilitate this transaction by interpreting and translating from English to Spanish and vice versa. This was the first of several translating encounters that took place today.
After the diaper situation was figured out, I explored the facility and discovered two more Spanish mothers and their children browsing through the clothing sections. This was where another rewarding experience would take place. One mother acknowledged me and we began chatting in Spanish. After realizing I spoke fairly fluently, she introduced me to her two-year-old daughter, Adellin (Spanish version of Adeline). Adellin and I began interacting and picking out what clothes and accessories she liked. Her mother realized what we were doing and asked if I could help them find a pair of shoes for her daughter, since tomorrow is her third birthday. I gladly accepted the invitation to help these people and apply my Spanish-speaking skills and began sorting through shoes. Grace noticed what I was doing and began looking for ‘Talla siete,’ or size seven. We found a pair of bright red rain boots with ladybug faces. Boy, was Adellin impressed! I helped her take her sandals off and put these boots on, all the while trying to talk to her in Spanish. Her mother was ever so pleased that we had found these ‘botas’ in the correct ‘talla’ and graciously thanked us. She and he friend then asked me details about the volunteer group such as where we are from, if many others speak Spanish, and if we were paid for our work. I later found out that she was born in Mexico, and the first woman was from El Salvador. I told both of them my plans to study abroad in the future.
It was so rewarding that I could help these women and children obtain necessities like diapers and the birthday present for Adellin. I do not know any details of how these families are doing financially, but the fact that they came here to this church to get these things shows that they may be suffering in some way. Nevertheless, the look on Adellin’s face when she saw the boots and realized that they fit was priceless, and I really appreciated being a part of this success. Today I enjoyed applying my Spanish skills in order to help the less fortunate obtain things that sometimes I take for granted.
Today was great; I’m sure I’ve already made that clear. The best part of the day was being able to help the Spanish mothers and their children. Another nice thing about today was that we were treated to lunch at CiCi’s Pizza.
The majority of the day went extremely well and parts were really rewarding. I think many of the other CU volunteers felt the same way. However, throughout the day I noticed that some students were sitting, texting, and not really contributing to the group work effort. It was frustrating to know that while many students were putting in effort to help the less fortunate and took a reasonable amount of breaks, others joked around and took lots of breaks. The past few days I’ve kept these thoughts to myself, but they’re beginning to build up. Tomorrow’s our last day at work, and we’re returning to the Nashville Rescue Mission.
Tuesday 3/10/09
Today we spent the day at Music City Mission in Nashville. So far, today has been my favorite work day, and there are a few reasons why. Music City Mission is located in the Spanish district of Nashville, or at least it seems to be. When we drove to and from lunch (we got to go to CiCi’s Pizza!) we passed many buildings with Spanish titles – these included restaurants, Laundromats, and clothing shops. The Mission is right next door to a Nazarene church, where a retired pastor ministered; his son now ministers. They opened up this shelter next door in a building that used to be a church. This facility is the cleanest and best kept one that we have volunteered in all week. I think the cleaner environment created a more positive atmosphere for many people in the group, myself included. I spent the morning in an upstairs room with Ginny folding and sorting sheets, pillows, pillowcases, etc. Many of the sheets were in good condition and we threw out any that were not in acceptable condition and that were stained. After we finished upstairs, we shifted downstairs and helped various people with their duties. Little did I know that one of the most rewarding moments of my life was soon to take place.
Upon greeting a few of the women and children who came to the shelter in need of food or clothing, I immediately noticed how much Spanish was being spoken, and this observation tickled me pink. I began speaking to the mothers in Spanish, and then with their permission started talking to the small children in their native language. Soon after playing with and speaking to two small girls, one of the mothers asked me if I could help her. She led me over to a table where one of the Caucasian gentlemen who were in charge of the facility was stationed. He spoke no Spanish, and the Spanish woman understood little English. The problem at hand was that one of the Spanish women’s friends, who stood almost hesitantly behind her, wanted some diapers for her baby boy. It was confusing because the more outgoing Spanish woman kept saying “Numero uno, numero uno!” and the man in charge falsely understood that they wanted one diaper. Instead, the woman was requesting size one diapers for her shyer friend’s son. The man kept asking in English things like, “Where’s the boy? How old is he? Do you have any other children?” My Spanish knowledge helped me facilitate this transaction by interpreting and translating from English to Spanish and vice versa. This was the first of several translating encounters that took place today.
After the diaper situation was figured out, I explored the facility and discovered two more Spanish mothers and their children browsing through the clothing sections. This was where another rewarding experience would take place. One mother acknowledged me and we began chatting in Spanish. After realizing I spoke fairly fluently, she introduced me to her two-year-old daughter, Adellin (Spanish version of Adeline). Adellin and I began interacting and picking out what clothes and accessories she liked. Her mother realized what we were doing and asked if I could help them find a pair of shoes for her daughter, since tomorrow is her third birthday. I gladly accepted the invitation to help these people and apply my Spanish-speaking skills and began sorting through shoes. Grace noticed what I was doing and began looking for ‘Talla siete,’ or size seven. We found a pair of bright red rain boots with ladybug faces. Boy, was Adellin impressed! I helped her take her sandals off and put these boots on, all the while trying to talk to her in Spanish. Her mother was ever so pleased that we had found these ‘botas’ in the correct ‘talla’ and graciously thanked us. She and he friend then asked me details about the volunteer group such as where we are from, if many others speak Spanish, and if we were paid for our work. I later found out that she was born in Mexico, and the first woman was from El Salvador. I told both of them my plans to study abroad in the future.
It was so rewarding that I could help these women and children obtain necessities like diapers and the birthday present for Adellin. I do not know any details of how these families are doing financially, but the fact that they came here to this church to get these things shows that they may be suffering in some way. Nevertheless, the look on Adellin’s face when she saw the boots and realized that they fit was priceless, and I really appreciated being a part of this success. Today I enjoyed applying my Spanish skills in order to help the less fortunate obtain things that sometimes I take for granted.
Today was great; I’m sure I’ve already made that clear. The best part of the day was being able to help the Spanish mothers and their children. Another nice thing about today was that we were treated to lunch at CiCi’s Pizza.
The majority of the day went extremely well and parts were really rewarding. I think many of the other CU volunteers felt the same way. However, throughout the day I noticed that some students were sitting, texting, and not really contributing to the group work effort. It was frustrating to know that while many students were putting in effort to help the less fortunate and took a reasonable amount of breaks, others joked around and took lots of breaks. The past few days I’ve kept these thoughts to myself, but they’re beginning to build up. Tomorrow’s our last day at work, and we’re returning to the Nashville Rescue Mission.
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