Day 2- You Know You're Not from Boston When You...

Wear hoodies instead of a real coat to keep warm.
Get a kick out finding someone with a Bostonian accent.
Gawk at the amount of Dunkin' Donuts everywhere.
Still hesitate to walk diagonally through an intersection.
Wonder why ice hockey isn't a hit over on the West Coast. 
Pay to take a tour of Fenway park.
Have to stop and think about which branch of the Green Line you need to take.
Finally have a real reason to wear a scarf in public.

Despite all of the little idiosyncrasies mentioned above that the entire group seems to have been experiencing these past couple of days, the fact that we're in one of the most historic, charismatic, and breathtaking cities in the nation is finally starting to sink in through the excessive layering of our clothes.  The sheltered students from the land of 70 degree winters are finally getting their bearings!  As we ate our Trader Joe's smorgasbord in the Boston Common today, even the fluorescent, neon pink explosion of Cassie Pitkin's sweater couldn't counter the glow of falling willow leaves and the company of new friends...  something that I'm truly grateful for.

It's funny at least to me that regardless of the situation, the gratitude people show towards your service and work always comes off the same way- a smile that stretches the span of a person's face, the endless warmth of genuine hugs, the showering of "Thank You's", and the sincere connection that forms between two strangers.  Today our group volunteered at Room to Grow, an organization that enriches the lives of babies in poverty throughout their first three years.  As trivial as our assignment of folding and sorting baby clothes might have come off, the experience of "Learn By Doing Good", along with time spent with Jen, who patiently taught us how to identify a Onesie from a t-shirt couldn't have exemplified this idea anymore.  By the time I walked out today, Jen had just become yet another one of the people I have volunteered for that I can say I am truly thankful for.  You're surroundings and background are completely irrelevant... Go get off your butt, out of your heated house, and do something great with your Christmas Break, and I'm telling you that it doesn't take a trip across the nation for you to feel the same thing I felt today.

So the moral of this blog today is that you'd be surprised as to how enlightening folding clothes can get... Now I get to drift off to sleep, the ringing of the subway's screeching brakes still bouncing in my ears as I shudder at the 29 degree forecasted low for tomorrow.

Boston is AMAZING!!!!

Alternative Breaks 2012- Boston

Day one in Boston was definitely a day to remember. Though everyone was tired from travel, we all mustered up energy and by the time breakfast was over, we could not wait to get out and get to work. We left the hostel around 8 AM and walked into a beautifully cloudy and chilly Boston morning. We walked the streets of Boston on our way to our first destination, the Park Street Church. We were greeted by a man named Rich, who as we later found out was an expert on the history of Boston. He gave us a brief tour and history briefing of the church, and then explained the tasks for the day. First on the list was painting the stairways.... We teamed up, three people per floor, and got to painting! Other tasks for the day included cleaning carpets, leaf blowing the roof, painting pillars, cleaning pews, and refurbishing chandeliers. Halfway through our day, Rich ordered pizza for us, and as we ate he went into more detail about the city of Boston. Once we finished, he guided us on a tour of Park Street and the surrounding area, really giving us and insiders perspective on the city. We cruised around for awhile before eventually coming back to the church to finish our tasks. As our day of volunteering concluded, it was obvious how grateful Rich was for us being there to help out. He explained that  painter would have charged him $8,000 to complete the same work that we did for free. It was truly amazing to see how thankful he was.

After eating dinner at the hostel, we were off to the Harvard hockey game! We got to walk around the streets surrounding Harvard, and even the campus itself. After the game, we did some more walking around, and then headed to Quincy Market. Everything was decorated so beautifully for the holidays, and we even got to watch a light show that was completely synchronized to Christmas music. By the end of the day, we were all exhausted from the adventures we had, but all in all, everyone was grateful for the amazing things that we got to experience. It was the perfect way to kick off the trip!

Alternative Breaks, New York: RECAP!

