Kailee's Final Thoughts

I feel that this trip has been an exceptional learning experience for everyone.
In New Orleans it was upsetting to see all the destruction even after several months, to contemplate all the lives that had been ruined and appearance of nothing being done to help the people. The only thing that took away the feeling of being an ineffectual bystander was the physical scrubbing of the lockers in the Louisiana Children’s Museum.
The third grade Brock students I worked with were great. Although they weren’t quite sure about some of the games we played, they were always smiling, whether that was because they were having fun playing the games or getting out of schoolwork I don’t know. Either way seeing so many kids smiling after what they went through was heartwarming. We also experienced a good deal of Southern hospitality. All the people we stayed with were generous, exceptionally kind and welcoming.
Staying at Nobel Heart really gave me a chance to take in the beauty of Louisiana.
The Meher Spiritual Center was a special place, it is a five-hundred acre natural sanctuary surrounded by the growing tourist city of Myrtle Beach. The energy was peaceful and accepting.
Washington D.C. was a friendlier place than I expected. The cherry blossoms lacked the beauty I imagined but we didn’t see the Jefferson Memorial around which many of the trees grow. I am not sure if I expected to see more or fewer people. Regardless there were too many people for me.
In West Virginia meeting Larry and hearing his story gave me hope. It showed me that not all Americans are complacent and compliant. That there are people who stand up for what they believe in regardless of the cost.
This trip showed me my own limits. I learned many things about my classmates some of which I never really needed to know.
One of the best things about traveling is coming home.
Kailee Potter