Day 07

Today was particularly interesting. We woke up very early to drive about an hour and a half to Roanoke, VA to the Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. We met up with Lesley College, from Massachusetts, which I learned is right around Boston. We introduced ourselves, did a quick warmup to wake us all up, and began our day with Goodwill.

We split up into two groups to tour the Goodwill place, and we learned that they focus on a bunch of different things for the community. They provide classes which allow citizens to obtain certifications in growing industries, such as hospitality (hotel services), health professions (Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), other basic qualifications), manufacturing maintenance, and work with other local colleges to provide such training. They also help employ individuals that may be slightly physically or mentally disabled, such as people with Down’s syndrome, to do tasks that may seem menial and boring to us, but can be helpful and exciting for them. Coming from an engineering background, I thought about if machines could be engineered to do these menial jobs such as sorting and untangling hangers, but at the same time it would likely cause these people to become unemployed. I did not have the answers about what would happen to them, so I left the thought for later. At the end of the tour, we split up into two groups, one group to paint the mural inside (about 7 people) and another group (19) to work on the Good Guides Garden.

At the Good Guides Garden, about 2 miles from the Goodwill center, we began reconstructing the flower beds by knocking out the rotting wood with a sledgehammer and then drilling in new boards with screws, rather than nails. The Lesley College students were great to work with, as they were really friendly and cool to hang out with. They were also all wearing matching shirts that said Lesley College and all wearing plaid shirts, which was interesting. A television crew came by, as well as a truck loaded with dirt, as well a truck that delivered a fresh new lawnmower and gas powered generator. As people continued to construct boards, others began to shovel dirt into wheelbarrows to put into the flower bed boxes. Me, Sandaru, and a girl from Lesley College (Sarah – not sure which one, because there were two) were interviewed by VFC, a group headquartered in Roanoke that coordinates volunteer opportunities with colleges from many different states, from Virginia to Alabama. We did not have much time to prepare so I think I gave somewhat vague answers about what we thought about VFC and our activity.

Dominos pizza, cookie brownies, and water was graciously provided to us at 12:30. We ate and Lesley College decided to jam it out and we all had a fun dance session before lying down in the sun to rest before the next assignment.

After lunch, 6 of us from the University of Maryland returned to the Good Guides Garden to finish up the work there. Most of the work involved filling up the flower boxes with dirt, which took quite the amount of physical labor to shovel the dirt into wheelbarrows, maneuver them around, and. The 7 people continued to work on the mural of the starry solar system which turned out absolutely amazing. Most of Lesley College went to work on Goodwill’s garden where anyone could come to grow their own garden in hopes of making a sustainable food forest.

Once we finished, we headed back to BMC, quickly changed, and headed out to dinner at El Patio. El Patio was a great Mexican grill which is apparently local to Virginia. I personally got Choripollo, a mixture of grilled chicken breast, Chorizo (Mexican sausage), pineapple, and grilled onions, with rice, beans, and soft tortillas. It was great, and would recommend going again to try out other dishes such as their Fish Tacos to compare it to the ones I had in Puerto Rico.

Finally, we came back home and had a very touching reflection. We gave our last impressions of each other which gave more warm and fuzzy feelings, especially with how much we have learned about each other. We also discussed active citizenship and the four distinctions between member, volunteer, conscious citizen, and active citizen. After we discussed our self-placement, we wrote down goals we would like to see from ourselves to work towards becoming an active citizen.

-Eugene

Day 06

Today was our second service day at the bland ministry center and at the Kissito nursing home. It followed the same schedule as day 4 but today we decided to switch roles at the ministry center or “stir the pot” as Bria called it. The two teams were to switch roles today and work on the other team’s previous task, so the team that previously worked in the food pantry would work in the clothing store while the team that previously worked in the clothing store would work in the food pantry. I was to work in the clothing store today as I previously worked in the food pantry. The switch went very well as both teams adjusted to their newly assigned task. The new food pantry team completed efficiently and were praised to be a better team. The new clothing store team, which I was part of, also performed their task well. We were able to fill the shelves but were discouraged by the large pile of clothes we still had to get through. Thankfully, the new food pantry team came over to lend a hand after they had completed their tasks. Switching roles was a good decision as it exposed us to different types of tasks and prevented monotonicity. We continued to sort the clothes till it was time to depart the center, we went a back to the house for a break before leaving for the nursing home. Unfortunately, Maggie wasn’t feeling too well, so Mike had to stay back with her.

