A Different Take

Today was much different than anything we have experienced so far on Alternative Spring Break. We went to Task Force, which is supposedly an emergency shelter but in actuality a full time shelter for homeless men. Task Force is in an old warehouse only three blocks from where we are staying (a good area for all the worried parents out there) but when we arrived many of us felt we were in a "bad" area. Two police cars basically cordoned off the sidestreet where the shelter was located and the warehouse looked rundown. We heard a talk about homelessness and the goal of Task Force from Scott, a former housing commissioner of Atlanta. His words jolted many of us, but what really stuck with us was the tour we received of the building. The image that will stay with us was first walking into the room where the men stayed during the day. Many of us during reflection spoke about how uncomfortable that moment was and the feeling that we were violating them by coming into their space. It was really the first time we were confronted with the stark realities of homelessness. And it hit us. Hard. 

We were put on TP Patrol for the first several hours. We helped Task Force move toilet paper packages away from windows because there had been break-ins with people taking packages of toilet paper. It was not what any of us had expected to do, but it was something Task Force really needed done. After that, we were asked to help chip away the insulation above the floors on the empty 4th level where Task Force hoped to set up transitional housing. It was dirty and hot and hard to breathe (we were given masks), but for every square foot we cleared we saved them $10 and helped the organization towards its goal of providing transitional housing a way to help get people back on their feet. It was tough day for many of us, both physically and mentally.

After we completed our service for the day, we were given free time. Some of us met up with friends and relatives while others of us went shopping and others went to the High Museum and saw exhibits on The First Emperor of China and loaned items from the Louvre. FUN FACTOID THAT MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY BE THAT FUN BUT IS STILL A FACTOID: The bureaucracy of the First Emperor of China was so advanced that their weapons were signed by the maker, the maker's supervisor, and the supervisor of the supervisor so that if they malfunctioned in battle, individuals were held responsible. We all met up at The Flying Biscuit (awesome name for a restaurant) and had an incredible meal (with, maybe you guessed, amazing biscuits). We returned to the hostel and together reflected on the work we did today and talked how the experience and images from today will stay with us for a while. We have only been together for 4 or 5 days, but we have become a tightknit group. The experiences we have had down here and the people we have met have been incredible and we want to thank everyone who helped make this trip possible for us.

One of the Two Happy Guys on a 16 Person Trip,

James

Open Your Ears and Raise Your Anteanas!

Today was the last day at the Atlanta Children's Shelter.

A few of us were able to speak with a parent enrolled in the program and got to hear first-hand how involved the shelter is with all their families. The mother spoke of how the shelter hired professional photographers to take family portraits and also sent them to Stone Mountain for the day. Hearing how special the shelter makes each family feel made us feel proud to be contributing to such a well-run organization.

After the shelter, we went to the Furniture Bank of Atlanta. Most of us whined and complained throughout as we manually moved countless sofas and dressers across the warehouse. However, when the lady thanked us for our service because what took us only a few hours would have taken them 3 weeks to accomplish, we were able to see the greater impact of service.

One of the greatest parts of this trip has definitely been the strangers we have been meeting. So far, we have befriended the person we have seen most frequently on this trip-- the Walgreens staff. His name is Tony, short for Antonio- not Anthony. [Fun Factoid #3: Tony migrated to Atlanta from Florida to pursue a music career. If you are ever in Atlanta, please stop by Club Miami on Sunday and Monday to view this talented man].

Tonight we took some time to ourselves to think about our service and the issues of homelessness. We wrote about the week so far and one of our participants wrote a poem inspired by the children at the shelter (maybe two of them in particular).

"Seeing a smiling face
Holding a familiar grip
I hope I'll never have to let go
Dissapointment"

"I know I will"

"Inevitebility is part of life
My life seems to be filled
With only those circumstances"

"To tell you I love you, only but from a day
May seem unreal; even fraudulent to them
But may I add, it's the love I wish on you, to you
For you are a little miracle, I promise
You deserve all your heart desires and more
Although I can not give it
I know of someone that will."


Mushy muffin,
Haomin, Kristin, and Alaina (now a part-time Walgreen's employee)

You Should "Bag It"

TO MAKE UP FOR YESTERDAY AND TODAY:

Yesterday we worked with the kids at the Atlanta Children's Shelter. This shelter has been given the prominant NAC Award for their work. They take approximately 25 families through a strict program to aid them in becoming self sufficient. Since 90% of the program's funding is from private donations, the shelter has flexibility in how they use their resources. Although not all parents are able to complete the program, the shelter is more than welcoming for those that may return. Some of the chidren's behaviors showed us the possible hardships they may face when they leave the shelter while others showed immense love and vibrance that represented their resilience.

At our reflection, we shared one expectation and one concern with the group. One of the concerns was that 5 days was not long enough to make a significant chain of long term effects. We brainstormed the ways our service can ignite a greater impact. One participant suggested that we donate all the blankets we bought from Walgreens (amongst many other treasures: Fun factoid #2: Smooth Away actually works but will leave your skin a bit irritated) to the shelter. We noticed at our time there that not all children had blankets during nap time.

...and just for a comedic break, when the children would not eat their food, the teacher exclaimed "Barack Obama wants you to eat your hot dog," and the food was immediately scarfed.

[We also went to CNN Studios, Coke Factory, and the Underground for dinner.]


TODAY:

THE TV LOVE US. We went to the Atlanta Community Food Bank's Product Rescue Center and to be frank, HAD A BLAST. We packed cans, danced around, and fell in love with the employees.

CNN came in with cameras and followed us as we worked for their episode on how the economic downturn has affected the food shortage. Lindy, from the Food Bank, was also nice enough to give us a presentation on hunger, its causes and consequences. We broke up into groups and made some awesome houses using construction paper, markers and tape.

Point of this game, you ask?

To represent the unequal distribution of food in our country. The problem is not that there isn't enough food to go around, but not everyone has access to this food. We learned about how the group most affected by hunger is the working class, but the homeless and children make up 14% each. We learned about how families have to make sacrifices when they cannot make ends meet.

We went to MLK park in the afternoon and enjoyed the lovely weather (for a change.)

Kiss your brain!
Haomin and Kristin

ADAPTIBILITY

16 people (14 girls and 2 happys guys)
13 hours drive
and some great 90's tunes..

WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA!

It was rainy, it was cold, and we were hungry but we made the most of our day!

On our first stop on our first day, we went to the "World's Largest Aquarium."
Fun factoid #1: The whale shark grows to be 60 feet long.

We then set out to find local restaurants and bought our groceries for the week (note to the parents: we bought many fruits and veggies!)

We all got together on our lovely balcony, fully equipped with a large rocking chair, and discussed our expectations for each other and for the trip. We discussed how to make the most of our trip by realizing that it's not simply what we do now but how far our impact goes beyond just these 5 days. Our faculty advisor mentioned how we can compare our service activities during the day with how we enjoy the city of Atlanta in the afternoon- by taking note of the stark difference between how we live our lives and how the people we serve live theirs.

It's only been two days but we can already see the group coming together! The group is currently surrounding one small laptop watching a movie as we update this blog!


Stay tuned as we begin our service tomorrow morning at the Atlanta Children's Shelter!


SUNSHINE,
Haomin and Kristin

FIRST BLOG!

Current status: Leaving in TWO DAYS and we are SUPER EXCITED!

We will be having a great time getting involved in the community and living life in Atlanta for a week. Please check in regularly to join us in our new adventures!

-Haomin