Akeya Carter-Bozman
Reflection Day Four
March 11, 2009
Today my group worked at the Music City Mission, which is ran by a pastor and his congregation of forty to fifty people here in Nashville. The mission serves homeless and low income families and individuals. The mission also works in conjunction with the thrift stores in the area in efforts raise money to keep the mission going. Music City mission services people from all around the world, refugees who have escaped many different backgrounds come in to receive services. Some of the services offered at Music City Mission are counseling (personal and family), clothing, food basket, starter home furnishings, and life skills training. The only problem the mission really faces is that most of the people they serve is Spanish speaking, but the director of the mission and his workers don’t understand or speak a word of Spanish.
Our task today was to prepare and restock the clothing floor and we also made food baskets for all the family’s who came in to utilize all the services. I felt great to watch to organize for the mission. We finished the children’s closet, two food pantries’s, and over sorted two rooms worth of clothing.
As I have worked throughout the week I have grown to understand and not judge people. I had a real problem with being judgmental. I met a social worker today who absolutely loves his job! We talked for what seemed like hours over lunch about the highs and lows of the profession. He did leave me with one piece of advice he said that I should find my own way in the field, and treat people with respect, love what I do. This was the highlight of my day.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
KristinaChampe
Kristina Champe
Alternative Spring Break
Reflection Day 4
Today our group went to the Campus for Human Development. This place was amazing! I really enjoyed working at this place. When we got there we took a tour of the facility and it was so bright and cheerful, and the people there were so much more relaxed than at the Nashville Rescue Mission. They have a place called the “Guest House” and this place is where the police can bring people who are publicly intoxicated and they can sleep it off and sometimes get help for alcoholism. Ms. Wendy was so much fun and she was super nice to us. After we took a tour we split up into groups and Ms. Wendy let a few of us stay behind and talk with the women’s group that was coming in. We asked her if we could speak with the women since we had only been with the men. She was more than happy to let us. When the women’s group came up to the chapel room, there was another college group there and they were doing a mural together and we got to tear up paper and they glued them to the picture that they had drawn. During this time another girl and I were talking with one of the ladies and she was amazing. She told us that her and her husband was there together and that they had just celebrated their 36th anniversary last week. It was so sweet. We didn’t get to meet her husband because he was at the doctors’ office because he had pneumonia for the fourth time. Another girl in our group said she talked to a lady to was running from her abusive boyfriend. This was so sad. She said that this was the third or fourth time she had run away and the last time her boyfriend found her in another state. Also she said that she had gotten up at 2am this morning and walked 4 miles to get to the campus.
I really enjoyed working there and wish that I would have worked there all week. This place was so much fun and wasn’t hard work and I could actually stay awake and not be tired after lunch. It was great!
Alternative Spring Break
Reflection Day 4
Today our group went to the Campus for Human Development. This place was amazing! I really enjoyed working at this place. When we got there we took a tour of the facility and it was so bright and cheerful, and the people there were so much more relaxed than at the Nashville Rescue Mission. They have a place called the “Guest House” and this place is where the police can bring people who are publicly intoxicated and they can sleep it off and sometimes get help for alcoholism. Ms. Wendy was so much fun and she was super nice to us. After we took a tour we split up into groups and Ms. Wendy let a few of us stay behind and talk with the women’s group that was coming in. We asked her if we could speak with the women since we had only been with the men. She was more than happy to let us. When the women’s group came up to the chapel room, there was another college group there and they were doing a mural together and we got to tear up paper and they glued them to the picture that they had drawn. During this time another girl and I were talking with one of the ladies and she was amazing. She told us that her and her husband was there together and that they had just celebrated their 36th anniversary last week. It was so sweet. We didn’t get to meet her husband because he was at the doctors’ office because he had pneumonia for the fourth time. Another girl in our group said she talked to a lady to was running from her abusive boyfriend. This was so sad. She said that this was the third or fourth time she had run away and the last time her boyfriend found her in another state. Also she said that she had gotten up at 2am this morning and walked 4 miles to get to the campus.
I really enjoyed working there and wish that I would have worked there all week. This place was so much fun and wasn’t hard work and I could actually stay awake and not be tired after lunch. It was great!
JessicaKirk
Kirk, Jessica
3-10-09
Alternative Spring Break in Nashville
Day four
Today my group went to the Music City Rescue Mission. This mission was different from the others we had previously visited. This mission offered free food, clothes, and even furniture to those who came and asked for help. The main thing that set this mission apart from the others was that it not only saw homeless people but also refuges from places such as Darfur. Pastor Bob said at one point they had people from five different continents in the mission.
Today's experience was rewarding in the fact that we had contact with women and children. At the other places we had no contact with women and children who mainly stayed at another compound which requires a background check to get be able to visit. Its easy to look at a grown man and claim to sympathize with them, but to see a woman and her child its heartbreaking to think about what they must go through each day.
One thing that was frustrating to day was these two women who was there with their children getting supplies from the mission. What made this frustrating though was that the women had maybe three garbage bags of clothes between them and still browsing through the racks of clothes looking for more to take home. I understand needing new clothes every now and then, but Im sure there are other people who need it more; not to mention both women had really nice purses that definitely weren't cheap and not from a mission.
The only story that really stands out to me is the story about when we was bagging beans and rice. Pastor Bob gave us blue tubs to put the rice and bean bags into, so we filled all of the containers up to the top. Later Eric comes over and with him he has three huge clear tubs with lids and tells us that Bob wants them in those because thay have lids. Well after we filled them Pastor Bob comes over and tells us "No those are for clothes only". We ended up switching the tubs like two or three times before we finally got it right.
3-10-09
Alternative Spring Break in Nashville
Day four
Today my group went to the Music City Rescue Mission. This mission was different from the others we had previously visited. This mission offered free food, clothes, and even furniture to those who came and asked for help. The main thing that set this mission apart from the others was that it not only saw homeless people but also refuges from places such as Darfur. Pastor Bob said at one point they had people from five different continents in the mission.
Today's experience was rewarding in the fact that we had contact with women and children. At the other places we had no contact with women and children who mainly stayed at another compound which requires a background check to get be able to visit. Its easy to look at a grown man and claim to sympathize with them, but to see a woman and her child its heartbreaking to think about what they must go through each day.
One thing that was frustrating to day was these two women who was there with their children getting supplies from the mission. What made this frustrating though was that the women had maybe three garbage bags of clothes between them and still browsing through the racks of clothes looking for more to take home. I understand needing new clothes every now and then, but Im sure there are other people who need it more; not to mention both women had really nice purses that definitely weren't cheap and not from a mission.
The only story that really stands out to me is the story about when we was bagging beans and rice. Pastor Bob gave us blue tubs to put the rice and bean bags into, so we filled all of the containers up to the top. Later Eric comes over and with him he has three huge clear tubs with lids and tells us that Bob wants them in those because thay have lids. Well after we filled them Pastor Bob comes over and tells us "No those are for clothes only". We ended up switching the tubs like two or three times before we finally got it right.
SamanthaThomas
Samantha Thomas
Reflection 4
2-11-09
Today was extremely productive. I talked to many people today about the program at the Campus for Human Development. Most of which did not even want to speak about homelessness, but rather just a friend to share the little stories of their lives with. I spoke to a man last night named Jerry at our pizza/movie party who told me all about his family and how his life has been since he finally got his life back together at Campus. He is currently working for minimum wage at Campus, but on the 25th of this month, he has an interview at K-Mart. Even though I just met this man last night, I felt necessary to share in this tiny victory with him. He was one of the sweetest and most honest and interesting men I have ever met. He was completely and utterly open about all of his past experiences. He shared that he was an avid marathon runner until the last one when he tore up his knee. However, he still stayed in the spectrum by switching to biking. He told me of how he had biked in 150-mile bike marathons and how they were set up.
Another thing that had impacted me in a major way was when Wendy, our guide, began speaking about the new 5-story wing they were building onto their current building. We were all standing in the art classroom and there was this one man in particular who was especially affected by the news. His eyes widened, a smile began creeping upon his face, and his body suddenly sat upright from his artwork. After Wendy had finished speaking about the new building, he made the comment to our group that, “I have been more blessed in the past 4 months in this program than I had been my entire life. I love it here. There should be more programs like this. There just aren’t enough. Y’all should bring this back with y’all to West Virginia.” This stuck in my head because he seemed so passionate about it. It didn’t quite register until this point how much this program meant to these men. It was basically a godsend. I could finally see and feel the passion.
Reflection 4
2-11-09
Today was extremely productive. I talked to many people today about the program at the Campus for Human Development. Most of which did not even want to speak about homelessness, but rather just a friend to share the little stories of their lives with. I spoke to a man last night named Jerry at our pizza/movie party who told me all about his family and how his life has been since he finally got his life back together at Campus. He is currently working for minimum wage at Campus, but on the 25th of this month, he has an interview at K-Mart. Even though I just met this man last night, I felt necessary to share in this tiny victory with him. He was one of the sweetest and most honest and interesting men I have ever met. He was completely and utterly open about all of his past experiences. He shared that he was an avid marathon runner until the last one when he tore up his knee. However, he still stayed in the spectrum by switching to biking. He told me of how he had biked in 150-mile bike marathons and how they were set up.
Another thing that had impacted me in a major way was when Wendy, our guide, began speaking about the new 5-story wing they were building onto their current building. We were all standing in the art classroom and there was this one man in particular who was especially affected by the news. His eyes widened, a smile began creeping upon his face, and his body suddenly sat upright from his artwork. After Wendy had finished speaking about the new building, he made the comment to our group that, “I have been more blessed in the past 4 months in this program than I had been my entire life. I love it here. There should be more programs like this. There just aren’t enough. Y’all should bring this back with y’all to West Virginia.” This stuck in my head because he seemed so passionate about it. It didn’t quite register until this point how much this program meant to these men. It was basically a godsend. I could finally see and feel the passion.
VanVu
Van Vu
Sally H. Campbell
SOWK 350
Spring 2009
Entry for March 10th, 2009
As usual, we got up and had a quick breakfast, then went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Today was the first time our team worked on campus. The campus is located right behind the building that we often worked in. We might cross through a narrow pathway that smelt tremendously bad due to the random pees. I had to hold my nose in order to pass it.
The campus was not too large. It had only one big building. The campus’ leader gave us a tour around the whole campus. Firstly, we went to the waiting room. They also used the waiting room as the games room as well. At this time, this room was full of people. Some of them were sleeping; the others were reading books, playing games or watching movies. After that, we went to a corridor that its walls were full of artworks. These artworks were the products of the homeless people here. They were so nice and valuable that they made the corridor look as if it were an actual art gallery. The room at the end of the corridor was the center’s post office. The center gave each member a post office’s address so that the homeless people could receive their important paperwork such as bills, payments and especially was the mail from employers that they applied for a job. The officers here also offered consultants and counselor for members to help them get out of the homelessness and unemployment. The next room that we stopped by was a class. The center encouraged the homeless people to study by opening many classes which were directly related to the future jobs of homeless people. It also encouraged its members to go to class by the accumulate points each time they went to class, which were able to convert into money or the prior rights of using many facilities in the center. Right next to the class was the art room where the members went to do artwork. The room had only seven people at this time and all of them were drawing or painting. The room’s ceiling hung up plentiful of small wood models, such as many different kinds of airplane or animals. The artworks were absolutely pretty and if I didn’t know about that, maybe I couldn’t imagine that they were created by the homeless people. After leaving the art room, we went to the dinning room and the dormitory. The campus now looked like a small society with all of the necessary facilities for human development. I wished in the near future, my country also had this kind of campus to help the homeless people. The campus was almost perfect. However, it still needed some more innovations. I have thought that if it could create the jobs for the homeless people, give them a chance to work as the campus’ officers or let them do the works such as farm works, painting or transporting, so this model of center would be really perfect.
Today my work was painting the bathroom. Mai, Tung and I painted the room together. Mai used the brush and I used the rolls. I really didn’t pay much attention to the painted wall behind me and kept touching it. My overcoat and my pans were all yellow. Because the paint was water-based so I immediately took off my overcoat and washed it. It ended up totally wet.
In the afternoon, we climbed up to the hill and helped the guys cut down dry branches and putting them into the trash bags. It was really so cool up here that I felt absolutely comfortable. However, the comfortable feeling also made me feel totally sleepy. 5:00 pm, we left the campus and came back to the motel.
Sally H. Campbell
SOWK 350
Spring 2009
Entry for March 10th, 2009
As usual, we got up and had a quick breakfast, then went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Today was the first time our team worked on campus. The campus is located right behind the building that we often worked in. We might cross through a narrow pathway that smelt tremendously bad due to the random pees. I had to hold my nose in order to pass it.
The campus was not too large. It had only one big building. The campus’ leader gave us a tour around the whole campus. Firstly, we went to the waiting room. They also used the waiting room as the games room as well. At this time, this room was full of people. Some of them were sleeping; the others were reading books, playing games or watching movies. After that, we went to a corridor that its walls were full of artworks. These artworks were the products of the homeless people here. They were so nice and valuable that they made the corridor look as if it were an actual art gallery. The room at the end of the corridor was the center’s post office. The center gave each member a post office’s address so that the homeless people could receive their important paperwork such as bills, payments and especially was the mail from employers that they applied for a job. The officers here also offered consultants and counselor for members to help them get out of the homelessness and unemployment. The next room that we stopped by was a class. The center encouraged the homeless people to study by opening many classes which were directly related to the future jobs of homeless people. It also encouraged its members to go to class by the accumulate points each time they went to class, which were able to convert into money or the prior rights of using many facilities in the center. Right next to the class was the art room where the members went to do artwork. The room had only seven people at this time and all of them were drawing or painting. The room’s ceiling hung up plentiful of small wood models, such as many different kinds of airplane or animals. The artworks were absolutely pretty and if I didn’t know about that, maybe I couldn’t imagine that they were created by the homeless people. After leaving the art room, we went to the dinning room and the dormitory. The campus now looked like a small society with all of the necessary facilities for human development. I wished in the near future, my country also had this kind of campus to help the homeless people. The campus was almost perfect. However, it still needed some more innovations. I have thought that if it could create the jobs for the homeless people, give them a chance to work as the campus’ officers or let them do the works such as farm works, painting or transporting, so this model of center would be really perfect.
Today my work was painting the bathroom. Mai, Tung and I painted the room together. Mai used the brush and I used the rolls. I really didn’t pay much attention to the painted wall behind me and kept touching it. My overcoat and my pans were all yellow. Because the paint was water-based so I immediately took off my overcoat and washed it. It ended up totally wet.
In the afternoon, we climbed up to the hill and helped the guys cut down dry branches and putting them into the trash bags. It was really so cool up here that I felt absolutely comfortable. However, the comfortable feeling also made me feel totally sleepy. 5:00 pm, we left the campus and came back to the motel.
TiffanyMcMahan
Tiffany McMahan
Reflection
March 10, 2009
Today, we were at the Campus for Human Development. It was very different than the Mission. I really enjoyed today because we met some of the homeless people and we had more interaction with them than at the Mission. We helped clean a building, wash walls, and clean up tree branches. While there at the Campus we experienced different things such as the classes offered to the homeless. Some of them could draw very well and all of them seemed to enjoy their art class. When Wendy told them about the new center that was going to be built for them they were all excited and happy. Many of them were very nice. I cannot stop thinking about the one who kept telling us that he could not believe that we gave up our spring break to come help them, and he also explained how he hoped that we took the idea of a homeless shelter back to West Virginia because he would like to see more shelters in the country. This really made me sad because we never know how it is to live like them. Something I never thought about was how the homeless receives mail or phone calls like for a doctor’s appointment or for a job interview. At the Campus they can get mail twice daily and also use a generic phone message there to receive phone calls. I never thought about this until it was mentioned today at the Mission. Also, while we were cleaning out the can food items from the burnt building, one of them homeless men was taking the cans of food to keep for himself. I found this very hard for me to understand and to deal with because it made me think about how wasteful we can be, and how someone not as fortunate as us would appreciate the things we throw away. Also, something that made me feel a little unsafe was the fight between to homeless men there while we were working. Wendy apologized for the problem and asked one of the men to leave the Campus for the day. This was very different for me and it made me somewhat worried and scared. This gave me a better insight into how the street life is for the homeless. I feel that today was the best day because of the interactions with the homeless.
Reflection
March 10, 2009
Today, we were at the Campus for Human Development. It was very different than the Mission. I really enjoyed today because we met some of the homeless people and we had more interaction with them than at the Mission. We helped clean a building, wash walls, and clean up tree branches. While there at the Campus we experienced different things such as the classes offered to the homeless. Some of them could draw very well and all of them seemed to enjoy their art class. When Wendy told them about the new center that was going to be built for them they were all excited and happy. Many of them were very nice. I cannot stop thinking about the one who kept telling us that he could not believe that we gave up our spring break to come help them, and he also explained how he hoped that we took the idea of a homeless shelter back to West Virginia because he would like to see more shelters in the country. This really made me sad because we never know how it is to live like them. Something I never thought about was how the homeless receives mail or phone calls like for a doctor’s appointment or for a job interview. At the Campus they can get mail twice daily and also use a generic phone message there to receive phone calls. I never thought about this until it was mentioned today at the Mission. Also, while we were cleaning out the can food items from the burnt building, one of them homeless men was taking the cans of food to keep for himself. I found this very hard for me to understand and to deal with because it made me think about how wasteful we can be, and how someone not as fortunate as us would appreciate the things we throw away. Also, something that made me feel a little unsafe was the fight between to homeless men there while we were working. Wendy apologized for the problem and asked one of the men to leave the Campus for the day. This was very different for me and it made me somewhat worried and scared. This gave me a better insight into how the street life is for the homeless. I feel that today was the best day because of the interactions with the homeless.
