Click here for Blog Post - West Virginia Part II
What I would do for fun in NJ if I were on spring break:
1) Sleep
2) Go on the computer and check Facebook and email compulsively
3) Visit high school friends
What we did for fun in West Virginia after working on construction projects:
1) Hiking, hiking and more hiking. Breathtaking landscape in West Virginia
2) Find waterfalls (there are many of them!)
3) Play bananagrams and a million other board games
4) Stay up late and talk
5) Listen to country music and sing around a campfire
6) Make friends with the locals
7) Go to the afterschool program to hang out with the kids
8) Relax... with absolutely no disturbance from the life back in NJ
Click here to see West Virginia Video!
Please give my video a chance. I know in the beginning, it resembles a shaky home video. But about half way through, I started to learn how to use the camera (as in not shaking or twirling it around). However, I still love the video because it captures our camaraderie in West Virginia. The scenery is beautiful, right?
What I learned during my Alternative Spring Break in Beards Fork, West Virginia:
1. I usually rush through my life with such concrete goals and to-do lists that I often forget to enjoy life as it is. Why am I always rushing? Does getting more things done, faster equate to happiness or success? I found a genuine sense of joy when I was simply with my peers enjoying our environment, having conversations we wouldn't usually have if we were elsewhere, playing board games and just soaking in the sunshine, watching the waterfalls, and making friends with the locals. I redefined my thoughts on success.
2. Bonfires are so fun! Along with everyone singing Country Roads. Warmth of a fire, new friendships, singing songs... :)
3. I have a new appreciation for all things construction. It's not easy at all. It's a lot of work to cut wood, hammer nails, put in screws, etc. I have immense appreciation for those who build our houses, roads, and other infrastructure. It's rewarding to be able to accomplish something that I never thought I could do, and hopefully my service helps the community in a small way.
4. The calmness, freedom, and sense of community in West Virginia is unmatched by any other place I've ever lived in or visited.
5. Best of the all, I love the people I met during my spring break. It's a surreal experience still. They all contributed to a very important week of my life.
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