Oh District of Columbia...

Hello Hello!

So I’m going to be really honest here, because, you know, honesty is the best policy and such. I am also not going to summarize the entire trip and list my duties. Past posts probably already covered that. What I am going to do is express my true feelings about the service we preformed in Washington D.C., our lovely nation’s capitol.

I went on the DC trip for a couple reasons. One of which was to get away from Rhode Island; the other reason was that I thought serving the homeless would be good for me. I really have no desire to serve in my community. And it’s not even that DC is a different community, I just don’t think about service in a good way; this goes especially for the homeless. I don’t want to say I don’t care, I do, but I guess it is that I don’t care enough...point being I was pretty much surrounded by conceptions like ‘don’t give them money, they’ll use it for drugs’ or ‘he’s crazy, don’t go near him.’ (well, in New York, that’s kind of true, considering, like, 90% of the homeless there come from shut down physiatrist hospitals). I really counted on DC changing my mind not only about homelessness in general, but service in its entirety.

Okay, I’m not going to lie, I felt bad for most of the down-and-out people, but when I’m serving food to a homeless man who is talking merrily on his new looking touch screen cell phone, my previous misconceptions about homelessness were altered, alright. Then there was the guy dressed nicer than I was….I’m not saying I want them all to be dirty and destitute, but to have a cell phone you need both credit and an address, why was that guy at SOME (so others might eat)?? I really can’t get over it. Stop paying for the phone and buy food instead. But that is horribly insensitive of me.

Looking back, my perceptions of service and homelessness did change (like I will give money to the homeless I see- except that one on Thayer who just smokes all day) but something I didn’t expect effected me much more. The people who worked every day at those sights were amazing. They cant get paid that much, and some were volunteers, but still they came in and were nice, friendly, for the most part patient, and usually very happy! To do such meaningful work every day is really significant, and their attitudes (especially Michelle at SOME) were amazing. To see that level of destitution each day and continue joking, laughing, and having fun is really cool. After a while I’d get really jaded and bitter. Probably annoyed too. Of the entire trip, Miss Dot from DC central kitchen and Michelle were by far the most inspirational people I have ever met. Miss Dot had to be almost 80, can even drive anymore, but she was in that kitchen on a very hot day trying to teach some idiot volunteer how to properly and conservatively cut a tomato ( that volunteer being me, and I still can’t do it.). Good for her, you know? I admire that a lot, I wish I had that drive to help people, but if they don’t come to me and ask, I don’t seek out the needy. I probably should.

To conclude, I didn’t think I would learn anything from DC, but I kept an open mind and really enjoyed the work I did. I really admire the people involved with caring for the needy. I think I want to follow their lead and help, but not in the same way. They had hope for the future, maybe someday, hunger would be eliminated. Well, aside from going socialistic on the world (which I wont even get started on) I am going to go straight to the top of the political food chain one day and change things myself. Yeah, it’s a far set dream, but you never know….

I leave you now, with a song. Coldplay's Beautiful World; because even though it kind of sucks sometimes, life, and the world, are beautiful.



Looooove... Alex