SezinCeliktas
Today is the best day that I have ever had since I came here. We went to the Music City. People we met there were really nice. They explained us what we need to do. Some of us fold clothes again and some of us put beans and rice into little boxes. And others tried to seperate men clothes and women clothes. People who work there came and talk to us. They were really nice people. It was nice helping them.
Then we went out to eat on our lunch break. It was pretty good. We went out as a group. So we had time to talk about how our day was going. Most of the people’s day was going pretty good and today was the first day that everbody told me that today was their best day so far.
Then we came back to the hotel. Some of us needed to get some rest. Then some people went to the mall. I didnt go because I went to that mall on Saturday so I didnt want to go. But it was stil a good day for me.
Then we went out to eat on our lunch break. It was pretty good. We went out as a group. So we had time to talk about how our day was going. Most of the people’s day was going pretty good and today was the first day that everbody told me that today was their best day so far.
Then we came back to the hotel. Some of us needed to get some rest. Then some people went to the mall. I didnt go because I went to that mall on Saturday so I didnt want to go. But it was stil a good day for me.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
ChristineFernandes
Reflection
3/09/09
Today we were all required to help out at the Nashville Mission, here we all split up in groups of seven and were assigned the task of organizing various clothing donations into sizes as well as warm and light clothing. We were surprised to find huge number of boxes stowed away at the back of the large warehouse rooms. The mission running short of volunteers has been unable to sort through their donations for a while. After lunch we were required to help clean out the basement which was packed with donations ranging from many computer monitors scanners to bedding and toiletries. We begun by offloading the bed sheets and pillow cases into large bags for laundry and then moved our way onto towels and blankets. Soon after we began sorting toiletries and baby products, I must admit despite being tiered I realized in the time we spent organizing different items I felt compelled to keep going in appreciation of all the donations and the time, money and effort that were spent donating items. We then came back to the motels for a quick rest and then left around 6 30 to join the participants at the Campus for Human Development for movie night where we spent time playing board games and watching a movie with some of the people at the campus . I appreciated how hospitable and generous they were for sharing their food and accommodating us. I also feel that having been accustomed to spending the night out in the town I was pleasantly surprised to feel at home and comfortable spending the evening with the participants and enjoyed spending time with some of our group members having a relaxing time after a hard days work.
3/09/09
Today we were all required to help out at the Nashville Mission, here we all split up in groups of seven and were assigned the task of organizing various clothing donations into sizes as well as warm and light clothing. We were surprised to find huge number of boxes stowed away at the back of the large warehouse rooms. The mission running short of volunteers has been unable to sort through their donations for a while. After lunch we were required to help clean out the basement which was packed with donations ranging from many computer monitors scanners to bedding and toiletries. We begun by offloading the bed sheets and pillow cases into large bags for laundry and then moved our way onto towels and blankets. Soon after we began sorting toiletries and baby products, I must admit despite being tiered I realized in the time we spent organizing different items I felt compelled to keep going in appreciation of all the donations and the time, money and effort that were spent donating items. We then came back to the motels for a quick rest and then left around 6 30 to join the participants at the Campus for Human Development for movie night where we spent time playing board games and watching a movie with some of the people at the campus . I appreciated how hospitable and generous they were for sharing their food and accommodating us. I also feel that having been accustomed to spending the night out in the town I was pleasantly surprised to feel at home and comfortable spending the evening with the participants and enjoyed spending time with some of our group members having a relaxing time after a hard days work.
JenniferHellems
Jennifer Hellems
SOWK 350
Dr. Campbell
Journal Entry 3
Monday March 9, 2009
Today everyone worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I worked on several different tasks throughout the day because it takes a lot to keep a big group of people busy.
This morning we split up into smaller groups and my group went to the clothing room and separated a lot of clothes into smalls, mediums, larges, and so on. We completed that task really quick and the guy who usually does it was so happy because he was saying that it would have taken him forever to sort the clothes. He said that he would get some of it sorted, but then they would bring a large shipment everyday at 10:30 right before he left at 11.
I was a little frustrated today when we got so much stuff done and we ended up being bored because we had nothing else to do and the few that were upstairs working in the kitchen couldn’t leave till serving time. We couldn’t go help them because there wasn’t enough room in the kitchen so we just ended up doing odd jobs around the mission.
Today I really enjoyed working with the guys at the mission most of them were really nice, but you could tell that they weren’t suppose to talk to us much. Some of the girls that I was with went out and we swept and cleaned the tables and chairs in the dining area. It turns out that that was some of the resident’s jobs so they were pretty surprised when they walked in and saw us hard at it. We told them that it was their day off and not to worry about it. Of course they were grateful and helped us finish it. One of the guys was talking to us and telling us how much he appreciated everything we have done for them and that we volunteered our time to come down and help them out.
I’m really glad that they appreciate us and realize that we are there to help them. Coming here, I wasn’t sure how some people would react to us volunteering to help them because I know some people can be very stubborn and not want help. I really enjoyed the place we were at today, but I think I liked the one Saturday better. Tomorrow we will be at a new place so we will see how that goes.
SOWK 350
Dr. Campbell
Journal Entry 3
Monday March 9, 2009
Today everyone worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I worked on several different tasks throughout the day because it takes a lot to keep a big group of people busy.
This morning we split up into smaller groups and my group went to the clothing room and separated a lot of clothes into smalls, mediums, larges, and so on. We completed that task really quick and the guy who usually does it was so happy because he was saying that it would have taken him forever to sort the clothes. He said that he would get some of it sorted, but then they would bring a large shipment everyday at 10:30 right before he left at 11.
I was a little frustrated today when we got so much stuff done and we ended up being bored because we had nothing else to do and the few that were upstairs working in the kitchen couldn’t leave till serving time. We couldn’t go help them because there wasn’t enough room in the kitchen so we just ended up doing odd jobs around the mission.
Today I really enjoyed working with the guys at the mission most of them were really nice, but you could tell that they weren’t suppose to talk to us much. Some of the girls that I was with went out and we swept and cleaned the tables and chairs in the dining area. It turns out that that was some of the resident’s jobs so they were pretty surprised when they walked in and saw us hard at it. We told them that it was their day off and not to worry about it. Of course they were grateful and helped us finish it. One of the guys was talking to us and telling us how much he appreciated everything we have done for them and that we volunteered our time to come down and help them out.
I’m really glad that they appreciate us and realize that we are there to help them. Coming here, I wasn’t sure how some people would react to us volunteering to help them because I know some people can be very stubborn and not want help. I really enjoyed the place we were at today, but I think I liked the one Saturday better. Tomorrow we will be at a new place so we will see how that goes.
SezinCeliktas
Today we went to Nashville Rescue Machine. One of the people showed us around and gave us some information about the building.
Then some of us went to the basement, some of us went to fold clothes, and some of us went to the kitchen. I was at the basement helping people to move boxes, foods that they will need later, and cleaning. It was not easy but we worked together so it was not as bad as I thought.
We had lunch there. I like eating lunch there just to see what homeless people eat every day. It is sad but it makes me feel better that we are doing something for them. And the guy who was showing us what to do, he told us that he is really proud of what we were doin and we were happy to hear that.
Then we went to watch a movie and play card games. It was fun. Some people watched movie. Some people prefered playing games. It was one of those days that I will not forget.
Then some of us went to the basement, some of us went to fold clothes, and some of us went to the kitchen. I was at the basement helping people to move boxes, foods that they will need later, and cleaning. It was not easy but we worked together so it was not as bad as I thought.
We had lunch there. I like eating lunch there just to see what homeless people eat every day. It is sad but it makes me feel better that we are doing something for them. And the guy who was showing us what to do, he told us that he is really proud of what we were doin and we were happy to hear that.
Then we went to watch a movie and play card games. It was fun. Some people watched movie. Some people prefered playing games. It was one of those days that I will not forget.
BrianCaulkins
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Brian Caulkins
Psychology 350
March 10, 2009
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break – Day #3
Today started out later than normal. We didn’t get on the road until ten till eight. Both groups were working together today. We worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission today. The first project that I worked on was separating different shirts by their sizes. I don’t know how many boxes we went through, but I do know that there were a lot of them. Most of the clothing was dress shirts. I guess a lot of people donate dress clothes because not as many people wear them as much. I worked on sorting clothing until lunch. I told myself that every time that I ate at the rescue mission that I will eat all the food on my plate so that I get the full effect of how eating at the shelter was like. So far I have eaten everything on my tray. Sometimes it has been tuff because the food is not what I am used to.
After lunch I started working down in the basement of the rescue mission. The basement of this place is huge. It has to be as big as Lowes, but not as tall. It was filled with items that varied from food to pianos. The basement was the storage area for the building. What we did the rest of the day was basically cleaning and sorting the items in the basement. Since there are not very many guys on this trip, most of the more strenuous work is handed to us. Eric and I emptied the cardboard bins and carried old books out to the dumpsters. There were a ton of books and cardboard. During this time a person in the program was helping us. I didn’t really know if he appreciated our help or not, but as the day went along I started to see the gratitude of the help. Derrick was his name. I started asking questions about how long he had been in the program and how he liked it. I wouldn’t say he opened up but he did tell me what I asked him. This was his second time through the program. He was 16 when he went through the first program. He told me that the first program didn’t work and that he had been with Nashville Rescue Mission since December 11.
I liked working with him and all the other people in the program. You would be surprised how many people are so grateful for the help. There was this one guy that would always be very gracious that we were helping the organization. He jokingly would say that he was going to come to West Virginia to bring us back.
One of the frustrating things I went through today was the basement. The basement was so big and it felt like the team and I would never get any of it done. It took me a while to understand that this was a long term project. All the projects we are working on are going to take it while. One of the positive things that I went through today was towards the end of the day. Right before we were ready to wrap things up and head back, Derrick made it his mission to say bye and thank us for the help. I feel that it would take a lot for somebody in his situation to take the time to make sure that we were thanked. I felt like I made a connection with him and was able to help the rescue mission and be a positive influence in Derrick’s life.
Brian Caulkins
Psychology 350
March 10, 2009
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break – Day #3
Today started out later than normal. We didn’t get on the road until ten till eight. Both groups were working together today. We worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission today. The first project that I worked on was separating different shirts by their sizes. I don’t know how many boxes we went through, but I do know that there were a lot of them. Most of the clothing was dress shirts. I guess a lot of people donate dress clothes because not as many people wear them as much. I worked on sorting clothing until lunch. I told myself that every time that I ate at the rescue mission that I will eat all the food on my plate so that I get the full effect of how eating at the shelter was like. So far I have eaten everything on my tray. Sometimes it has been tuff because the food is not what I am used to.
After lunch I started working down in the basement of the rescue mission. The basement of this place is huge. It has to be as big as Lowes, but not as tall. It was filled with items that varied from food to pianos. The basement was the storage area for the building. What we did the rest of the day was basically cleaning and sorting the items in the basement. Since there are not very many guys on this trip, most of the more strenuous work is handed to us. Eric and I emptied the cardboard bins and carried old books out to the dumpsters. There were a ton of books and cardboard. During this time a person in the program was helping us. I didn’t really know if he appreciated our help or not, but as the day went along I started to see the gratitude of the help. Derrick was his name. I started asking questions about how long he had been in the program and how he liked it. I wouldn’t say he opened up but he did tell me what I asked him. This was his second time through the program. He was 16 when he went through the first program. He told me that the first program didn’t work and that he had been with Nashville Rescue Mission since December 11.
I liked working with him and all the other people in the program. You would be surprised how many people are so grateful for the help. There was this one guy that would always be very gracious that we were helping the organization. He jokingly would say that he was going to come to West Virginia to bring us back.
One of the frustrating things I went through today was the basement. The basement was so big and it felt like the team and I would never get any of it done. It took me a while to understand that this was a long term project. All the projects we are working on are going to take it while. One of the positive things that I went through today was towards the end of the day. Right before we were ready to wrap things up and head back, Derrick made it his mission to say bye and thank us for the help. I feel that it would take a lot for somebody in his situation to take the time to make sure that we were thanked. I felt like I made a connection with him and was able to help the rescue mission and be a positive influence in Derrick’s life.
TreskaDunbar
Treska Dunbar
SOWK 350
March 9, 2009
Today was a long day filled with a wide variety of events and emotions. During the tour of the Nashville Rescue Mission, our tour guide told us that all the homeless individuals are required to stay outside during the day if the temperature is between 40 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t know how they decided that these were comfortable conditions for someone to be outside all day, but I know that if it is 45 degrees outside I am still cold and if it is 75 degrees I am miserably hot. This fact reminded me of how lucky I am to not only have a home but adequate heating and air conditioning.
At the mission, I feel as though the homeless are treated so negatively by the people who claim to be helping them. There are security guards monitoring their every move. The place reminds me of a prison. Volunteers do not really get the opportunity to interact with the homeless. However, at the Campus there are no security guards or a VIP treatment for volunteers. We had to use the same doors and restrooms as the participants. The homeless were near us during the entire time and free to communicate with us if they so desired. The staff seemed to have a good positive relationship with the homeless individuals. It was interesting to me to see the differences in the two agencies and how they serve the homeless individuals.
Tonight we went back to the Campus for Human Development to watch movies, play games, and eat pizza with the participants and workers at their facility. Not only did this opportunity provide the group with the ability to interact with the homeless, but it also allowed us to relax and hang out with one another. When we get free time, we each get in our little group and go hang out and we don’t rejoin the group until it is required. So, this gave us the opportunity to get to know the other students serving with us this week on a more personal level.
The most frustrating and irritating aspect of today was getting lost in Nashville on the way back to the hotel. One of my biggest fears in driving for this trip was getting lost in this town. As I mentioned earlier this week, driving in Nashville made me uncomfortable. Today I was beginning to feel comfortable driving in this crazy big city traffic and then I got lost which increased my discomfort and lowered my self confidence in driving through Nashville.
Overall, today was a good day. I worked in the kitchen at the mission; this made me feel like I was helping provide them with the meal that would help suspend their hunger for a couple of hours. I worked with different people at different times so I got to talk to a lot of our team members and it was good to get to know some of them better.
SOWK 350
March 9, 2009
Today was a long day filled with a wide variety of events and emotions. During the tour of the Nashville Rescue Mission, our tour guide told us that all the homeless individuals are required to stay outside during the day if the temperature is between 40 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t know how they decided that these were comfortable conditions for someone to be outside all day, but I know that if it is 45 degrees outside I am still cold and if it is 75 degrees I am miserably hot. This fact reminded me of how lucky I am to not only have a home but adequate heating and air conditioning.
At the mission, I feel as though the homeless are treated so negatively by the people who claim to be helping them. There are security guards monitoring their every move. The place reminds me of a prison. Volunteers do not really get the opportunity to interact with the homeless. However, at the Campus there are no security guards or a VIP treatment for volunteers. We had to use the same doors and restrooms as the participants. The homeless were near us during the entire time and free to communicate with us if they so desired. The staff seemed to have a good positive relationship with the homeless individuals. It was interesting to me to see the differences in the two agencies and how they serve the homeless individuals.
Tonight we went back to the Campus for Human Development to watch movies, play games, and eat pizza with the participants and workers at their facility. Not only did this opportunity provide the group with the ability to interact with the homeless, but it also allowed us to relax and hang out with one another. When we get free time, we each get in our little group and go hang out and we don’t rejoin the group until it is required. So, this gave us the opportunity to get to know the other students serving with us this week on a more personal level.
The most frustrating and irritating aspect of today was getting lost in Nashville on the way back to the hotel. One of my biggest fears in driving for this trip was getting lost in this town. As I mentioned earlier this week, driving in Nashville made me uncomfortable. Today I was beginning to feel comfortable driving in this crazy big city traffic and then I got lost which increased my discomfort and lowered my self confidence in driving through Nashville.
Overall, today was a good day. I worked in the kitchen at the mission; this made me feel like I was helping provide them with the meal that would help suspend their hunger for a couple of hours. I worked with different people at different times so I got to talk to a lot of our team members and it was good to get to know some of them better.
KristinaChampe
Kristina Champe
Alternative Spring Break
Reflection Day 3
3-9-2009
Today we all went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Today was different than the last time we were there. This time all the groups went and it was different than before. We took a tour of the facility and then split up into different groups and did different things. My group went into the emergency clothing area, where the people can come and get clothes, shoes and socks that people have donated. It was very fun and the guys we worked with were very enjoyable to work with.
Backing up, before we even took the tour and split up in the smaller groups some of the girls that were with us were complaining about doing work before we even started! This group had worked at the Campus for Human Development before and was complaining about the work they had done in the past days. This made me extremely upset. This is a service trip, we sign up for a free service trip, not a free spring break trip to Nashville. I was extremely offended and ticked off. I never said anything but it was really disrespectful.