It feels as if we just flew back from NY yesterday. Starting as a group of strangers, shy and uneasy, we ended up a group of friends, caring and fun. Though educated about the food devastation problem, it didn't exactly hit me until I saw it with my own eyes. Seeing the massive long lines at the community kitchen and seeing the streets devoid of produce markets made me realize how much these people need help and support. My most memorable part of the trip was being able to see the people I was serving and converse with them. One of the guys in line, when asked why there was a pen in his pocket, said, "I am a writer. I write almost anything; poetry, I write whatever is happening around me." I don't think I can forget the look in his eyes as he thanked and blessed us with his sincere heart. Going on this trip influenced me to reexamine the situation here in SLO--in this past month, I was able to be a part of this ministry with my fellowship in passing out sandwiches, socks, and fruit to anyone in need in the downtown area. Every time I think of this trip, it is a reminder to volunteer at the homeless shelter or community kitchens and really put myself out there to make a difference. Cassie and Jessie were awesome leaders and I can see how truly passionate they are about helping their community and making a difference. Thank you Alt. Breaks NY for shining a light upon me so that I may be a light to others. "Leadership is action, not position." - Donald H. McGannon

Diane Lee

Alternative Breaks New York Reflection!

The Alternative Breaks New York 2012 crew flew back home to California over a month ago, but we will forever stay connected to NYC through our experiences, memories, and continued volunteerism.  Volunteering throughout the week at four different locations, with varied populations, opened our eyes to the extreme amount of hunger in NYC.  We now understand the importance of volunteering whenever possible and doing what we can for those in need.  Running on limited sleep, the smiles and thanks that we received from those we were serving pushed us to keep working hard throughout the day.  A day that stuck out to me was when we had the opportunity to work with Encore Community Services delivering meals on wheels to homebound seniors in Times Square.  These senior citizens were so thankful for the meal we were dropping off and the interactions we had with them will forever be in my memory.  Overall, this experience has made me a better person with a changed outlook on life.  As a graduating senior, Alternative Breaks will stand out as a key component of my college experience and will continue to push me to volunteer throughout my life.  I want to thank Jesse and Cassie for all of their hard work and planning to make this trip happen, we all love you!

Julianne Jochums

Reflecting on Alternative Breaks: New York!

Alternative Breaks New York is long over but we are still feeling the effects. The impact Alternative Breaks had on us is evident in the relationships that are still thriving and in our collective commitment to continue to better our community. Within the group, people still stay surprisingly well connected. In fact, people have joined and play on the same intramural dodge ball league. Walking around campus you can count on bumping into one of the participants and receiving a welcoming hug and the reassuring feeling one gets from seeing an old friend. Beyond the relationships that were created among the group, other effects still linger.  The amazing high we all got from volunteering is still fresh. The empowering feeling we got from making a difference has given us the confidence to continue to make a difference. I can speak from personal experience, alternative breaks got me volunteering and now I don’t want to stop. I have gotten involved with local homeless shelters, and day centers. Serving meals, prepping and painting shelters that need a touch up. My brother and I have begun teaching German at Hawthorne elementary school. Collectively we are changed because we realize we can have an impact. New York showed us that when a group of caring and hard working individuals get together they can change the circumstances that people are subjected to even if it’s just for a meal. We made an impact in New York and New York had an impact on us. For those who are considering volunteering with alternative breaks, realize that the effects don’t end when you’re done volunteering. The effects live on in the new empowered ability you feel to create change, improve people lives, and improve yourself. 

Aline Schmitz

Reuniting to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.

Because of Martin Luther King Jr.’s paramount dedication to service, his birthday has been honored as a National Day of Service for the past 16 years, uniting volunteers across America behind the importance of serving one’s community.  The group from our New Orleans Alternative Breaks trip was able to reunite to be a part of this Day of Service and volunteered with the San Luis Obispo Food Bank in efforts to collect food from residential neighborhoods throughout SLO County. 

We had three students from the trip come out to the Morro Bay site on Saturday, January 14, to take bags to Los Osos neighborhoods.  They placed these empty bags on the doorsteps of houses and left instructions that explained how residents can put food into the bags, which will then be collected the following Monday.  We asked each volunteer group to take fifty bags to fulfill an hour long of volunteering, but the students went beyond what was expected of them and requested to take 600 bags, a task that would end up lasting them around five hours.

On Monday, we had twelve students who were able to help with the bag pick up.  After making numerous trips to and from Los Osos to Morro Bay, we were able to process around 200 full bags of food, which contributed to the overall SLO County total of 14,000 pounds of collected food throughout the weekend.  It was so refreshing to have everyone together again not just to reunite, but to reunite over similar types of volunteering that we were able to do in New Orleans.  A famed call by the Food Bank is that “hunger doesn’t take a day off,” a saying that the students were able to recognize by dedicating their weekend and day off to service. 

Every time everyone from the New Orleans trip gets together, we cannot plan enough events to reunite in the future.  We’re hoping this is just the first of many service days we can do together to keep with the trends of the overall volunteering mission of Alternative Breaks.