              At the nursing home we planned to perform a dance routine for the residents but we ended up doing an improvised dance routine, which our audience seemed to love very much. After that we then went on to interact with them, entertaining them with coloring books and puzzles. Eugene then decided to play the piano. Him playing the piano was the highlight of the day as a lot he was able to draw the attention of the residents and get responses from them. Georgie, a resident of the nursing home that Erin and I spent time with, really enjoyed Eugene’s performance. She started talking a lot after he started playing and making comments about how he could make the piano talk. Service at the nursing home really made my day because the residents at the nursing home were responding to us and interacting with us more than the previous visit. It really made me happy to see them get comfortable with us and interact with them us more.   

Day 05 - Hoping on Hope

Today, we visited an organization called “Hope”, which mainly assisted underprivileged families through housing assistance and a backpack program focused on providing meals to young students in Wythe and Bland counties. On first impression, the administrative space seemed different than the Bland Ministry Center and the Bluefield Union Mission, so I was a bit excited to dive into what Hope had for us since it seemed like they reached a different group of people through various initiatives.

After learning about some of Hope’s history and what it encompassed, we began our mission, “Operation Clean-Up!” Our service for the day was cleaning out a storage that Hope used to store furniture for homes, which I thought was going to be a relatively simple task. Turns out, I could not have been more deluded (in a light, humorous way, of course). In cleaning out the storage, my teammates and I moved several pieces of rain-drenched wood, carried webbed bed frames almost double our size, battled thorns, plucked trash from the mud, cracked away at potholes, warred with weeds, and finally, ate dinner after shedding blood, sweat, and tears...over bugs and spiders. Overall, it seemed like a decent day, and that was because we all learned how to be flexible when it came to designating different tasks and working on different projects - one of the very quintessential aspects of nonprofit and volunteer organizations. We achieved this through listening to one another and being open with everything that we know about dedicating ourselves to a higher vision and achieving goals with efficiency and purpose.

After we cleaned out the storage, we ate dinner as a unit, as a team, and as a family, and we proceeded to finish up packing lunches for younger students through Hope’s backpack program. Interestingly enough, it was a nice change of atmosphere to actually participate in bagging other lunches, and that was because we had the opportunity to collaborate with other members of the community who also participated in volunteering and civic engagement, which gave me a sense of optimism for the community and how they have significant actors of their own willing to do good and achieve change. Although a bit silly to admit, when we leave, there will be others to carry on our work and improve it (which I hope can happen in a sustainable manner, like creating an inventory system for the warehouse), but that is a matter for the future and one that I can actively partake in, having started a relationship with this organization.

After our community service, at the end of the day we reflected on forms of power, privilege, and oppression and what that really looked like in today’s world. In actuality, I was familiar with the concepts, having examined them within American Studies - my major; however, it is always disheartening to see why the world is the way it is and why certain people who have a different race, ethnicity, gender identity, class, sexuality, body, et cetera get treated in an acidic manner. They do not meet the norms of today; and as a person of color, this fact is almost always shoved in my face, time and time again until the fight in me gets a little bit lost. As much as I can become more and more determined to pick out the weeds, it’s always such a struggle.

Fortunately, that very struggle that knocks me down also reminds me that without me, another person can similarly suffer the same problems that I went through, by the same people. Another person can become impacted and think that they’re not good enough because they don’t meet an arbitrary standard. That is why I continue to fight and go on until I can finally say that I made an impact in this world of ours.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring about another day, filled with new challenges and new ways to tackle the things I care about.

Sincerely,
Joel Vazquez

Day 03

Today was basically the educational aspect of the week. The schedule for the day was to visit the Emory and Henry College and the Bland County government. We left the house at approximately 8:50am and arrived at the campus about 90 minutes later. The plan was to meet with the directors of the Civic innovation and Appalachian studies department to discuss socioeconomic equity in the rural areas of Virginia.

              During the discussions we talked about the different causes of rural poverty in the community and how those causes have impacted the community. It was really interesting to learn how the major regions in Virginia use to depend on the manufacturing and coal industries. These industries were the main sources of revenue during the 1940’s – 1990’s but time went on coal use became obsolete and the manufacturing companies relocated abroad to secure cheaper labor. These occurrences caused the region to lose their major source of revenue and the loss led to more predicaments like unemployment, increased poverty, loss on infrastructure and emigration. The director then went to discuss how they always have their students engage in community service, they stressed that this was one of their ways of encouraging their students to continue give back to their society after college.

              After the discussion we went on a tour led by some of the college’s students. The school was really small compared to Maryland, it was almost the size of north campus at UMD. After the tour we proceeded to have lunch in the school and visit duck ponds before leaving the campus. The visit to the college was very insightful as it provided a background knowledge to the main mission of our alternative break; socioeconomic equity and rural poverty.