Later this evening all the groups went back to the Campus for Human Development to watch movies and play games with the residents. This was so fun and it gave the groups that hadn’t been there and glimpse of what the facility was like before we go there tomorrow. The people there were really nice, except when we first got there, when we were talking in an alley way to the campus and there was man walking toward us, he took a look at us and as he walked by he said, “Man ya’ll eating real good, there ain’t not thin people in this group at all.” I believe everyone mouth touched the ground when we heard this. Afterward when we got inside everyone was having a good time, but of course people from our groups couldn’t be satisfied. We let one of the residents pick out a movie and everyone around at that time was fine with that movie, then a girl came up and asked what we were watching and when we told her she scrunched her nose up at us like “ewww, why?” and the people that were sitting around were like what’s the problem.
After we left the Campus for Human Development, people on our van were all talking about the work that we were going to be doing tomorrow. We asked some of the other people on our van what they did and they said that had very hard labor and it was a workout. I think that tomorrow is going to be an awakening experience. I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.
Alternative Spring Break
Reflection Day 3
3-9-2009
Today we all went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Today was different than the last time we were there. This time all the groups went and it was different than before. We took a tour of the facility and then split up into different groups and did different things. My group went into the emergency clothing area, where the people can come and get clothes, shoes and socks that people have donated. It was very fun and the guys we worked with were very enjoyable to work with.
Backing up, before we even took the tour and split up in the smaller groups some of the girls that were with us were complaining about doing work before we even started! This group had worked at the Campus for Human Development before and was complaining about the work they had done in the past days. This made me extremely upset. This is a service trip, we sign up for a free service trip, not a free spring break trip to Nashville. I was extremely offended and ticked off. I never said anything but it was really disrespectful.
Later this evening all the groups went back to the Campus for Human Development to watch movies and play games with the residents. This was so fun and it gave the groups that hadn’t been there and glimpse of what the facility was like before we go there tomorrow. The people there were really nice, except when we first got there, when we were talking in an alley way to the campus and there was man walking toward us, he took a look at us and as he walked by he said, “Man ya’ll eating real good, there ain’t not thin people in this group at all.” I believe everyone mouth touched the ground when we heard this. Afterward when we got inside everyone was having a good time, but of course people from our groups couldn’t be satisfied. We let one of the residents pick out a movie and everyone around at that time was fine with that movie, then a girl came up and asked what we were watching and when we told her she scrunched her nose up at us like “ewww, why?” and the people that were sitting around were like what’s the problem.
After we left the Campus for Human Development, people on our van were all talking about the work that we were going to be doing tomorrow. We asked some of the other people on our van what they did and they said that had very hard labor and it was a workout. I think that tomorrow is going to be an awakening experience. I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.
EricThomas
Eric Thomas
March 8, 2009
Spring Break Reflection
Sally Campbell
Refelction-3/8/09
Today I met a young man by the name of Derrick and I worked most of the day with him. This was the second time that Derrick had been in a rehabilitation program since he was 16. All Derrick said was that he wanted a chance to straighten up and start living his life right. Although Derrick was homeless, he was a well mannered young man and a good work ethic. At the young age of 21 he was already homeless. One thing that struck me about him was that he told his leader that he had never road a bike because he never had a father figure in his life that would teach him. It was something that he really wanted to learn and wished that he could have learned when he was younger.
Another man told me that he was having a really good day because he had just got a job with Wendy’s. Where I live getting a job at Wendy’s is an easy thing to do, but here in Nashville where the homeless population is sky rocketing due to the economic problems and the recession of the United States economy. These people don’t take things for granted and anything that they get or receive is a blessing because it is an opportunity to make their lives better.
Also, people today were really thankful that people would take their spring break off to come help them. Throughout doing this, it has further convinced me to pursue community service opportunities more because we have a privilege and I believe a right to help other in need.
Tomorrow hopefully will be a better day than I had today and I will have the opportunity to speak to more people and have the opportunity to help them.
March 8, 2009
Spring Break Reflection
Sally Campbell
Refelction-3/8/09
Today I met a young man by the name of Derrick and I worked most of the day with him. This was the second time that Derrick had been in a rehabilitation program since he was 16. All Derrick said was that he wanted a chance to straighten up and start living his life right. Although Derrick was homeless, he was a well mannered young man and a good work ethic. At the young age of 21 he was already homeless. One thing that struck me about him was that he told his leader that he had never road a bike because he never had a father figure in his life that would teach him. It was something that he really wanted to learn and wished that he could have learned when he was younger.
Another man told me that he was having a really good day because he had just got a job with Wendy’s. Where I live getting a job at Wendy’s is an easy thing to do, but here in Nashville where the homeless population is sky rocketing due to the economic problems and the recession of the United States economy. These people don’t take things for granted and anything that they get or receive is a blessing because it is an opportunity to make their lives better.
Also, people today were really thankful that people would take their spring break off to come help them. Throughout doing this, it has further convinced me to pursue community service opportunities more because we have a privilege and I believe a right to help other in need.
Tomorrow hopefully will be a better day than I had today and I will have the opportunity to speak to more people and have the opportunity to help them.
TacyPyles
Tacy Pyles
Dr. Campbell
TN Alternative Spring Break
Journal Entry 3
09 March 09
Tired, broken faces - everything they own on their backs - just looking for a place of rest at a picnic table. Eyes of resentment that understandably say, “You will never comprehend where I come from.” Rooms built for two people, yet housing four to six people. Working at the Nashville homeless shelter today brought about a lot of frustrating feelings, but one must take the good with the bad.
Though today was hard in many ways, it was also beautiful in many ways. Today we were able to work in the kitchen (not going to lie - it was significantly better than working in the basement). We did everything from talking with the residents to cutting up garlic to scrubbing tables. Everyone expressed so much appreciation - making it a very humbling experience.
James (not the one we worked with on Saturday) came up to me and said, “So, I want to know why you really came on this trip. What is your personal reason for being here?”
After thinking for a minute, I told him, “I guess I realize how blessed I am. I feel like God has blessed me, enabling me to serve and love others. It’s not me - it’s him. I love being here and I love being given this opportunity to serve.”
Very moved by my response, we entered into a wonderful conversation about community, faith and the fact that “nothing separates you from me. Not a dollar sign. Not skin color. We are no different.”
As we were getting ready to leave, a man named Willy said, “I have a personal favor to ask of you guys. Would you please pray for me? My daughter has been missing since Friday and we have an Amber Alert out for her.”
I was so inspired. We walk around Nashville and we listen to people telling us how wonderful we are for being here and though we try to shrug it off, that self-centered part wants to believe them. Then, I look at people like Willy and I realize what a joke my “sacrifices” tend to be. I don’t like to stay up late with my friends when they are upset because I have homework. I don’t like to help other people with their homework when I have to study for a test.
Willy on the other hand, is going through a living hell and yet he puts a smile of his face and gives of his time, energy and love to the homeless and downtrodden of Nashville. What kind of testimony is that? What kind of faith? What kind of love?
Dr. Campbell
TN Alternative Spring Break
Journal Entry 3
09 March 09
Tired, broken faces - everything they own on their backs - just looking for a place of rest at a picnic table. Eyes of resentment that understandably say, “You will never comprehend where I come from.” Rooms built for two people, yet housing four to six people. Working at the Nashville homeless shelter today brought about a lot of frustrating feelings, but one must take the good with the bad.
Though today was hard in many ways, it was also beautiful in many ways. Today we were able to work in the kitchen (not going to lie - it was significantly better than working in the basement). We did everything from talking with the residents to cutting up garlic to scrubbing tables. Everyone expressed so much appreciation - making it a very humbling experience.
James (not the one we worked with on Saturday) came up to me and said, “So, I want to know why you really came on this trip. What is your personal reason for being here?”
After thinking for a minute, I told him, “I guess I realize how blessed I am. I feel like God has blessed me, enabling me to serve and love others. It’s not me - it’s him. I love being here and I love being given this opportunity to serve.”
Very moved by my response, we entered into a wonderful conversation about community, faith and the fact that “nothing separates you from me. Not a dollar sign. Not skin color. We are no different.”
As we were getting ready to leave, a man named Willy said, “I have a personal favor to ask of you guys. Would you please pray for me? My daughter has been missing since Friday and we have an Amber Alert out for her.”
I was so inspired. We walk around Nashville and we listen to people telling us how wonderful we are for being here and though we try to shrug it off, that self-centered part wants to believe them. Then, I look at people like Willy and I realize what a joke my “sacrifices” tend to be. I don’t like to stay up late with my friends when they are upset because I have homework. I don’t like to help other people with their homework when I have to study for a test.
Willy on the other hand, is going through a living hell and yet he puts a smile of his face and gives of his time, energy and love to the homeless and downtrodden of Nashville. What kind of testimony is that? What kind of faith? What kind of love?
GraceHurney
Grace Hurney
Civic Engagement
10 March 2009
Reflections: Day 3
Today both groups volunteered at the Nashville Rescue Mission, where teams worked to organize donated clothing, prepare food, help with classes, and organize donations.
I worked mainly organizing donations in the basement. This was, overall, a fairly positive experience. We laughed and sorted and bagged clothing for the duration of the morning. There were a fair amount of very unsuitable donations- i.e. mildew towels, stained sheets, etc. I wish people would pay attention to guidelines before donating…regardless, the work was rewarding after we saw all the space we created with the packaging of the clothing. The shelter for women down the street is being renovated, so the Mission will have to house the displaced women for a few months. Thus, the men will be moved to basement, so we had to work hard to help clear out some of what must be hundreds of boxes of miscellaneous items. The second half of the day, part of my group went and cleaned the tables and chairs in the dining room. It turns out, we were doing the job of the men that lived there- they were very grateful for us that day! The men were very nice to us, thanking us for helping out and one man even knew where Concord was (just West Virginia, nothing really specific), which was a welcome surprise. My only negative moment for the day was when one of the men that lived in the Mission told us in the Dining Room that, while we were cleaning, to get over it because they cleaned the room “8 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 3 months”. If there is one thing that truly bothers me, it is being antagonized. Just because I’m of a different economic status does that mean that my heart isn’t in it nor that I don’t care- I hate it when I’m made to feel like a privileged little princess (I know I’ve said this before, but it makes me pretty angry). I understand that I am privileged, and that I have opportunities that some will never have. But that doesn’t mean that the man in the Dining Room can treat me poorly for it. I never asked to be born to the parents I have, it just happened. It doesn’t matter to me, so why should it matter to anyone else?
My random moment for the day was at the end of the day, which also doubles as a good moment (or a good series of hours). The movie/game/pizza night at the Center for Human Development was truly a blast. We ate pizza, watched Stomp the Yard, and played board games. I played Trivial Pursuit and enjoyed interacting with the participants that were in attendance- not many showed up, but the ones that did were extremely nice and very welcoming.
Civic Engagement
10 March 2009
Reflections: Day 3
Today both groups volunteered at the Nashville Rescue Mission, where teams worked to organize donated clothing, prepare food, help with classes, and organize donations.
I worked mainly organizing donations in the basement. This was, overall, a fairly positive experience. We laughed and sorted and bagged clothing for the duration of the morning. There were a fair amount of very unsuitable donations- i.e. mildew towels, stained sheets, etc. I wish people would pay attention to guidelines before donating…regardless, the work was rewarding after we saw all the space we created with the packaging of the clothing. The shelter for women down the street is being renovated, so the Mission will have to house the displaced women for a few months. Thus, the men will be moved to basement, so we had to work hard to help clear out some of what must be hundreds of boxes of miscellaneous items. The second half of the day, part of my group went and cleaned the tables and chairs in the dining room. It turns out, we were doing the job of the men that lived there- they were very grateful for us that day! The men were very nice to us, thanking us for helping out and one man even knew where Concord was (just West Virginia, nothing really specific), which was a welcome surprise. My only negative moment for the day was when one of the men that lived in the Mission told us in the Dining Room that, while we were cleaning, to get over it because they cleaned the room “8 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 3 months”. If there is one thing that truly bothers me, it is being antagonized. Just because I’m of a different economic status does that mean that my heart isn’t in it nor that I don’t care- I hate it when I’m made to feel like a privileged little princess (I know I’ve said this before, but it makes me pretty angry). I understand that I am privileged, and that I have opportunities that some will never have. But that doesn’t mean that the man in the Dining Room can treat me poorly for it. I never asked to be born to the parents I have, it just happened. It doesn’t matter to me, so why should it matter to anyone else?
My random moment for the day was at the end of the day, which also doubles as a good moment (or a good series of hours). The movie/game/pizza night at the Center for Human Development was truly a blast. We ate pizza, watched Stomp the Yard, and played board games. I played Trivial Pursuit and enjoyed interacting with the participants that were in attendance- not many showed up, but the ones that did were extremely nice and very welcoming.
JenniferParsons
Jenny Parsons
Journal Entry #3
Alternative Spring Break
Monday, March 9, 2009
Today we went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. There we were given a tour of the building. There they have classes as well and recovery programs for the Participants. They have a lot of success according to their wall of graduates, which is a good sign that something is going right.
We were split into groups. I was in the group that was sent to sort through the clothes. We were told to sort them according to sizes. It is nice to see so many things are donated rather than trashed. We sorted clothes for three hours… that is a lot of clothes.
After lunch, everyone went to the basement, aside from the volunteers that were placed to help in the kitchen. There we broke down boxes, gathered blankets and put them together in bags and sorted through the pantry to organize the foods. Therefore, it is easier for the people cooking to find what to make that day when everything is together.
There was a lot more interaction with the Participants at the Nashville Rescue Mission in comparison to the Campus for Human Development.
After break and dinner, we returned to the Campus for Human Development to interact with the men in the different programs. We watched a movie and played games. Others sat and talked to the Participants. It was nice getting to hang out with them and give them some interaction with others who are really willing to help them.
It was rewarding to see and help do the work they do everyday. It makes me appreciate those who do those chores every day for me. I can honestly say that I have not set down and really thought about those who do those things every day and I take that for granted. I have come to really appreciate the things I have been so fortunate to have with each day on this trip.
An aggravating aspect of the day is that there was not enough work for the amount of people there to help. Down time makes it boring and the time goes by a lot slower. I will admit that I was tired today, but as long as I was given something to do, I was fine.
Journal Entry #3
Alternative Spring Break
Monday, March 9, 2009
Today we went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. There we were given a tour of the building. There they have classes as well and recovery programs for the Participants. They have a lot of success according to their wall of graduates, which is a good sign that something is going right.
We were split into groups. I was in the group that was sent to sort through the clothes. We were told to sort them according to sizes. It is nice to see so many things are donated rather than trashed. We sorted clothes for three hours… that is a lot of clothes.
After lunch, everyone went to the basement, aside from the volunteers that were placed to help in the kitchen. There we broke down boxes, gathered blankets and put them together in bags and sorted through the pantry to organize the foods. Therefore, it is easier for the people cooking to find what to make that day when everything is together.
There was a lot more interaction with the Participants at the Nashville Rescue Mission in comparison to the Campus for Human Development.
After break and dinner, we returned to the Campus for Human Development to interact with the men in the different programs. We watched a movie and played games. Others sat and talked to the Participants. It was nice getting to hang out with them and give them some interaction with others who are really willing to help them.
It was rewarding to see and help do the work they do everyday. It makes me appreciate those who do those chores every day for me. I can honestly say that I have not set down and really thought about those who do those things every day and I take that for granted. I have come to really appreciate the things I have been so fortunate to have with each day on this trip.
An aggravating aspect of the day is that there was not enough work for the amount of people there to help. Down time makes it boring and the time goes by a lot slower. I will admit that I was tired today, but as long as I was given something to do, I was fine.
MaiLy
Entry for 03/09/ 2009
Today is the busiest day. I must to wake up at 7 o’clock while I went to sleep at 4 o’clock. I felt so tired when I woke up. Firstly, we had a short breakfast; I ate a little bit food. After that, I went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I’m so glad to meet the staff in here again. They’re so nice and friendly. Today, I worked in the basement again; the basement is so messed up and so dirty. It has a lot of dust. My nose felt bad, and my eye did too. It had a lot of funny today. Some guys played the ball, and the ball hit the light on the ceiling. Everyone looked at them and laughed. Today, I continued to recognize the clothes. I need to separate among coats, T-shirts, long sleeves, pants. After separating, I need to put all of them into the trash bags or the boxes. It’s not a easy work for me because there are a lot of clothes. After that, we separated blankets , sheets, pillow cover. Some sheets were so nasty, and dirty. I wanted to threw out when I smelt them. There were a lot of blankets in the stock. It’s necessary to help the homeless people and the hazardous people. It’s unfortunate for them. We worked about 2 hours, all of us felt so tired and sleepy. We ate lunch in the cafeteria, the food in here is not good. The food in here is worse many times than in the cafeteria in our university. I can’t believe that it has a place where the food is better than in our cafeteria. I couldn’t eat anything. At 1 o’clock, we started to work again, the work are the same in the morning. We finished at 3 o’clock and go back the motel. We had a short nap, after sleeping, I felt better and relax. After 2 days, we worked together, I have more and more friends, I felt like a family. I had a experiment, it’s difficult to earn money, there’re a lot of people poorer than me. I need to save money, and spend with the right way. At 6.30 o’clock, we started to go to Nashville Rescue Mission. We had a dinner and watch movie in here. I didn’t watch movie because I watched to my friends play chess. It’s so funny. My friend played three times and he was a loser all 3 times. He was so angry and wanted to play again. But the time was up. We need to go back the motel because it’s too late. I think, today is a tired day, we worked a lot and ate a little bit. However, I felt happy because I could help for the homeless people and the hazardous people. It made me feel happy.
