Day 3: Sadie and Ryan

Hello Erybody!

This is Ryan (Shifty) and Sadie (Sadie). Sorry for the late update, but there was a very intense game of Monopoly going on last night, which Sadie claims to have won. Yesterday started earlier than expected, with a 6 AM wake-up for Sadie and 7 AM for everyone else. First thing we had to do was make our breakfast and bag lunch, before moving to the chapel for a pre-service pep talk. Once sufficiently pumped on spirit and verve, we piled into the vans ("The Shiftmobile" and "Earl").

Our first stop was ARC, an organization dedicated to helping individuals with disabalities. Our very New Orleans-themed task was to sort Mardi Gras beads for re-sale. We worked diligently from 9-12 stopping only to try on a few necklaces. 

After eating our lukewarm bagged lunches in the parking lot, we got back into the vans and went to CVS for bandages (in addition to Bo's ankle, mosquito bites and small scratches and cuts are rampant) en route to the Presbytere in the French Quarter. In this museum we learned about Hurricane Katrina and the history of the city, in addition to the traditional of Mardi Gras. We also got to see the rich tradition of tourism money grabbing, walking past multiple Palm Readers and psychics (Sadie believed them). 

After a fun filled day we hippity-hopped to Walmart where we were split into three teams. Each team was given a budget of 70 dollars and asked to plan and purchase a full dinner for the group (word on the street is that Riley's team went 20 dollars over budget). Conflict arose when all 3 groups immediately decided to make tacos, but was thankfully resolved and we now look forward to Mac n Cheese, Salmorejó, and also tacos. After our adventure we returned back to our home base and chillaxed (and by "chillaxed" we mean lost to Marguerite in her first ever game of Oh Heck). 

Shifty: I enjoyed the day, taking to heart Stafford's words that "no task is too small". Though the job we did was not very personal, it has a large impact on the community, which at the end of the day is what's important. Also, the museum was the second museum I have ever enjoyed, and the hour and 15 minutes we spent there were enlightening (I especially liked choosing my prom outfit for next year out of the gay-Krewe section with Riley). At the end of the day, I felt closer to those I'm on the trip with and my energy is revamped in anticipation for an entire week full of days like this. I miss everyone back home and the 8 of you reading this as I pass it to Sadie.

Sadie Ray: I found our work yesterday meaningful precisely because of its menial nature. The task itself entailed organizing beads, a mindless and simple action. What made it meaningful was the people we were working with. Having workers from the organization working along side us and directing us reminded me that true service entails doing whatever is needed from the community you're serving, even if the task is as small as de-tangaling necklaces.