I had a great time on the service trip to DC the second week. Going to different sites everyday not only made for continual new challenges and/or surprises but also opened my eyes to the many different forms of service. And each site was fun and rewarding in its own way. I don’t think I had a favorite, but I do know that I particularly enjoyed sites where I could work with the people I was helping to serve directly. That includes our group helping to clean Ms. Holms kitchen the first day, as a part of Elder Buddies, and watching her attitude towards our presence in her apartment change from dismissive to grateful and optimistic. She even expressed interest in having a group come help clean once a month, a huge step from a couple hours earlier when she tried to avoid us by saying we were supposed to come another day. It also includes the time we all spent on Wednesday night cooking and eating dinner at the YSOP church with homeless people in the nearby area. Not to say I didn’t enjoy my time at DC Central Kitchen, Food & Friends, or N Street Village, however the times I remember most vividly are when I could interact with people directly.
One point that has stuck in my head since I’ve been back is that service goes beyond the physical labor ones does. Karen from Elder Buddies told our group this the first day. She said that a lot of times we measure how much service we do or what we’ve accomplished by how many boxes we’ve moved or carrots we’ve chopped, when in fact, just sitting and spending time with someone to learn and understand more can carry just as much weight. I usually find myself guilty of tallying how many clothes I folded or lunches I bagged to assess the “amount” of service I did in a day. Now, after DC, I’ll look at service in general as extending beyond just physical activity and including things that may not be as easy to measure.
Thanks so much to Dr. G, Houda, Hilary Fagan, and Caroline Canning for being awesome chaperones!
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