Today is the busiest day. I must to wake up at 7 o’clock while I went to sleep at 4 o’clock. I felt so tired when I woke up. Firstly, we had a short breakfast; I ate a little bit food. After that, I went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I’m so glad to meet the staff in here again. They’re so nice and friendly. Today, I worked in the basement again; the basement is so messed up and so dirty. It has a lot of dust. My nose felt bad, and my eye did too. It had a lot of funny today. Some guys played the ball, and the ball hit the light on the ceiling. Everyone looked at them and laughed. Today, I continued to recognize the clothes. I need to separate among coats, T-shirts, long sleeves, pants. After separating, I need to put all of them into the trash bags or the boxes. It’s not a easy work for me because there are a lot of clothes. After that, we separated blankets , sheets, pillow cover. Some sheets were so nasty, and dirty. I wanted to threw out when I smelt them. There were a lot of blankets in the stock. It’s necessary to help the homeless people and the hazardous people. It’s unfortunate for them. We worked about 2 hours, all of us felt so tired and sleepy. We ate lunch in the cafeteria, the food in here is not good. The food in here is worse many times than in the cafeteria in our university. I can’t believe that it has a place where the food is better than in our cafeteria. I couldn’t eat anything. At 1 o’clock, we started to work again, the work are the same in the morning. We finished at 3 o’clock and go back the motel. We had a short nap, after sleeping, I felt better and relax. After 2 days, we worked together, I have more and more friends, I felt like a family. I had a experiment, it’s difficult to earn money, there’re a lot of people poorer than me. I need to save money, and spend with the right way. At 6.30 o’clock, we started to go to Nashville Rescue Mission. We had a dinner and watch movie in here. I didn’t watch movie because I watched to my friends play chess. It’s so funny. My friend played three times and he was a loser all 3 times. He was so angry and wanted to play again. But the time was up. We need to go back the motel because it’s too late. I think, today is a tired day, we worked a lot and ate a little bit. However, I felt happy because I could help for the homeless people and the hazardous people. It made me feel happy.
BrittanyRothausen
Brittany Rothausen
Homeless Service Reflection 3
March 9, 2009 – Day 3
Today I worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission for the first time. We went on a brief tour and got the see a wall filled with pictures of men who have graduated from the program they run there. I worked in the kitchen for most of the day, preparing food and returning trays. It was really hot in the kitchen and kind of tiring to be on my feet so long, but it was actually pretty rewarding work because I felt like we were accomplishing something and we got to actually interact with some of the homeless people, which we hadn’t really done before. After a while I switched places with someone and went to work downstairs in the basement sorting toiletries. This was one of the more frustrating parts of the day because I didn’t feel like we were accomplishing anything. The warehouse was so huge and there were so many boxes. There wasn’t a system to what we were doing and I got the feeling that it was just busy work.
In the evening we went back to the Campus for Human Development where my group worked on Saturday. As we were walking over from the Mission parking lot, a homeless man came up to us and made some offensive comments. It took a lot of self-control for me to not talk back to him. I’m still somewhat heated about the incident, but I realize that I can’t really understand what life is like for him so it’s not exactly fair to judge him. Perhaps if I was homeless, I’d resent a bunch of college students with their nice clothes, cell phones, and educations. In reality, the majority of people we have interacted with have been really nice and appreciative of our work. However, it only takes one negative experience to change the way you view everything and unfortunately that seems to be the case tonight.
When we got to the Campus, we watched a movie and played some board games with a few of the participants. Unfortunately there weren’t a lot of them around. I’m not sure if they had other commitments or just weren’t too keen on the idea of spending their evening with us. Still, we had a good time and I’m glad I got to see Wendy again. I have a huge amount of respect for her.
Homeless Service Reflection 3
March 9, 2009 – Day 3
Today I worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission for the first time. We went on a brief tour and got the see a wall filled with pictures of men who have graduated from the program they run there. I worked in the kitchen for most of the day, preparing food and returning trays. It was really hot in the kitchen and kind of tiring to be on my feet so long, but it was actually pretty rewarding work because I felt like we were accomplishing something and we got to actually interact with some of the homeless people, which we hadn’t really done before. After a while I switched places with someone and went to work downstairs in the basement sorting toiletries. This was one of the more frustrating parts of the day because I didn’t feel like we were accomplishing anything. The warehouse was so huge and there were so many boxes. There wasn’t a system to what we were doing and I got the feeling that it was just busy work.
In the evening we went back to the Campus for Human Development where my group worked on Saturday. As we were walking over from the Mission parking lot, a homeless man came up to us and made some offensive comments. It took a lot of self-control for me to not talk back to him. I’m still somewhat heated about the incident, but I realize that I can’t really understand what life is like for him so it’s not exactly fair to judge him. Perhaps if I was homeless, I’d resent a bunch of college students with their nice clothes, cell phones, and educations. In reality, the majority of people we have interacted with have been really nice and appreciative of our work. However, it only takes one negative experience to change the way you view everything and unfortunately that seems to be the case tonight.
When we got to the Campus, we watched a movie and played some board games with a few of the participants. Unfortunately there weren’t a lot of them around. I’m not sure if they had other commitments or just weren’t too keen on the idea of spending their evening with us. Still, we had a good time and I’m glad I got to see Wendy again. I have a huge amount of respect for her.
PradipAdhikari
Journal
3rd Day
Pradip Adhikari
09/03/09
Sally Campbell
Nashville Rescue Mission.
Our day started at 7:30 in the morning today. Both of the groups were to work with the same agency for today. We went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. We got to meet a very good gentleman named Billy, who gave us the tour around the Nashville rescue mission. He talked about the number of homeless people living over there in the Nashville rescue Mission. He also went on talking about the different kinds of the services provided to the homeless people over there. We got to know that peoples over there were allowed to take some classes so that they can get a GED degree. There were pictures of people who had graduated from there. We got to know that almost 75 to 85 percent of the homeless people in the Nashville were provided some kind of service by the Nashville Rescue Mission. As we went on to the tour around the Nashville Rescue Mission we got to see the way homeless people lived there, we saw the rooms for those people. Rooms over there were very good and managed. We also saw the recreation places for the homeless people; they had game room, computer room, TV lounge for the homeless people. They also had some rules set up in those places. We also got to meet the head coordinator of the Nashville Rescue Mission. He was very good person and he thanked all of us for coming over there to help homeless people. After that we were divided into different groups to work on different places. I was on the group were we organized different kinds of donation from other peoples. We sorted out different clothing, it was fun working together. We had a good time over there as we were working on a group. Actually we were learning something over there, we were learning to work on team and got to learn how even hard works could be easier if it was done with a team effort. We were also learning to be responsible for the society. We did also meet different peoples over there who were very good who always thanked us for our help. All of us were pretty happy that we were doing something for those homeless people as even a small effort from us meant something for them. We worked there till 3:30 over there and came back to our motel.
We went to the Campus for the Human Development at 7:00 PM. We watched a movie “Stomp the Yard” over there. It was a very good movie and we had fun watching that movie. We did also meet some more homeless people over there. Every one of us had a very good time over there. It was a good experience spending some good time with homeless people. We got back to our motel as 9:00 PM. Overall it was a very good day with some great time with the homeless people.
3rd Day
Pradip Adhikari
09/03/09
Sally Campbell
Nashville Rescue Mission.
Our day started at 7:30 in the morning today. Both of the groups were to work with the same agency for today. We went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. We got to meet a very good gentleman named Billy, who gave us the tour around the Nashville rescue mission. He talked about the number of homeless people living over there in the Nashville rescue Mission. He also went on talking about the different kinds of the services provided to the homeless people over there. We got to know that peoples over there were allowed to take some classes so that they can get a GED degree. There were pictures of people who had graduated from there. We got to know that almost 75 to 85 percent of the homeless people in the Nashville were provided some kind of service by the Nashville Rescue Mission. As we went on to the tour around the Nashville Rescue Mission we got to see the way homeless people lived there, we saw the rooms for those people. Rooms over there were very good and managed. We also saw the recreation places for the homeless people; they had game room, computer room, TV lounge for the homeless people. They also had some rules set up in those places. We also got to meet the head coordinator of the Nashville Rescue Mission. He was very good person and he thanked all of us for coming over there to help homeless people. After that we were divided into different groups to work on different places. I was on the group were we organized different kinds of donation from other peoples. We sorted out different clothing, it was fun working together. We had a good time over there as we were working on a group. Actually we were learning something over there, we were learning to work on team and got to learn how even hard works could be easier if it was done with a team effort. We were also learning to be responsible for the society. We did also meet different peoples over there who were very good who always thanked us for our help. All of us were pretty happy that we were doing something for those homeless people as even a small effort from us meant something for them. We worked there till 3:30 over there and came back to our motel.
We went to the Campus for the Human Development at 7:00 PM. We watched a movie “Stomp the Yard” over there. It was a very good movie and we had fun watching that movie. We did also meet some more homeless people over there. Every one of us had a very good time over there. It was a good experience spending some good time with homeless people. We got back to our motel as 9:00 PM. Overall it was a very good day with some great time with the homeless people.
VanessaAustin
Today we went back to the National Rescue Mission. We got a tour of the building and the classrooms that the men go to. The men that don’t have a GED are able to get one there. They have a wall that displays the pictures of the men that have graduated and made it through the rehab program. After the tour, we separated off into groups. A few of us went to help teach the men for their GED classes. Some more of us went to the kitchen and helped and some more of us went to help sort through the clothes that they hand out to the men who need them. My group went back down to the basement to finish sorting through the donated items.
I was kind of disappointed and angered when some of our volunteers didn’t want to participate in straightening up the basement. I guess they felt as if it were dirty work or something. I think that if you come on a volunteer service trip, then you should do what is asked of you no matter how much you really want to do it. No matter what you are doing, you are still contributing in some way. I just didn’t appreciate the fact that they were refusing to do some work.
But it felt good to look at the work that we had done. It was good to see all of the progress that we had made. The basement looks so different and I helped do that. We have cleared out so much of that stuff and helped them so much in getting rid of that stuff. I am really proud to say that I have had a part in that. It is personally rewarding to be able to say that I have helped the mission and that I have made a difference. That is what makes the service trip such a worthwhile activity. I am really glad that I decided to participate.
I was kind of disappointed and angered when some of our volunteers didn’t want to participate in straightening up the basement. I guess they felt as if it were dirty work or something. I think that if you come on a volunteer service trip, then you should do what is asked of you no matter how much you really want to do it. No matter what you are doing, you are still contributing in some way. I just didn’t appreciate the fact that they were refusing to do some work.
But it felt good to look at the work that we had done. It was good to see all of the progress that we had made. The basement looks so different and I helped do that. We have cleared out so much of that stuff and helped them so much in getting rid of that stuff. I am really proud to say that I have had a part in that. It is personally rewarding to be able to say that I have helped the mission and that I have made a difference. That is what makes the service trip such a worthwhile activity. I am really glad that I decided to participate.
JessicaKIrk
Kirk, Jessica
3-9-09
Alternative Spring Break in Nashville
Day Three
Today we went to the Nashville Rescue Mission as our service project for the day. The Nashville Rescue Mission is huge and almost feels like a maze trying to navigate your way through it can be overwhelming. It is amazing how it shelters and feeds 600 homeless men each night, and everything is through donations from money to pay the bills to the food that they serve.
Today I chose to work in the kitchen because it was the best opportunity to have contact with the homeless people that live, work, and visit the Nashville Rescue Mission. Although unfortunately I didn't have as much contact as I would have liked to have had with them. We had been slaving away all day in the kitchen and when it finally comes time to serve the food a Baptist Church arrives and stills or thunder so to speak. We was looking forward serving then the food, but instead got stuck chopping up garlic which was a little disappointing and frustration.
Overall the experience was very rewarding and interesting. I got met a lot of interesting people at the mission one man who was very funny, upfront, and honest. He told us the true ins and outs of the mission, and not just the tourist version. He graduated from the program two years ago and stayed to help contribute back to the mission that had helped save his life. There was quite a few people I met at the mission who all had really interesting stories that would make some cry and others laugh. Laughing is something that you would think would be a rare commodity in that type of situation, but in actuality everyone is laughing and joking which made me more comfortable with them.
I met someone who is really inspiring. His name is Willie and he works at the
Nashville Rescue Mission. Just by looking and talking to him you would never know that his daughter has been missing since last Friday. He was just so strong and had so much Faith in God that he was able to keep himself composed in a time of hardship that many people would fall apart, but you could see the pain in his eyes and heat it in his voice as he told us the story of his missing daughter. As he told us about her I started to cry because he was so strong and had so much faith in God, and just asked us to pray for her.
3-9-09
Alternative Spring Break in Nashville
Day Three
Today we went to the Nashville Rescue Mission as our service project for the day. The Nashville Rescue Mission is huge and almost feels like a maze trying to navigate your way through it can be overwhelming. It is amazing how it shelters and feeds 600 homeless men each night, and everything is through donations from money to pay the bills to the food that they serve.
Today I chose to work in the kitchen because it was the best opportunity to have contact with the homeless people that live, work, and visit the Nashville Rescue Mission. Although unfortunately I didn't have as much contact as I would have liked to have had with them. We had been slaving away all day in the kitchen and when it finally comes time to serve the food a Baptist Church arrives and stills or thunder so to speak. We was looking forward serving then the food, but instead got stuck chopping up garlic which was a little disappointing and frustration.
Overall the experience was very rewarding and interesting. I got met a lot of interesting people at the mission one man who was very funny, upfront, and honest. He told us the true ins and outs of the mission, and not just the tourist version. He graduated from the program two years ago and stayed to help contribute back to the mission that had helped save his life. There was quite a few people I met at the mission who all had really interesting stories that would make some cry and others laugh. Laughing is something that you would think would be a rare commodity in that type of situation, but in actuality everyone is laughing and joking which made me more comfortable with them.
I met someone who is really inspiring. His name is Willie and he works at the
Nashville Rescue Mission. Just by looking and talking to him you would never know that his daughter has been missing since last Friday. He was just so strong and had so much Faith in God that he was able to keep himself composed in a time of hardship that many people would fall apart, but you could see the pain in his eyes and heat it in his voice as he told us the story of his missing daughter. As he told us about her I started to cry because he was so strong and had so much faith in God, and just asked us to pray for her.
JenniferBowman
Jennifer Bowman
3-9-09
Nashville Day 3
For our work today everyone headed to the Nashville Rescue Mission. When we all arrived they took us on a tour of the facility and gave us some background information which was really interesting. It was really a good experience because we all got to see the huge rooms where the homeless come into sleep every night. It never really hit me how many people that they house there until I saw the rooms with the massive amounts of bunk beds. It made me realize that there is a much greater homeless population than I thought, but it also made me realize that I have so much to be thankful for that I tend to take for granted.
Once we went on the tour they gave us options as to where we wanted to work for the morning. The options were working in the basement, kitchen work, helping in the coat closet where they hand out free clothes, or going to a classroom to help teach. I am an education major so I was very excited that I could help work in a classroom. The classes that the participants in the rehab program take are to help them earn their G.E.D. so that they can find a job. I was able to help in the level two math class which was the best experience of the day for me. I really enjoyed being able to help one on one with the men and help explain the math problems to them. The men were so appreciative of our help and they were so genuine and kind to us. I had a lot of fun getting to know them and help them learn at the same time. It made me feel like I had accomplished something that was a big deal and I felt pretty great about myself until the end of class. When it was time for them to go a man named Albert stood up to pray. It was one of the most humbling times of the week because he just thanked God for us and asked God to bless us. This really made me reconsider a bunch of things in my life because I feel like we should be praying for them because they have so little and have had such rough lives, but they were more concerned about praying for us. This was definitely an awesome morning for me and I formed some good relationships while getting life experience in a classroom.
After class, we ate lunch at the mission and then the majority of us went down to the basement to get back to work sorting and organizing. This was kind of frustrating to me just because I enjoyed the work with the men so much and I felt like the basement was a place of confinement away from human interaction. It was good to go through some stuff and try to help it look better, but at the same time that basement is just so huge that it feels like not much is getting done. I was getting tired down there along with everyone else and it seemed like we were really starting to drag. So we tried to make the best of things and keep going, but it was difficult at times. I have decided that when we return on Wednesday I would like to find more work with the residents and homeless because that is where I feel like I am really doing service and getting to talk to new people is something that I really enjoy.