-Hafeez and Erin

Day 01 - Send off Saturday!

Eugene Lin

Today was great day! Why was it a great day? Because EVERYDAY is a great day! J

              But seriously, today was the first day of our alternative spring break trip to Bland, VA, which is located in southwestern Virginia and is approximately a 5 hour drive away from College Park, MD. The 10 of us gathered at the clock pedestal tower outside of Mowatt Lane Garage and VMH at 8am, where our experience leaders had graciously provided bagels and cream cheese. After going over some logistics about van seating and driving logistics, we left at approximately 8:30am and were off on our journey to Bland, VA!

              Our journey there was pretty smooth. I volunteered myself as copilot as I was one of the other available drivers, in case Bria, one of the experience leaders, got tired. Bria put on some music on her phone (we had no aux cable/port so she just played it directly from her phone) and used it as a GPS as well, so I had to manage the directions and music for her. Unfortunately, I had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before, so once we got past 495 and I-95 and were on I-66 for about 60 miles, I told Bria that I was going to take a nap and subsequently passed out. Mike, our staff advisor, joking chewed me out for falling asleep once we reached Panera Bread after driving for about 2 and a half hours, midway through our trip. Their van had been in front of ours and he could see me sleeping like a baby up in the front passenger seat, leaning my head to one side.

              After our short lunch, we got back on the road. I think Hafeez went back to sleep, and I learned that Alice and Abby were studying for Organic Chemistry 1 in order to keep up with the class, before passing out myself on a 100mi long road. I woke up, just in time for Bria to ask me to call the other van to let them know that we were going to stop for gas and also because Bria had to use the bathroom because coffee. We took exit 114, and Mike, not wanting to go too far ahead, decided to stop at exit 109 and wait for us until we got back on the road. That was a smart idea, as we had some trouble using the UMD gas card as apparently the lady inside kept charging it as a Debit card, instead of a Credit card. Eventually, we got it to work and caught up to the other van, and made the rest of the trip smoothly to the Bland Ministry Center (BMC).

              Once we arrived, we began a scavenger hunt for the key, located in a “large cardboard box with an X marked on top”. We searched all around the building and the neighboring buildings but couldn’t seem to find it until Sandaru found it in a relatively small box next to a door with an X marked on it. We moved all our stuff in, claimed beds, and met back in the living room to drive to the Big Walker. The drive was only about 8 miles, but it went along a long winding road up a mountain so it took a while.

              We arrived at the Big Walker, purchased tickets, and went up to the tower. The tower was about 400 feet off the ground, at about 3760 feet or meters above sea level according to Mike’s watch, situated perfectly in a small crest 

between two mountains with a gorgeous view of the landscape around us. The wind howled and the tower shook as we walked up the rickety steps with rusted wires and oxidized frame, so it was a little worrisome as we walked up but it was worth it once we reached the top and saw how beautiful Bland, VA is. The sun was hidden behind some clouds but it still poured rays of sunshine onto the valley of farms and forests on the hills and mountains around us. A lone bird soared through the sky, gracefully using the wind to its advantage. A medium sized dog sat at the base of the tower, friendly and playful with strangers. It felt quite peaceful and serene. After making memories with our cameras and leaving our mark there, we went back down, played with the puppy a little bit, and got some delicious ice cream from the store.

              Sandaru and Mike took the smaller van to go to the grocery store to buy more groceries, such as meat and some other items that had to be fresh. The rest of us returned back to BMC, but we realized that Sandaru had the house key, so we called them and waited for them to return from the grocery store. Meanwhile, as we were waiting, we explored the Dollar General store across the street where some of us bought some random things, and just chilled afterwards. I managed to get access to the Bland County Wireless wifi for about 5 minutes, and then I couldn’t get access to it afterwards. Sandaru and Mike returned with just the meat that we would be cooking for tonight, and then they went back to the grocery store to get more food.

              While Joel and Erin began making the spaghetti for dinner, the rest of us found ways to kill time such as studying, watching episodes, or drawing. Unfortunately, somehow the pan for the meat got too hot and started smoking, and when oil was poured on it, a short burst of flame erupted. There was smoke everywhere, and we were smart enough to put a lid on it to put out the flame and opened all the windows and doors and turned on the fans to let the smoke out. Fortunately, no one was hurt, though there was some people coughing. The spaghetti and meatballs was delicious.