3-9-09
Nashville Day 3
For our work today everyone headed to the Nashville Rescue Mission. When we all arrived they took us on a tour of the facility and gave us some background information which was really interesting. It was really a good experience because we all got to see the huge rooms where the homeless come into sleep every night. It never really hit me how many people that they house there until I saw the rooms with the massive amounts of bunk beds. It made me realize that there is a much greater homeless population than I thought, but it also made me realize that I have so much to be thankful for that I tend to take for granted.
Once we went on the tour they gave us options as to where we wanted to work for the morning. The options were working in the basement, kitchen work, helping in the coat closet where they hand out free clothes, or going to a classroom to help teach. I am an education major so I was very excited that I could help work in a classroom. The classes that the participants in the rehab program take are to help them earn their G.E.D. so that they can find a job. I was able to help in the level two math class which was the best experience of the day for me. I really enjoyed being able to help one on one with the men and help explain the math problems to them. The men were so appreciative of our help and they were so genuine and kind to us. I had a lot of fun getting to know them and help them learn at the same time. It made me feel like I had accomplished something that was a big deal and I felt pretty great about myself until the end of class. When it was time for them to go a man named Albert stood up to pray. It was one of the most humbling times of the week because he just thanked God for us and asked God to bless us. This really made me reconsider a bunch of things in my life because I feel like we should be praying for them because they have so little and have had such rough lives, but they were more concerned about praying for us. This was definitely an awesome morning for me and I formed some good relationships while getting life experience in a classroom.
After class, we ate lunch at the mission and then the majority of us went down to the basement to get back to work sorting and organizing. This was kind of frustrating to me just because I enjoyed the work with the men so much and I felt like the basement was a place of confinement away from human interaction. It was good to go through some stuff and try to help it look better, but at the same time that basement is just so huge that it feels like not much is getting done. I was getting tired down there along with everyone else and it seemed like we were really starting to drag. So we tried to make the best of things and keep going, but it was difficult at times. I have decided that when we return on Wednesday I would like to find more work with the residents and homeless because that is where I feel like I am really doing service and getting to talk to new people is something that I really enjoy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
MaiLy
Entry for 08 March 2009
Today is Sunday, the International Women’s Day. We don’t have to work today. We probably sleep until 11:30a.m. We have a quick meeting at 12:00a.m. Then we go to the Visual Art Center. We eat lunch here. The food is good but it is pretty expensive.
This was the first time I had gone to a museum. Everything was new for me. I have seen some pictures. That made me crazy. I couldn’t understand what the meanings of those pictures are. I have seen some antiques too. These stuffs were really long time and valuable. Some were made by gold and really skilful. I was so excited. After few minutes watching these stuffs, I found a place where I could draw some pictures. I have had a lot of funny time with my friends. We have drawn lots of pictures about lots of things. We went out of the museum at 4:30p.m. We went to the downtown to visit. I had some Vietnamese friends study here. They came and brought us to eat dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was really long time that I didn’t eat Vietnamese food. I felt so happy and I ate a lots. I was really full. My friends and I went back to my motel and we had a happy time together.
And now I’m writing the journal assignment.
I don’t have a lot of things to talk about today. I can talk about just my emotions. I was really happy. And when my friends left, I felt so sad. And I have known that friendship is very important with my friends and me.
I will go to work tomorrow. I have to be ready at 7:15a.m. It will be tired. But it doesn’t matter with me. Fighting!!!...
Today is Sunday, the International Women’s Day. We don’t have to work today. We probably sleep until 11:30a.m. We have a quick meeting at 12:00a.m. Then we go to the Visual Art Center. We eat lunch here. The food is good but it is pretty expensive.
This was the first time I had gone to a museum. Everything was new for me. I have seen some pictures. That made me crazy. I couldn’t understand what the meanings of those pictures are. I have seen some antiques too. These stuffs were really long time and valuable. Some were made by gold and really skilful. I was so excited. After few minutes watching these stuffs, I found a place where I could draw some pictures. I have had a lot of funny time with my friends. We have drawn lots of pictures about lots of things. We went out of the museum at 4:30p.m. We went to the downtown to visit. I had some Vietnamese friends study here. They came and brought us to eat dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was really long time that I didn’t eat Vietnamese food. I felt so happy and I ate a lots. I was really full. My friends and I went back to my motel and we had a happy time together.
And now I’m writing the journal assignment.
I don’t have a lot of things to talk about today. I can talk about just my emotions. I was really happy. And when my friends left, I felt so sad. And I have known that friendship is very important with my friends and me.
I will go to work tomorrow. I have to be ready at 7:15a.m. It will be tired. But it doesn’t matter with me. Fighting!!!...
MaiLy
Mai Ly
Sally H. Campbell
Social work
03/07/09
Entry for 07 March 2009
We arrived at 1a.m. The trip was so long and made us really tired . After receiving the room’s key, we took just a short sleep . We had waken up at 6a.m and gone to eat at 6:15a.m We felt so tired and sleepy. After having a quick meeting, we had known some information about the place where we would work to day. There were two teams. I was in the second team. My team and I went to work at the Nashville Rescue Mission.
We arrived at about 8:30a.m and started working at 8:45a.m. We would work until 4p.m. And we would eat lunch and dinner here. Our jobs were pretty easy. Just classified some shoes, moved them to the shelf and cleaned the floor. That wasn’t hard with us. After working about 3hours, we went to eat. The food was really bad and I ate just a little bit. In the noon, we cleaned a whole bunch of blankets and pillows. At 4p.m, we stopped working and went to eat dinner. One more time, the food was so bad and I didn’t eat anything.
After a working day, I worked like a worker. I realized that working wasn’t easy with a good worker even the job wasn’t hard and worked in a team was better than alone. I have made a lot of new friends. They were really nice. We had a good worked day. I felt so happy because I had made new relationships and I could help poorer people than me.
You will fall asleep easily if you work the whole day.
Sally H. Campbell
Social work
03/07/09
Entry for 07 March 2009
We arrived at 1a.m. The trip was so long and made us really tired . After receiving the room’s key, we took just a short sleep . We had waken up at 6a.m and gone to eat at 6:15a.m We felt so tired and sleepy. After having a quick meeting, we had known some information about the place where we would work to day. There were two teams. I was in the second team. My team and I went to work at the Nashville Rescue Mission.
We arrived at about 8:30a.m and started working at 8:45a.m. We would work until 4p.m. And we would eat lunch and dinner here. Our jobs were pretty easy. Just classified some shoes, moved them to the shelf and cleaned the floor. That wasn’t hard with us. After working about 3hours, we went to eat. The food was really bad and I ate just a little bit. In the noon, we cleaned a whole bunch of blankets and pillows. At 4p.m, we stopped working and went to eat dinner. One more time, the food was so bad and I didn’t eat anything.
After a working day, I worked like a worker. I realized that working wasn’t easy with a good worker even the job wasn’t hard and worked in a team was better than alone. I have made a lot of new friends. They were really nice. We had a good worked day. I felt so happy because I had made new relationships and I could help poorer people than me.
You will fall asleep easily if you work the whole day.
Monday, March 9, 2009
GraceHurney
Grace Hurney
Civic Engagement
9 March 2009
Reflections: Day Two
The day started out rather splendidly when I woke up at…10:15! I rolled out of bed and looked at the schedule for the day. We were scheduled to go to the Frist Center for Visual Arts, a cool museum in the heart of downtown Nashville.
The exhibit was my favorite moment of the day- it was short, unexpectedly so (I thought there would be more than just a hallway exhibit), but still poignant. There were a series of photographs on the walls taken by participants of the Safe Haven Family Shelter. People of all ages ( two to sixty-five!) were enrolled in a two week photography workshop. The workshop was more than just camera work, however. Also included were lessons about “composition, visual storytelling”. Along with the surprisingly good pictures were poems or captions to the photograph. The pictures were vibrant; not just aesthetically vibrant, but you could see the life and energy radiating from these snapshots in time. I think the most rewarding thing I took away from this exhibit is that it broke down stereotypes about homelessness. The children in the photographs were happy and smiling, not dressed in rags and resembling Oliver Twist. The resilience and life featured prominently reminded me that homelessness doesn’t strike any one certain “type” of person, and that there is always hope to be found, no matter your circumstance.
There really weren’t any frustrating or negative moments to the day. We got to explore Nashville a bit more, so it wasn’t labor intensive or that community-service focused.
My random, fun moment of the day was just seeing downtown Nashville. It is a really interesting city in that so many things that normally wouldn’t “go together” co-exist peacefully within the city limits. Hippie stores next to a Confederate flag. Peace signs and cowboy boots. It kind of reminds of humanity in general. We are all extremely different, yet manage to co-exist; not always peacefully for everyone, but for the most part we live and respect one another.
Civic Engagement
9 March 2009
Reflections: Day Two
The day started out rather splendidly when I woke up at…10:15! I rolled out of bed and looked at the schedule for the day. We were scheduled to go to the Frist Center for Visual Arts, a cool museum in the heart of downtown Nashville.
The exhibit was my favorite moment of the day- it was short, unexpectedly so (I thought there would be more than just a hallway exhibit), but still poignant. There were a series of photographs on the walls taken by participants of the Safe Haven Family Shelter. People of all ages ( two to sixty-five!) were enrolled in a two week photography workshop. The workshop was more than just camera work, however. Also included were lessons about “composition, visual storytelling”. Along with the surprisingly good pictures were poems or captions to the photograph. The pictures were vibrant; not just aesthetically vibrant, but you could see the life and energy radiating from these snapshots in time. I think the most rewarding thing I took away from this exhibit is that it broke down stereotypes about homelessness. The children in the photographs were happy and smiling, not dressed in rags and resembling Oliver Twist. The resilience and life featured prominently reminded me that homelessness doesn’t strike any one certain “type” of person, and that there is always hope to be found, no matter your circumstance.
There really weren’t any frustrating or negative moments to the day. We got to explore Nashville a bit more, so it wasn’t labor intensive or that community-service focused.
My random, fun moment of the day was just seeing downtown Nashville. It is a really interesting city in that so many things that normally wouldn’t “go together” co-exist peacefully within the city limits. Hippie stores next to a Confederate flag. Peace signs and cowboy boots. It kind of reminds of humanity in general. We are all extremely different, yet manage to co-exist; not always peacefully for everyone, but for the most part we live and respect one another.
JenniferParsons
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Today we all went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
The first hall was contributed to the Photographs of Safe Haven’s “Seeing Ourselves” presentation. It was set-up to inform us about what Safe Haven is. As I walked through the hallway of photography and read the captions to the side of each picture, I began to realize more and more of how blessed I am to have not had to face the hardships these people are facing each day.
“Children experiencing homelessness often mature faster than their peers who live in permanent housing,” states an excerpt by the photograph “Rodneka.” I believe this is a true statement because they are forced to grow up faster because they are introduced to the hardships of life at an earlier stage, one in which most children who are fortunate enough to have a stable home do not have to face until later years in their life. Maturity and understanding of the world is a necessity in taking care of oneself and living out in the real world, therefore homeless children are fast learners when it comes to these aspects of life.
As I walked through the hall and looked at the photographs and read the captions, I felt sorry for the people they were reflecting. After viewing the pictures, I stopped by the video that was playing about the Safe Haven and its contributions. As I watched the video and saw how big of a blessing Safe Haven has been to the many people who are homeless, I was very glad to see that there are still good people in the world willing to help those in need. The long I watched the video, the more tears began to form in my eyes as I listened to the families tell their stories. Many of them feeling as if they had hit rock bottom, Safe Haven lent them a helping hand as they got back on their feet to a better life. As the video was coming to an end, the story of the last family left me crying. It touched me in a way that homelessness has not touched me before.
Watching these videos and actually encountering homeless people has opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. I have a different point of view and it is as if I never really knew what it was. I am thankful to get the chance to have gone on this trip and for all the things I have been blessed with.
I believe that it was rewarding for me to watch the video about the Safe Haven because it gives me more hope that there are good people out there who are willing to help those in need. I find it uplifting to see that so many people are willing to help and that there are so many people out there still willing to try to make a better life for themselves and turn it all around.
I will admit, however, that I have been frustrated with the size of the bottled pop we received with our meal at the Frist Center. Paying $1.25 for a 12 oz. bottle of pop was outrageous! It was hardly enough to satisfy my thirst throughout my meal of half a sandwich and a salad.
Something funny happened today while we were at the Frist Center. While we were looking at the art work, the security guards came up to the girl with me and asked her if she could put her backpack strings on one side of her shoulder. When asking her to do so, he laughed, as did we, as he turned and walked away. After leaving that section of the Center, we walked downstairs to look at artifacts. After looking at one piece of work, another security guard came up and said the exact same thing.
Today we all went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
The first hall was contributed to the Photographs of Safe Haven’s “Seeing Ourselves” presentation. It was set-up to inform us about what Safe Haven is. As I walked through the hallway of photography and read the captions to the side of each picture, I began to realize more and more of how blessed I am to have not had to face the hardships these people are facing each day.
“Children experiencing homelessness often mature faster than their peers who live in permanent housing,” states an excerpt by the photograph “Rodneka.” I believe this is a true statement because they are forced to grow up faster because they are introduced to the hardships of life at an earlier stage, one in which most children who are fortunate enough to have a stable home do not have to face until later years in their life. Maturity and understanding of the world is a necessity in taking care of oneself and living out in the real world, therefore homeless children are fast learners when it comes to these aspects of life.
As I walked through the hall and looked at the photographs and read the captions, I felt sorry for the people they were reflecting. After viewing the pictures, I stopped by the video that was playing about the Safe Haven and its contributions. As I watched the video and saw how big of a blessing Safe Haven has been to the many people who are homeless, I was very glad to see that there are still good people in the world willing to help those in need. The long I watched the video, the more tears began to form in my eyes as I listened to the families tell their stories. Many of them feeling as if they had hit rock bottom, Safe Haven lent them a helping hand as they got back on their feet to a better life. As the video was coming to an end, the story of the last family left me crying. It touched me in a way that homelessness has not touched me before.
Watching these videos and actually encountering homeless people has opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. I have a different point of view and it is as if I never really knew what it was. I am thankful to get the chance to have gone on this trip and for all the things I have been blessed with.
I believe that it was rewarding for me to watch the video about the Safe Haven because it gives me more hope that there are good people out there who are willing to help those in need. I find it uplifting to see that so many people are willing to help and that there are so many people out there still willing to try to make a better life for themselves and turn it all around.
I will admit, however, that I have been frustrated with the size of the bottled pop we received with our meal at the Frist Center. Paying $1.25 for a 12 oz. bottle of pop was outrageous! It was hardly enough to satisfy my thirst throughout my meal of half a sandwich and a salad.
Something funny happened today while we were at the Frist Center. While we were looking at the art work, the security guards came up to the girl with me and asked her if she could put her backpack strings on one side of her shoulder. When asking her to do so, he laughed, as did we, as he turned and walked away. After leaving that section of the Center, we walked downstairs to look at artifacts. After looking at one piece of work, another security guard came up and said the exact same thing.
VanVu
Entry for March 7th, 2009
00:30 am, we arrived at our Motel- Baymont Inn & Suites, which was right at the opposite side of the Macy’s and Rivergate Malls. The motel’s outside looked exactly like a normal one in my country (Vietnam). It has 3 floors; each floor has 18 rooms and each room has 2 big beds. The facilities here are not too bad. It can be considered as the 2-star hotel in Vietnam (in the scale of 5). The first thing that we did was lying down on the absolutely comfortable beds and relaxing for a while before taking a hot shower. 3:30 in the morning, I was still awake and tried to finish the 12th episode of my favorite movie called “Full house”. I went to bed around 4:30 and woke up around 6:00. We separated into two teams. Team number one had Jesse Call as their leader and team number two had Alex. I was in team number two, which would work in the Nashville Rescue Mission today.
8:00, we were at Nashville Rescue Mission. All the guys working there were so nice with us. They greeted us as if we were the center’s real members: “Hello West Virginia!!! (…) Are you guys at Concord? (…) We really appreciate your willingness to donate your precious spring break time here to help the homeless people (…)”. Only a few minutes, the environment turned out that it was absolutely not the conversation between the “homeowner” and the “guesses”, but the warm and intimate environment between the perennial colleagues. Today we worked with a guy called Willy. He was extremely nice. We went down to the basement by a special kind of elevator, which could contain a large number of people. I have never seen that one before (but on the television).Our first job was breaking down all the cardboard boxes and put them in a big green cart. After that, we had to separate the shoes boxes and organized them according to their shoes sizes. I was so glad that we started to work together and get to know each other, at least was the others’ names. We talked and chatted with ease: “Hey! What’s your name? (…) Are you tired? (…) Let me help you! (…)”. The teamwork spirit was brought into play. I took out my shyness and started to get acquainted with the other teammates and knew how to take care as well as helping each other. In my opinion, it was the extremely easy way for me to keep pace with a lot of strange people in such a short time.
11:30, we stopped working and went upstairs to eat. The foods here were not as good as I thought. It was the first time that I ate something which was much more terrible than the foods in our schools’ cafeteria. I actually couldn’t eat anything but popcorn. I couldn’t even want to imagine how our dinner would look like since we were still going to have dinner here. The other people seemed having the same idea with me. With a almost-having-nothing stomach, we had to wear the nylon hats, gloves and aprons for serving in the kitchen. Our job was cleaning the table in the dining room after the guesses have done their meals. It was not actually a hard work. We were just so interested in wearing those things on and taking pictures. We definitely looked like the real waiters and waitresses.
After lunch, we came back to the basement and continued working until 3:00pm. The work only was folding the blankets and put them up on the pallets, let them ready to be moved and distributed to the homeless people. 4:00, we had a dinner and came back to the Baymont motel around 5:00. I had some Vietnamese friends in Nashville. We hanged out together, eating another dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant (because we couldn’t eat anything in the shelter at all), and driving around the Nashville downtown to enjoy the gorgeous night sights. The downtown was so crowed since 8 o’clock. We couldn’t find any spare parking lot. The bars were all filled up with thousands of people. After two round trips in the downtown and having no place to park our car, we ended up with coming back to our motel and playing cards. I did not go to bed until the clock jumped up to the number “4:00”. It was enough for a long and hard-working day!
00:30 am, we arrived at our Motel- Baymont Inn & Suites, which was right at the opposite side of the Macy’s and Rivergate Malls. The motel’s outside looked exactly like a normal one in my country (Vietnam). It has 3 floors; each floor has 18 rooms and each room has 2 big beds. The facilities here are not too bad. It can be considered as the 2-star hotel in Vietnam (in the scale of 5). The first thing that we did was lying down on the absolutely comfortable beds and relaxing for a while before taking a hot shower. 3:30 in the morning, I was still awake and tried to finish the 12th episode of my favorite movie called “Full house”. I went to bed around 4:30 and woke up around 6:00. We separated into two teams. Team number one had Jesse Call as their leader and team number two had Alex. I was in team number two, which would work in the Nashville Rescue Mission today.
8:00, we were at Nashville Rescue Mission. All the guys working there were so nice with us. They greeted us as if we were the center’s real members: “Hello West Virginia!!! (…) Are you guys at Concord? (…) We really appreciate your willingness to donate your precious spring break time here to help the homeless people (…)”. Only a few minutes, the environment turned out that it was absolutely not the conversation between the “homeowner” and the “guesses”, but the warm and intimate environment between the perennial colleagues. Today we worked with a guy called Willy. He was extremely nice. We went down to the basement by a special kind of elevator, which could contain a large number of people. I have never seen that one before (but on the television).Our first job was breaking down all the cardboard boxes and put them in a big green cart. After that, we had to separate the shoes boxes and organized them according to their shoes sizes. I was so glad that we started to work together and get to know each other, at least was the others’ names. We talked and chatted with ease: “Hey! What’s your name? (…) Are you tired? (…) Let me help you! (…)”. The teamwork spirit was brought into play. I took out my shyness and started to get acquainted with the other teammates and knew how to take care as well as helping each other. In my opinion, it was the extremely easy way for me to keep pace with a lot of strange people in such a short time.
11:30, we stopped working and went upstairs to eat. The foods here were not as good as I thought. It was the first time that I ate something which was much more terrible than the foods in our schools’ cafeteria. I actually couldn’t eat anything but popcorn. I couldn’t even want to imagine how our dinner would look like since we were still going to have dinner here. The other people seemed having the same idea with me. With a almost-having-nothing stomach, we had to wear the nylon hats, gloves and aprons for serving in the kitchen. Our job was cleaning the table in the dining room after the guesses have done their meals. It was not actually a hard work. We were just so interested in wearing those things on and taking pictures. We definitely looked like the real waiters and waitresses.
After lunch, we came back to the basement and continued working until 3:00pm. The work only was folding the blankets and put them up on the pallets, let them ready to be moved and distributed to the homeless people. 4:00, we had a dinner and came back to the Baymont motel around 5:00. I had some Vietnamese friends in Nashville. We hanged out together, eating another dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant (because we couldn’t eat anything in the shelter at all), and driving around the Nashville downtown to enjoy the gorgeous night sights. The downtown was so crowed since 8 o’clock. We couldn’t find any spare parking lot. The bars were all filled up with thousands of people. After two round trips in the downtown and having no place to park our car, we ended up with coming back to our motel and playing cards. I did not go to bed until the clock jumped up to the number “4:00”. It was enough for a long and hard-working day!
JenniferHellems
Jennifer Hellems
SOWK 350
Dr. Campbell
Journal Entry 2
Sunday March 9, 2009
Today we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts then explored downtown Nashville. I really enjoyed this evening and really like Nashville. The Frist Center was really cool I enjoyed myself very much. Of course my favorite part was the hands on stuff upstairs that I’m sure was intended for the yonger kids. The main exhibit today was Seeing Ourselves Photographs of Safe Haven. This exhibit contained several pictures of some of the people that live or have lived in the Safe Haven Family Shelter.
Unlike most of the shelters you encounter where the families are split up, the Safe Haven Family Shelter is designed for families. Other shelters are strictly for men or women and children it isn’t very often that families are able to stay together under these circumstances.
I loved all the pictures of the kids from the exhibit and some were about parents, but my favorite one was the one titled ‘Ferris (age 12) Cracking the Human Genome.’ It was my favorite because it said “Ferris, an honor role student, is driven by ambitions and determinations. When presented with the challenge of creating and directing his photograph, Ferris knew he wanted to be seen as a scientist dissecting a model of the human genome.” This let me know that just because this child has had some unfortunate things happen in his life he is still hopeful and knows that one day things can change for him. Things can change for the better and he can do and be whatever he wants to be. I believe that kids need hope and need to always be looking up and I believe this picture shows that.
After I went through and looked at all the pictures from this exhibit I watched the video about Safe Haven Family Shelter and I at first wondered why we weren’t helping out there. It looked like a great place to go and help and interact with people. As I watched the video and seeing all the people that were helped by this place and comparing it to the places we were volunteering at I realized that we weren’t helping out in this particular place because the places we are stationed at need our help more than Safe Haven does. Safe Haven, I feel is ahead of these other places and doesn’t need our help as bad.
The end of the video made me tear up, it was about a woman who had four girls and one boy and she was able to go from being homeless to having her own place for her and her children. It touched me because as they went through looking at the house she was pointing out things that I take for granted everyday. I couldn’t help but think that she has such a long struggle throughout the rest of her life with five kids, but she has come so far.
Safe Haven seems like a wonderful place and seems to be doing great things in Nashville. I am so happy that there are places out there to help people who really need it.
SOWK 350
Dr. Campbell
Journal Entry 2
Sunday March 9, 2009
Today we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts then explored downtown Nashville. I really enjoyed this evening and really like Nashville. The Frist Center was really cool I enjoyed myself very much. Of course my favorite part was the hands on stuff upstairs that I’m sure was intended for the yonger kids. The main exhibit today was Seeing Ourselves Photographs of Safe Haven. This exhibit contained several pictures of some of the people that live or have lived in the Safe Haven Family Shelter.
Unlike most of the shelters you encounter where the families are split up, the Safe Haven Family Shelter is designed for families. Other shelters are strictly for men or women and children it isn’t very often that families are able to stay together under these circumstances.
I loved all the pictures of the kids from the exhibit and some were about parents, but my favorite one was the one titled ‘Ferris (age 12) Cracking the Human Genome.’ It was my favorite because it said “Ferris, an honor role student, is driven by ambitions and determinations. When presented with the challenge of creating and directing his photograph, Ferris knew he wanted to be seen as a scientist dissecting a model of the human genome.” This let me know that just because this child has had some unfortunate things happen in his life he is still hopeful and knows that one day things can change for him. Things can change for the better and he can do and be whatever he wants to be. I believe that kids need hope and need to always be looking up and I believe this picture shows that.
After I went through and looked at all the pictures from this exhibit I watched the video about Safe Haven Family Shelter and I at first wondered why we weren’t helping out there. It looked like a great place to go and help and interact with people. As I watched the video and seeing all the people that were helped by this place and comparing it to the places we were volunteering at I realized that we weren’t helping out in this particular place because the places we are stationed at need our help more than Safe Haven does. Safe Haven, I feel is ahead of these other places and doesn’t need our help as bad.
The end of the video made me tear up, it was about a woman who had four girls and one boy and she was able to go from being homeless to having her own place for her and her children. It touched me because as they went through looking at the house she was pointing out things that I take for granted everyday. I couldn’t help but think that she has such a long struggle throughout the rest of her life with five kids, but she has come so far.
Safe Haven seems like a wonderful place and seems to be doing great things in Nashville. I am so happy that there are places out there to help people who really need it.
TiffanyMcMahan
Tiffany McMahan
Reflection
March 8, 2009
Today, we explored Nashville TN, and got to experience the Frist Center
for Visual Arts. The exhibits were very interesting especially those about Safe
Haven. The video talked about how many families were affected by
Homelessness and usually its about 4,000 people or 40% of families that are
affected. We also got to see and read many different exhibits and pictures of
home less children and families. There were some that were very inspiring and
some that very emotional. I appreciated being able to visit the center because it
gave me more of an insight into how homelessness affects families. I also
learned Nashville is always in need of volunteers for the shelters.
While we were in downtown Nashville, we seen many homeless people on the streets. This made me very sad to see because it is a hard issue for me to deal with and I have never had to experience homelessness, so it is very hard for me to understand. Some of them were very lonely and was talking to themselves. I think it gave all of us an idea of how they live and what they deal with everyday. Some of our other group members were talking about them and how they were very sad; some even said that they donated money to them.
I believe today was a very good experience for us because we somewhat got to see homeless first hand by seeing the homeless people on the streets. I would be willing to come back here in this area to do more work with the homeless shelters. Since I am a Business Education major, I feel that it is very important that future teachers are always willing to help those in need, and I am always willing to help.
Reflection
March 8, 2009
Today, we explored Nashville TN, and got to experience the Frist Center
for Visual Arts. The exhibits were very interesting especially those about Safe
Haven. The video talked about how many families were affected by
Homelessness and usually its about 4,000 people or 40% of families that are
affected. We also got to see and read many different exhibits and pictures of
home less children and families. There were some that were very inspiring and
some that very emotional. I appreciated being able to visit the center because it
gave me more of an insight into how homelessness affects families. I also
learned Nashville is always in need of volunteers for the shelters.
While we were in downtown Nashville, we seen many homeless people on the streets. This made me very sad to see because it is a hard issue for me to deal with and I have never had to experience homelessness, so it is very hard for me to understand. Some of them were very lonely and was talking to themselves. I think it gave all of us an idea of how they live and what they deal with everyday. Some of our other group members were talking about them and how they were very sad; some even said that they donated money to them.
I believe today was a very good experience for us because we somewhat got to see homeless first hand by seeing the homeless people on the streets. I would be willing to come back here in this area to do more work with the homeless shelters. Since I am a Business Education major, I feel that it is very important that future teachers are always willing to help those in need, and I am always willing to help.
BrianCaulkins
Brian Caulkins
Psychology 350
March 8, 2009
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break: Day #2
Today was the easy day. We were able to sleep in until noon, which was a relief. The day started out different because daylight savings happened today and I missed the awesome continental breakfast. We started our trip today to the Frist Museum. I did not know what type of museum this was going to be. When we rolled up to the actual museum I was amazed. This museum was huge and had a sculpture out front that was very interesting. We ate lunch in the café at the museum. After we ate all of us explored the museum. The first part that I went to was the “make your own art” section. They had a lot of stuff that made learning about art fun. The one I liked the most was the printing project. The first thing we had to do was drawing the object or design what we wanted to print. After that we traced it out on a piece of cardboard. Then it was time for the printing. They rolled paint on the cardboard and then put it through a press. It turned out very well and I was able to take my amazing masterpiece home.
The next place I visited in the museum was the safe haven section. This was the most interesting section to me. I can remember two that really struck interest to me. A boy named Benjamin wrote the first one I read. The caption with the picture is what interested me the most. It said,
“You think we are homeless,
Because you are blind and can not see,
That a home is where your family is
And we are your family”
This is was the type of judgment change that I had yesterday. In yesterdays reflection I talked about how I was amazed how wrong I was about homeless people. If you have people around you, you are not homeless. I had to read this exert a couple times to realize what it really meant. People without homes are without homes, not homes and family. It changed my perspective about homeless people and helped my studying and volunteer work with them more enjoyable.
The next exert I liked stated that children that are homeless have a hard time maturing to their fullest potential. Being homeless is a negative thing that is very hard on children. If they are dramatized early in their life, it will be hard for them to get over it when they are older and not homeless. These two exerts have sparked a new interest in this type of national dilemma for me. Instead of judging homeless people in a negative way, I start to think about the positive things they have and how I can improve those.
I am excited for tomorrow because we get to work at the Rescue Mission. I hope that I can improve somebody’s life by brightening his or her day.
Psychology 350
March 8, 2009
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break: Day #2
Today was the easy day. We were able to sleep in until noon, which was a relief. The day started out different because daylight savings happened today and I missed the awesome continental breakfast. We started our trip today to the Frist Museum. I did not know what type of museum this was going to be. When we rolled up to the actual museum I was amazed. This museum was huge and had a sculpture out front that was very interesting. We ate lunch in the café at the museum. After we ate all of us explored the museum. The first part that I went to was the “make your own art” section. They had a lot of stuff that made learning about art fun. The one I liked the most was the printing project. The first thing we had to do was drawing the object or design what we wanted to print. After that we traced it out on a piece of cardboard. Then it was time for the printing. They rolled paint on the cardboard and then put it through a press. It turned out very well and I was able to take my amazing masterpiece home.
The next place I visited in the museum was the safe haven section. This was the most interesting section to me. I can remember two that really struck interest to me. A boy named Benjamin wrote the first one I read. The caption with the picture is what interested me the most. It said,
“You think we are homeless,
Because you are blind and can not see,
That a home is where your family is
And we are your family”
This is was the type of judgment change that I had yesterday. In yesterdays reflection I talked about how I was amazed how wrong I was about homeless people. If you have people around you, you are not homeless. I had to read this exert a couple times to realize what it really meant. People without homes are without homes, not homes and family. It changed my perspective about homeless people and helped my studying and volunteer work with them more enjoyable.
The next exert I liked stated that children that are homeless have a hard time maturing to their fullest potential. Being homeless is a negative thing that is very hard on children. If they are dramatized early in their life, it will be hard for them to get over it when they are older and not homeless. These two exerts have sparked a new interest in this type of national dilemma for me. Instead of judging homeless people in a negative way, I start to think about the positive things they have and how I can improve those.
I am excited for tomorrow because we get to work at the Rescue Mission. I hope that I can improve somebody’s life by brightening his or her day.
TacyPyles
Tacy Pyles
Dr. Campbell
TN Alternative Spring Break
Journal Entry 2
08 March 2009
Today we visited the Frist Center for Visual Arts. After eating lunch there, we began our tour of the museum. The first exhibit was called “Seeing Ourselves,” and beautifully depicted the splendor of perseverant dreaming. When I heard we would be visiting the exhibit for those families who had been touched by the outreach of Safe Haven, I did not expect to walk away feeling uplifted. Safe Haven focuses on community development that keeps families together and teaches children self-esteem while allowing them to express themselves through art.
The art was surprisingly filled with happiness, dreams, passion and love. After taking a two-week course on self expression through writing and visual arts, the homeless of Safe Haven were given cameras to express through photography and poetry how they see themselves. The images that were compiled in the exhibit were composed of smiles, laughter, flowers and trees. The images demonstrated a belief that they have now become connected with their community in a special way.
I walked away from these images realizing that nothing separates me from the homeless. We have the same kind of hopes and dreams -we feel the same fears and have the same anxieties. Why does a dollar sign make the difference between a friend and an outcast? Why in a country that proudly proclaims that “all men are created equal” can we not make eye contact with the homeless man on the street?
This evening we passed many people from different backgrounds…the upper class who flitted from shop to shop and the homeless who carried everything they own in a few bags. Passing building after building, with shining windows stacked to the sky, fountains with picturesque statues atop and cathedrals with their stained glass windows, it makes me wonder why this is allowed to happen. Why are people allowed to be homeless when the city can afford so much extravagance? Why are some people allowed to live in mansions while others do not even have one room to claim as their own?
Dr. Campbell
TN Alternative Spring Break
Journal Entry 2
08 March 2009
Today we visited the Frist Center for Visual Arts. After eating lunch there, we began our tour of the museum. The first exhibit was called “Seeing Ourselves,” and beautifully depicted the splendor of perseverant dreaming. When I heard we would be visiting the exhibit for those families who had been touched by the outreach of Safe Haven, I did not expect to walk away feeling uplifted. Safe Haven focuses on community development that keeps families together and teaches children self-esteem while allowing them to express themselves through art.
The art was surprisingly filled with happiness, dreams, passion and love. After taking a two-week course on self expression through writing and visual arts, the homeless of Safe Haven were given cameras to express through photography and poetry how they see themselves. The images that were compiled in the exhibit were composed of smiles, laughter, flowers and trees. The images demonstrated a belief that they have now become connected with their community in a special way.
I walked away from these images realizing that nothing separates me from the homeless. We have the same kind of hopes and dreams -we feel the same fears and have the same anxieties. Why does a dollar sign make the difference between a friend and an outcast? Why in a country that proudly proclaims that “all men are created equal” can we not make eye contact with the homeless man on the street?