              Later that night, once we had all finished dinner, we gathered in the living room for reflection. We introduced ourselves again, just because, and played a short activity that involved splitting into two teams, raising a blanket in between the two so that we couldn’t see the other team, and once the blanket was taken away to name the person who was on the opposite side. It was tough, but quite fun. We also went over the procedures of how we would be splitting up the food we had equally, establishing rules for breakfast (1 of: bagel, 2 nutrigrain bars, 2 oatmeal), lunch (1 of: peanut butter and strawberry sandwich, chicken / cheese sandwich, turkey / mayo sandwich), snacks (3 of: apples, bananas, grapes, carrots, popcorn, 2 chewy bars) and dinner (whatever was on the menu). Then, we established some guidelines for each other, and for the community, which included some general rules such as respecting each other, listening to each other, and helping out. We conducted a short activity about our hopes and fears for this ASB, and concluded with a plan for the next day. All in all, it was a great day and this blog reflection was wayyy longer than I anticipated, so I will end it here because Sandaru also has to blog. I’m really looking forward to this week! J

Sandaru Silva

This was our first day from an EL point of view!

After our staff advisor being changed for the third time within one month, we were somewhat pensive because our new staff advisor was added last minute. We got lucky; our new staff advisor turned out to be amazing, and we knew instantly that he would mesh excellently with our group. We got off to a great start because our amazing participants were super punctual; we were actually able to leave twenty minutes earlier than planned! The nearly six hour drive did not seem that long because the 5 people in our mini-van had started bonding already (this is an EL’s dream come true!).

The Bland Ministry Center House turned out to be a quaint white house in a very convenient location and the participants settled in very comfortably. Once we got to Big Walker lookout, everyone got to spend more time as an entire team, which set the foundation for an excellent day 1 reflection! The participants all were very engaged in the activities, and they were eager to share even after a tiring day. All in all, I am super excited for an amazing experience!

Nice to meet you all! - Joel

Hello everyone,

My name is Joel Vazquez! I am a double major in Government & Politics and American Studies and a double minor in Spanish and Public Leadership. Ever since entering college, I have mainly been interested in pursuing social justice and advocacy type of work, specifically within nonprofit organizations and international development. During my time at the University of Maryland, College Park, I have had the privilege of being a Peer Career Educator at the University Career Center & The President's Promise, a Peer Consultant at the Student Organization Resource Center, the President of the Filipino Cultural Association. In my spare time, I like to nap and I like eating sweets and candy.

Nice to meet you all!

Sincerely,
Joel

Maggie

I'm an RA, I love music, and I don't have a favorite color. Looking forward to our trip!

MEET EL Sandaru!

Hi! I'm Sandaru Silva, and I am an International student from Sri Lanka. I am a

Junior Finance major. I am passionate about education. Apart from AB, I am also a

coordinator for TerpService and a co-facilitator for MOSAIC. I love travelling,

reading and cheesecake! My last AB experience in Harlan, Kentucky helped me gain

new perspective in such an amazing way and I am so excited to be able to co

facilitate this experience this year!

Hi! I'm Reid
I am love traveling and science. An interesting fact about me is that I am a figure skater for UMD

Alice

Hi, I'm Alice! I'm from Wonton (Wootton) and I enjoy running outside, sleeping, tiramisu, and sleeping. I've sent a terrifying amount of snapchats in my life (100,000) which should tell you how badly I am addicted to my phone.

Hi! I'm Chelsea, in the Staff Advisor for this AB experience! I have a place in my heart for rural Virgina and am excited to experience it in this new way! I like to cut my hair and pet cats. Peace out.

About me

Words that describe me:
Hannah (my older sister, pronounced Hah-nnah)
Pippi (my dog)
Jewish
Monny (the Washington Monument)
Henry (my bike, he's green)
Philadelphia
Kosher

Hi, I'm Aaron and I like biking, food, and photography! Super excited for Bland2016!

My name is Amanda and I would love to travel the world in the next couple years. I am excited to learn more about myself and other communities on this trip and expand my knowledge of the word around me.

Meet EL Bria Sladden!

My name is Bria Sladden and I am a junior finance major.  I am someone who is incredibly passionate about education and social advocacy.  I love to shop and do my nails (I own about 50 bottles of nail polish), and I am addicted to nutrigran bars and cheese fries. Some things I am involved in on campus are: Images Tour Guides, the executive board for the Black Student Union, SEE Review Board, and AB (but you knew that one).  This will be my third Alternative Break trip and my first time as an EL.  I have previously attended the Gaston, NC and Chicago, IL which both focused on education issues in communities.  I am excited for people to begin their AB journey!  One week can definitely change lives so I am thrilled for the transformation.