This evening we passed many people from different backgrounds…the upper class who flitted from shop to shop and the homeless who carried everything they own in a few bags. Passing building after building, with shining windows stacked to the sky, fountains with picturesque statues atop and cathedrals with their stained glass windows, it makes me wonder why this is allowed to happen. Why are people allowed to be homeless when the city can afford so much extravagance? Why are some people allowed to live in mansions while others do not even have one room to claim as their own?
KristinaChampe
Kristina Champe
Alternative Spring Break
Day 2
3-8-2009
Today we got to sleep in (which was great by the way). Then it was our day to go to the Frisk Center Museum. It was amazing. We went to see the exhibit “Seeing Ourselves in the pictures from Safe Haven”. There were some very, very exciting pictures there. I really enjoyed looking at them. The museum was a very awe-inspiring experience. It was like the pictures spoke to me when I was there. There was a picture there that I really enjoyed, of the kids with their feet in the water that looked like they were washing their sheets in a bucket, it said that even through their suffering experiences they can find joy and play through resilience. I really enjoyed going to this museum. It really showed me how the homeless see the world through their eyes and it was a great experience. This gave me a new way to look at the world also, and I really appreciated.
Later in the evening we went downtown and we saw some homeless people, and discussed how many saw and from being in the shelter we could tell who was homeless and everyone knew, and it was pretty sad. We didn’t what to do or say but we had a great day and the museum and downtown, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the week is going to bring.
Alternative Spring Break
Day 2
3-8-2009
Today we got to sleep in (which was great by the way). Then it was our day to go to the Frisk Center Museum. It was amazing. We went to see the exhibit “Seeing Ourselves in the pictures from Safe Haven”. There were some very, very exciting pictures there. I really enjoyed looking at them. The museum was a very awe-inspiring experience. It was like the pictures spoke to me when I was there. There was a picture there that I really enjoyed, of the kids with their feet in the water that looked like they were washing their sheets in a bucket, it said that even through their suffering experiences they can find joy and play through resilience. I really enjoyed going to this museum. It really showed me how the homeless see the world through their eyes and it was a great experience. This gave me a new way to look at the world also, and I really appreciated.
Later in the evening we went downtown and we saw some homeless people, and discussed how many saw and from being in the shelter we could tell who was homeless and everyone knew, and it was pretty sad. We didn’t what to do or say but we had a great day and the museum and downtown, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the week is going to bring.
VirginiaVerburg
Virginia Verburg
Reflections
Day Two 3/8/09
Today we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to see an art collection on display from Safe Haven. Safe Haven is an organization in Nashville that helps homeless families stay together and find jobs and housing. I watched a video about Safe Haven and different families stories of going into Safe Haven and their accomplishments. A few other girls were watching the video with me and became emotional during the last story about seeing a woman and her 5 daughters move into a house. The families generally spend months working to save up money and eliminate their debt so they can afford to rent or buy a home.
Another part of the Safe Haven display were pictures and poems that were taken and written by the children that stay there. I was really impressed to read about some of the children’s goals in life and how well they could write poetry. I wish we could have worked with Safe Haven because I feel like there is more of a need to work with women and children then there is with men. In the video it mentioned that somewhere around 40% of the homeless came from families.
While I respect the fact that not all of the men that are homeless have committed a crime or are addicts, most of them still are. To me I would feel more of a connection working with women and children because I can sympathize more with the fact that they are probably homeless because they have left an abusive relationship or something happened that was truly out of their control. I also like the idea that they do not split families up at Safe Haven. A lot of the commentary on the video was families stating how much closer they became at the shelter by spending months together. I believe it is important to worth with homeless men as well, however I hope at some point in my life I can work with women and children as well.
Reflections
Day Two 3/8/09
Today we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to see an art collection on display from Safe Haven. Safe Haven is an organization in Nashville that helps homeless families stay together and find jobs and housing. I watched a video about Safe Haven and different families stories of going into Safe Haven and their accomplishments. A few other girls were watching the video with me and became emotional during the last story about seeing a woman and her 5 daughters move into a house. The families generally spend months working to save up money and eliminate their debt so they can afford to rent or buy a home.
Another part of the Safe Haven display were pictures and poems that were taken and written by the children that stay there. I was really impressed to read about some of the children’s goals in life and how well they could write poetry. I wish we could have worked with Safe Haven because I feel like there is more of a need to work with women and children then there is with men. In the video it mentioned that somewhere around 40% of the homeless came from families.
While I respect the fact that not all of the men that are homeless have committed a crime or are addicts, most of them still are. To me I would feel more of a connection working with women and children because I can sympathize more with the fact that they are probably homeless because they have left an abusive relationship or something happened that was truly out of their control. I also like the idea that they do not split families up at Safe Haven. A lot of the commentary on the video was families stating how much closer they became at the shelter by spending months together. I believe it is important to worth with homeless men as well, however I hope at some point in my life I can work with women and children as well.
SamanthaThomas
Samantha Thomas
Reflection Day 2
2-8-09
Today, we visited the Frist Center. The collections at the art museum included art ranging from Medieval pieces of art to the exhibit we paid close attention to: “Seeing Ourselves: Photographs of Safe Haven.” The parents and children of some of the families at Safe Haven took the photos. The photographs reflected many things including self-photographs and pictures of families. The one picture that affected me the most was the very first shown in the exhibit. This little girl was simply playing with a bubble machine, like most little girls. However, beside the picture a similar quote was used: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” It simply showed me and I hope the people around us that these people are not “just homeless,” they are people that have only fallen and need help getting back on their feet. Another part of the exhibit that really affected me was the video that Safe Haven Shelter and Blueskies Productions had put together in reference to what the shelter was about and how some of it operated. As I watched them explain how they wanted to keep their family’s together I was becoming a sympathetic for those who have to split up their families in order to simply survive from day to day. But near the end of the video, this one single family affected me the most. The last name escapes me, but the family consisted of a mother and her five children. When they saw their new home that was provided to them via the shelter, every single one of them began to tear, including several of the older children who completely understood the situation. When I heard soft sobs, my focus was drawn away from the flat screen television and to the faces of the girls standing around me. Every face was wet and every eye was red and swollen. My heart began to hurt as I felt complete and utter regret for not trying to help with this cause sooner.
Reflection Day 2
2-8-09
Today, we visited the Frist Center. The collections at the art museum included art ranging from Medieval pieces of art to the exhibit we paid close attention to: “Seeing Ourselves: Photographs of Safe Haven.” The parents and children of some of the families at Safe Haven took the photos. The photographs reflected many things including self-photographs and pictures of families. The one picture that affected me the most was the very first shown in the exhibit. This little girl was simply playing with a bubble machine, like most little girls. However, beside the picture a similar quote was used: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” It simply showed me and I hope the people around us that these people are not “just homeless,” they are people that have only fallen and need help getting back on their feet. Another part of the exhibit that really affected me was the video that Safe Haven Shelter and Blueskies Productions had put together in reference to what the shelter was about and how some of it operated. As I watched them explain how they wanted to keep their family’s together I was becoming a sympathetic for those who have to split up their families in order to simply survive from day to day. But near the end of the video, this one single family affected me the most. The last name escapes me, but the family consisted of a mother and her five children. When they saw their new home that was provided to them via the shelter, every single one of them began to tear, including several of the older children who completely understood the situation. When I heard soft sobs, my focus was drawn away from the flat screen television and to the faces of the girls standing around me. Every face was wet and every eye was red and swollen. My heart began to hurt as I felt complete and utter regret for not trying to help with this cause sooner.
JessicaKirk
Kirk, Jessica
3-8-09
Alternative Spring Break in Nashville
Day Two
Today we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in downtown Nashville to view a exhibit called Seeing Ourselves which is on homelessness. What made this exhibit really unique is that all of the pictures was taken by homeless people and not just a photographer who would take the photos of them in their moments of weakness and then go home to his home. All of these homeless people are participants in the Safe Haven Family Shelter.
Safe Haven really is a remarkable program that offers many homeless people and even families a warm, safe place, and a chance to get back on their feet. In a video that they was showing in the exhibit they showed this one family who had finally moved into their own place. The mother was a single mom with I think maybe 3 really young children, and as she was in tears over the fact that she was finally in a place where she wanted she wanted to be in her life for her and her children. As she cried I started to tear up, and when I looked around everyone else was either tearing up or crying as well. This was a very rewarding experience because we was able to see what homelessness is life but through the eyes and words of those who are actually experiencing it or experienced it.
The only negative experience I could really see in this exhibit is that you don't really get the one on one experience as you do with at the Campus for Human Development. But at the same time it still is really rewarding because the photos really are interesting. My favorite of the photos was one by a 7 year old girl named Hadassah.
The picture is of her I think and another child and Luka. Luka is a dog that is a member of the Safe Haven staff. Luka serves as a vital part of the experience for children because typically homeless people do not have pets, and every child should have at least one pet. Luka sat beside them in a protective and sheltering way that seemed very comforting to the children.
3-8-09
Alternative Spring Break in Nashville
Day Two
Today we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in downtown Nashville to view a exhibit called Seeing Ourselves which is on homelessness. What made this exhibit really unique is that all of the pictures was taken by homeless people and not just a photographer who would take the photos of them in their moments of weakness and then go home to his home. All of these homeless people are participants in the Safe Haven Family Shelter.
Safe Haven really is a remarkable program that offers many homeless people and even families a warm, safe place, and a chance to get back on their feet. In a video that they was showing in the exhibit they showed this one family who had finally moved into their own place. The mother was a single mom with I think maybe 3 really young children, and as she was in tears over the fact that she was finally in a place where she wanted she wanted to be in her life for her and her children. As she cried I started to tear up, and when I looked around everyone else was either tearing up or crying as well. This was a very rewarding experience because we was able to see what homelessness is life but through the eyes and words of those who are actually experiencing it or experienced it.
The only negative experience I could really see in this exhibit is that you don't really get the one on one experience as you do with at the Campus for Human Development. But at the same time it still is really rewarding because the photos really are interesting. My favorite of the photos was one by a 7 year old girl named Hadassah.
The picture is of her I think and another child and Luka. Luka is a dog that is a member of the Safe Haven staff. Luka serves as a vital part of the experience for children because typically homeless people do not have pets, and every child should have at least one pet. Luka sat beside them in a protective and sheltering way that seemed very comforting to the children.
KiwaNadas
Today we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to see the exhibit on Safe Haven. The photographs in the exhibit focused mostly on one young man named Benjamin. The exhibit gave me a lot to think about homelessness then what I saw the day before and showed the same side to it. The exhibit was about hope and finding a way out of it. Which is what the Campus for Human Development was trying to help the people achieve.
TiffanyShaver
Tiffany Shaver
Dr. Campbell
3-8-09
Reflection Journal-Day Two
Today was the second day of the Alternative Spring Break and it was the day we all went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The museum was amazing and my favorite part, excluding Safe Haven which I will talk about later on, was the paintings. The artwork was very abstract and it was as if some of them could look into your soul. My favorite was a painting by Alice Neel of a deformed man. The description of the painting said that it was supposed to represent the inner conflict with one’s self. The reason I found it to be so interesting because it shows that people are not perfect and we all would be deformed in some way to represent the struggles within.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork displayed at the museum, my favorite was the hallway based on Safe Haven. Safe Haven is a homeless shelter dedicated for families. It is the only shelter in Nashville that allows for families to stay together. In addition to allowing the families to stay together, Safe Haven also pours in job training and counseling to help the families get back on their feet. The hallway dedicated to Safe Haven was called Seeing Ourselves. All along the hallway there were blown up pictures that represent life patterns that are experienced by people living in a variety of circumstances. My favorite picture was by Hadassah called Luka and Me. Luka is a dog and a member of the Safe Haven Community. His job is to provide love and friendship to the children. The picture was amazing and it reflected best on what Safe Haven is all about. However, my favorite quote on the pictures was by Ferris called Goals. The quote stated, “Hopes and dreams need not be stifled by labels and stereotypes associated with homelessness.” I feel in love with that quote because everyone has hopes and dreams, whether you are the richest person in the world or the poorest. We all drive to be something in this world and that will never change.
All in all, today was very good. I enjoyed the art museum, especially looking at Safe Haven. So far, the week has been amazing and I am looking forward to what it brings.
Dr. Campbell
3-8-09
Reflection Journal-Day Two
Today was the second day of the Alternative Spring Break and it was the day we all went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The museum was amazing and my favorite part, excluding Safe Haven which I will talk about later on, was the paintings. The artwork was very abstract and it was as if some of them could look into your soul. My favorite was a painting by Alice Neel of a deformed man. The description of the painting said that it was supposed to represent the inner conflict with one’s self. The reason I found it to be so interesting because it shows that people are not perfect and we all would be deformed in some way to represent the struggles within.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork displayed at the museum, my favorite was the hallway based on Safe Haven. Safe Haven is a homeless shelter dedicated for families. It is the only shelter in Nashville that allows for families to stay together. In addition to allowing the families to stay together, Safe Haven also pours in job training and counseling to help the families get back on their feet. The hallway dedicated to Safe Haven was called Seeing Ourselves. All along the hallway there were blown up pictures that represent life patterns that are experienced by people living in a variety of circumstances. My favorite picture was by Hadassah called Luka and Me. Luka is a dog and a member of the Safe Haven Community. His job is to provide love and friendship to the children. The picture was amazing and it reflected best on what Safe Haven is all about. However, my favorite quote on the pictures was by Ferris called Goals. The quote stated, “Hopes and dreams need not be stifled by labels and stereotypes associated with homelessness.” I feel in love with that quote because everyone has hopes and dreams, whether you are the richest person in the world or the poorest. We all drive to be something in this world and that will never change.
All in all, today was very good. I enjoyed the art museum, especially looking at Safe Haven. So far, the week has been amazing and I am looking forward to what it brings.
TreskaDunbar
Treska Dunbar
Journal/Reflection
March 8, 2009
Today was a thought provoking day. Among the many exhibits at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts was the photography taken by homeless individuals from the Safe Haven shelter. This exhibit allowed me to think about homelessness and to see a different kind of visual representation of the homeless individuals. One of the most interesting pieces of the exhibit was a self portrait of Benjamin. The photo is of a homeless teenager who decided to serve his country. Later on, in the exhibit you view another self portrait of Benjamin that shows him as a man in uniform saluting his country. As a social work major we are made aware of the government programs that are available or not so available to the homeless population. It was interesting to me that an individual who was homeless would desire to serve our country. In my mind, the homeless would feel ungrateful to our country and feel as though our country is failing to provide them with the services that they need to be productive members of society. I feel as though we as a society fail to provide the necessary social services and programs to help these less fortunate members of our society lead safe lives with at the very least a bed to sleep in and some food to eat.
Another picture in the exhibit was a photo of homeless children with a dog. Yesterday at the Camus for Human Development a staff member informed us that they have cats running around to give the participants a friend. This photo had a message saying that the Safe Haven has this dog on staff to provide unconditional love and friendship to the people who use their facility. As someone who loves her puppy, I can completely understand the unconditional love that an animal can provide. This reminded of another item that I take for granted.
Another photo that really stood out in my mind was the photo of a little boy and a basketball. This story had a message beside it that said “I had a dream…Magic Johnson was there…He autographed the ball...” This reminded me that homeless children are just like any other child. Little boys all look up to some hero and aspire to meet that person. This reminded me that the difference between me and the homeless is as simple as food, shelter, and material goods. They have similar desires and aspirations. All little kids want to grow up and change the world or be someone famous; some sleep in a homeless shelter or on the street at night and some read bedtime stories and have mom or dad tuck them tightly into their warm bed.
Tonight as I was spending some time touring the city of Nashville, a presumably homeless man approached my friend and me and asked us for some money. Since neither of us had cash, he asked us to buy him dinner at a little restaurant down the street. I have been asked for money multiple times and every time I have the same reaction. What are they going to do to me? Is it safe to communicate with them? This time was no different. I was uncomfortable and scared. I realize they are human just like me, but I still have this idea in my mind that it is unsafe to make extended contact and allow them to lead you somewhere. I didn’t trust him for a moment. We followed him to his chosen restaurant, bought him food, and returned to touring the town. I realized that just as we returned to our lives of touring Nashville he would again return to his life of trying to find the funds for his next meal and a place to rest his head tonight. This made me sad, and allowed me to realize that we all have routines and roles that we play in society and unfortunately his role is the homeless man who has to panhandle for some money to buy a sandwich and a coke. If I want a sandwich and a coke I seldom think twice about walking up to the counter ordering and paying and going on with my life.
Journal/Reflection
March 8, 2009
Today was a thought provoking day. Among the many exhibits at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts was the photography taken by homeless individuals from the Safe Haven shelter. This exhibit allowed me to think about homelessness and to see a different kind of visual representation of the homeless individuals. One of the most interesting pieces of the exhibit was a self portrait of Benjamin. The photo is of a homeless teenager who decided to serve his country. Later on, in the exhibit you view another self portrait of Benjamin that shows him as a man in uniform saluting his country. As a social work major we are made aware of the government programs that are available or not so available to the homeless population. It was interesting to me that an individual who was homeless would desire to serve our country. In my mind, the homeless would feel ungrateful to our country and feel as though our country is failing to provide them with the services that they need to be productive members of society. I feel as though we as a society fail to provide the necessary social services and programs to help these less fortunate members of our society lead safe lives with at the very least a bed to sleep in and some food to eat.
Another picture in the exhibit was a photo of homeless children with a dog. Yesterday at the Camus for Human Development a staff member informed us that they have cats running around to give the participants a friend. This photo had a message saying that the Safe Haven has this dog on staff to provide unconditional love and friendship to the people who use their facility. As someone who loves her puppy, I can completely understand the unconditional love that an animal can provide. This reminded of another item that I take for granted.
Another photo that really stood out in my mind was the photo of a little boy and a basketball. This story had a message beside it that said “I had a dream…Magic Johnson was there…He autographed the ball...” This reminded me that homeless children are just like any other child. Little boys all look up to some hero and aspire to meet that person. This reminded me that the difference between me and the homeless is as simple as food, shelter, and material goods. They have similar desires and aspirations. All little kids want to grow up and change the world or be someone famous; some sleep in a homeless shelter or on the street at night and some read bedtime stories and have mom or dad tuck them tightly into their warm bed.
Tonight as I was spending some time touring the city of Nashville, a presumably homeless man approached my friend and me and asked us for some money. Since neither of us had cash, he asked us to buy him dinner at a little restaurant down the street. I have been asked for money multiple times and every time I have the same reaction. What are they going to do to me? Is it safe to communicate with them? This time was no different. I was uncomfortable and scared. I realize they are human just like me, but I still have this idea in my mind that it is unsafe to make extended contact and allow them to lead you somewhere. I didn’t trust him for a moment. We followed him to his chosen restaurant, bought him food, and returned to touring the town. I realized that just as we returned to our lives of touring Nashville he would again return to his life of trying to find the funds for his next meal and a place to rest his head tonight. This made me sad, and allowed me to realize that we all have routines and roles that we play in society and unfortunately his role is the homeless man who has to panhandle for some money to buy a sandwich and a coke. If I want a sandwich and a coke I seldom think twice about walking up to the counter ordering and paying and going on with my life.
NicoleBartley
Nicole Bartley
March 8th 2009
REFLECTION
Reflection: Day 2
So today we went to the musem, The Frist Center. I don’t see how visiting this museum was helping anybody. We looked at a bunch of pretty pictures, and I guess we were left with trying to figure out the feelings behind the art. Again, I don’t see how this is helping anybody. I don’t see why they would have this ‘Safe Haven’ exhibit. Whats the purpose for it? To show off how great some people can take pictures? To show off how easy it is? Is it an advertisment? “So easy, a homless person can do it!” Added with a big fake smile at the end? I asked my roomates this, and they told me it was to see their point of view, and to give them the chance to do something yadda yadda yadda. My question, or thought, Why give them a camera? Why not give them training in a field that could make them money and get them back on their feet? Ok, pictures and art are a good way to express themselves, but how does expressing yourself make you money? How does that give you a home, and put food on the table?
The pictures had descriptions, the only one I felt worth reading was the picture of a 14-year-old named Benjamin. It was a picture of him in his Air Force JROTC uniform. He said he wanted to join the military. That’s a kid after my own heart right there. Wanting to do something productive with his life, and even better something involving the military, is what I like to see. It’s what I plan to do in the next 2 years as well.
So I was told that in these reflections we have to write a good story, and a bad story about the day. The picture of Benjamin can be the good story. My bad story, well, theres a lot of them. I suppose the whole day was bad. I guess my bad story can be how I don’t feel like we are doing anything here by going to museums. I’m pretty sure I signed up to help out, work at homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. It’s what I do back home at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. I don’t understand why it isnt the same here. Sure, it was a nice get-away I guess, but I came here to work. That’s what I want to be doing. That’s what we should have been doing.
March 8th 2009
REFLECTION
Reflection: Day 2
So today we went to the musem, The Frist Center. I don’t see how visiting this museum was helping anybody. We looked at a bunch of pretty pictures, and I guess we were left with trying to figure out the feelings behind the art. Again, I don’t see how this is helping anybody. I don’t see why they would have this ‘Safe Haven’ exhibit. Whats the purpose for it? To show off how great some people can take pictures? To show off how easy it is? Is it an advertisment? “So easy, a homless person can do it!” Added with a big fake smile at the end? I asked my roomates this, and they told me it was to see their point of view, and to give them the chance to do something yadda yadda yadda. My question, or thought, Why give them a camera? Why not give them training in a field that could make them money and get them back on their feet? Ok, pictures and art are a good way to express themselves, but how does expressing yourself make you money? How does that give you a home, and put food on the table?
The pictures had descriptions, the only one I felt worth reading was the picture of a 14-year-old named Benjamin. It was a picture of him in his Air Force JROTC uniform. He said he wanted to join the military. That’s a kid after my own heart right there. Wanting to do something productive with his life, and even better something involving the military, is what I like to see. It’s what I plan to do in the next 2 years as well.
So I was told that in these reflections we have to write a good story, and a bad story about the day. The picture of Benjamin can be the good story. My bad story, well, theres a lot of them. I suppose the whole day was bad. I guess my bad story can be how I don’t feel like we are doing anything here by going to museums. I’m pretty sure I signed up to help out, work at homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. It’s what I do back home at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. I don’t understand why it isnt the same here. Sure, it was a nice get-away I guess, but I came here to work. That’s what I want to be doing. That’s what we should have been doing.
AkeyaCarterBozman
Akeya Carter-Bozman
Day Two Reflection
Day two of our mission was not as intense as our first day in Nashville, today we relaxed at the Frist Center Museum in downtown Nashville. The Safe Haven homeless shelter had an exhibit showing life through their eyes, or through the lens of their camera. Surprisingly the faces were happy faces, which caused me to question everything I thought I knew about homelessness. Why is it that they have lost everything and are forced to live in the destitute, yet still find a way to smile through their circumstances?
The part of the exhibit that touched me the most was the video interviews of some of the families who lived in the shelter. One father as he was interviewed sang a joyful song about how good God had been to him, his wife, and two beautiful daughters, I cried to myself as a I listened to haw sincere he was. I complain everyday about the dorm I live in, the cafeteria food, and even the fact that I can’t shop as much as I would like. I felt selfish here I am so blessed and I can’t even the last time I thanked God for anything he has done for me. But a homeless man and his family are praising him for the “life” they live with so little. Wow! Today I began to question myself, why is it that we live in one of the freest, greatest, and richest nations in the free world, and have record numbers of homeless people. Why does life through the lens of the homeless seems happier than everyday live for milddle and upper class. Think about it, money drives our society, and we are always striving to live better and have more. Why? When people who have so little lives seem full of simplicity and more real than anything/
Day Two Reflection
Day two of our mission was not as intense as our first day in Nashville, today we relaxed at the Frist Center Museum in downtown Nashville. The Safe Haven homeless shelter had an exhibit showing life through their eyes, or through the lens of their camera. Surprisingly the faces were happy faces, which caused me to question everything I thought I knew about homelessness. Why is it that they have lost everything and are forced to live in the destitute, yet still find a way to smile through their circumstances?
The part of the exhibit that touched me the most was the video interviews of some of the families who lived in the shelter. One father as he was interviewed sang a joyful song about how good God had been to him, his wife, and two beautiful daughters, I cried to myself as a I listened to haw sincere he was. I complain everyday about the dorm I live in, the cafeteria food, and even the fact that I can’t shop as much as I would like. I felt selfish here I am so blessed and I can’t even the last time I thanked God for anything he has done for me. But a homeless man and his family are praising him for the “life” they live with so little. Wow! Today I began to question myself, why is it that we live in one of the freest, greatest, and richest nations in the free world, and have record numbers of homeless people. Why does life through the lens of the homeless seems happier than everyday live for milddle and upper class. Think about it, money drives our society, and we are always striving to live better and have more. Why? When people who have so little lives seem full of simplicity and more real than anything/
AnneEndres
Anne Endres
8 March 2009
PSY 350
ASB: Day Two Reflection
Dear Journal--
Today was a much more relaxed day work-wise and it was pretty nice. First of all, I got a lot more sleep, which is always a plus. It was wonderful receiving over eight hours of sleep, especially after only sleeping a few hours Friday night. Also, instead of working all day (like we did on Saturday), we spent our day more leisurely, officially beginning at 12:30PM when we had our group meeting and then traveled to Nashville’s Frist Museum for the Visual Arts. There, we dined and viewed exhibits. After dining in the café, we had about two hours to explore the museum. One of the current exhibits features Safe Haven Family Shelter in Nashville. This exhibit brought a more positive light to homelessness and I enjoyed that aspect. Safe Haven is the only homeless shelter in the greater Nashville area that provides job training AND interim housing. Just like Nashville’s Campus for Human Development, Safe Haven offers classes in composition and art; however, Safe Haven’s artsy classes focus more on photography and visual storytelling. The homeless people at Safe Haven took the pictures featured throughout the exhibit and attached short poems that painted pictures of their thoughts and feelings.
Although today was great in regards to relaxing after yesterday’s extremely full day, it was sad to still see homeless people on the streets of downtown Nashville tonight. At times I was tempted to give them a dollar or two, but at the same time I realized that they probably would not have put my donation to good use. Instead of using it for food or another necessity, they may have used it toward feeding their addictions, whether they be drug- or alcohol- related. It’s unfortunate, yes, but at the same time it’s heartbreaking to know that you can’t really help them despite your intentions.
On a lighter note, I’d definitely say the best part of my day was visiting with my Uncle Kevin and Aunt Linda. They live in Nashville and took Brian, my boyfriend, and I out to eat. We went to this taco restaurant across the street from Vanderbilt University and it was much tastier than our meals at the Nashville Rescue Mission (no offense!). After we finished our delicious tacos and cheese dip, my relatives took us around the streets of downtown Nashville and we got beignets at Wild Bill’s. Boy, were those pastries tasty! Aside from the tasty treats, it was really nice getting to visit with my relatives. Plus, I think they like Brian! Wahoo
8 March 2009
PSY 350
ASB: Day Two Reflection
Dear Journal--
Today was a much more relaxed day work-wise and it was pretty nice. First of all, I got a lot more sleep, which is always a plus. It was wonderful receiving over eight hours of sleep, especially after only sleeping a few hours Friday night. Also, instead of working all day (like we did on Saturday), we spent our day more leisurely, officially beginning at 12:30PM when we had our group meeting and then traveled to Nashville’s Frist Museum for the Visual Arts. There, we dined and viewed exhibits. After dining in the café, we had about two hours to explore the museum. One of the current exhibits features Safe Haven Family Shelter in Nashville. This exhibit brought a more positive light to homelessness and I enjoyed that aspect. Safe Haven is the only homeless shelter in the greater Nashville area that provides job training AND interim housing. Just like Nashville’s Campus for Human Development, Safe Haven offers classes in composition and art; however, Safe Haven’s artsy classes focus more on photography and visual storytelling. The homeless people at Safe Haven took the pictures featured throughout the exhibit and attached short poems that painted pictures of their thoughts and feelings.
Although today was great in regards to relaxing after yesterday’s extremely full day, it was sad to still see homeless people on the streets of downtown Nashville tonight. At times I was tempted to give them a dollar or two, but at the same time I realized that they probably would not have put my donation to good use. Instead of using it for food or another necessity, they may have used it toward feeding their addictions, whether they be drug- or alcohol- related. It’s unfortunate, yes, but at the same time it’s heartbreaking to know that you can’t really help them despite your intentions.
On a lighter note, I’d definitely say the best part of my day was visiting with my Uncle Kevin and Aunt Linda. They live in Nashville and took Brian, my boyfriend, and I out to eat. We went to this taco restaurant across the street from Vanderbilt University and it was much tastier than our meals at the Nashville Rescue Mission (no offense!). After we finished our delicious tacos and cheese dip, my relatives took us around the streets of downtown Nashville and we got beignets at Wild Bill’s. Boy, were those pastries tasty! Aside from the tasty treats, it was really nice getting to visit with my relatives. Plus, I think they like Brian! Wahoo
TiffanyShaver
Tiffany Shaver
Dr. Campbell
3-7-09
Reflection Journal-Day One
Today was the first day of the Alternative Spring Break. Our group, Alex’s group, went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I was keeping my hopes high.
We went in to the Rescue Mission down a long hallway. Our guy that was with us all day was Willy. Throughout the day, he talked to us about the Rescue Mission and what it was all about. Our first fact of information that we found out was that it was a Christian Rescue Mission, which I found to be really awesome. Another fact that we found out was that most of their staff working there has been through there program. They have many program to help with addictions, ranging from alcohol and drug use to gambling. So, many of those who work there are going through the program or have already graduated from the program.
The events of the day were of particular interest. Down in the basement of the Rescue Mission is a huge warehouse, filled with tons and tons of stuff, from shoes, to walkers, to mattresses, to a skeleton (which we found out isn’t real). Our first job was to sort through hundreds and hundreds of shoes and organize them. We cleared off shelves upon shelves of shoes, some that they are giving away and some they are keeping. That lasted around three hours until it was time for lunch, which is when the real fun began.
They let us eat first before we served the food. So we ate and then cleaned off tables and served food to those who are living there. After we ate, four of us stayed in the kitchen to finish serving food, while the rest went back downstairs. There was a rush of people to come in for food, then it was the handicapped people, and then another big rush. All of those people live at the Mission, and after them it was people who were actually homeless and were not staying at the mission. That was probably the hardest part of the day, and it was even harder when this particular guy came in. This guy was a black guy, but most of his face was pink where it had been burnt off. There were random patches of black on his face, but most was pink. That was so hard for me that I had to turn my head away and pretend like I was getting more popcorn to serve.
After lunch, around one, the rest of us headed back down to the warehouse. A few more hours of working, sorting through blankets and sheets (there were so many sheets!), and then Willy allowed us to go upstairs and rest before dinner. Talking to Willy was really interesting. You could tell that he was very passionate about what he does and that he genuinely loves to help people. He was very impressed with all of the work that we got done, as was everyone else.
All in all, it was a productive and meaningful day. I have a huge passion for helping people, particularly in situations like this, and I am excited to have this opportunity to do so. One of the things I noticed today, was that everyone was a community. It didn’t matter where they had been in life, only where they were going. Today I saw a lot of laughter and a lot of hugs. One hug scene that comes to mind was during dinner. One guy was chasing another guy around begging for a hug. They were both laughing and enjoying being in each other’s company. That’s what I loved most about today, was that they were there for each other and they loved each other. I know that this week will be one that I will never forget and I am excited to see what the coming week will bring.
Dr. Campbell
3-7-09
Reflection Journal-Day One
Today was the first day of the Alternative Spring Break. Our group, Alex’s group, went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I was keeping my hopes high.
We went in to the Rescue Mission down a long hallway. Our guy that was with us all day was Willy. Throughout the day, he talked to us about the Rescue Mission and what it was all about. Our first fact of information that we found out was that it was a Christian Rescue Mission, which I found to be really awesome. Another fact that we found out was that most of their staff working there has been through there program. They have many program to help with addictions, ranging from alcohol and drug use to gambling. So, many of those who work there are going through the program or have already graduated from the program.
The events of the day were of particular interest. Down in the basement of the Rescue Mission is a huge warehouse, filled with tons and tons of stuff, from shoes, to walkers, to mattresses, to a skeleton (which we found out isn’t real). Our first job was to sort through hundreds and hundreds of shoes and organize them. We cleared off shelves upon shelves of shoes, some that they are giving away and some they are keeping. That lasted around three hours until it was time for lunch, which is when the real fun began.
They let us eat first before we served the food. So we ate and then cleaned off tables and served food to those who are living there. After we ate, four of us stayed in the kitchen to finish serving food, while the rest went back downstairs. There was a rush of people to come in for food, then it was the handicapped people, and then another big rush. All of those people live at the Mission, and after them it was people who were actually homeless and were not staying at the mission. That was probably the hardest part of the day, and it was even harder when this particular guy came in. This guy was a black guy, but most of his face was pink where it had been burnt off. There were random patches of black on his face, but most was pink. That was so hard for me that I had to turn my head away and pretend like I was getting more popcorn to serve.
After lunch, around one, the rest of us headed back down to the warehouse. A few more hours of working, sorting through blankets and sheets (there were so many sheets!), and then Willy allowed us to go upstairs and rest before dinner. Talking to Willy was really interesting. You could tell that he was very passionate about what he does and that he genuinely loves to help people. He was very impressed with all of the work that we got done, as was everyone else.
All in all, it was a productive and meaningful day. I have a huge passion for helping people, particularly in situations like this, and I am excited to have this opportunity to do so. One of the things I noticed today, was that everyone was a community. It didn’t matter where they had been in life, only where they were going. Today I saw a lot of laughter and a lot of hugs. One hug scene that comes to mind was during dinner. One guy was chasing another guy around begging for a hug. They were both laughing and enjoying being in each other’s company. That’s what I loved most about today, was that they were there for each other and they loved each other. I know that this week will be one that I will never forget and I am excited to see what the coming week will bring.
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