I fell in love with the city of “Brotherly Love”
March 18, 2013
Our spring break was a little different from the average college students’ spring break. 14 college students from George Mason University went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for their spring break to volunteer in the schools and help clean up the community that is North Philadelphia.
The trip was truly an amazing one. People underestimate just how much of an impact a week long trip of service can have on someone. We were able to see just how good we have it with our education systems among various other things that we take for granted in our everyday lives.
The children we worked with at Freire Charter School and Spells Writing Lab were appreciative that we took time out of our busy schedules to help teach them. They did not want us to leave and we did not want to say goodbye as well.
The people of the community were welcoming and made sure to protect us at all times. If you want to give back to the community and be treated with wonderful hospitality as well, the alternative break trip to Philadelphia is the one for you. You will learn so much and develop a bond with the children and the people of the community that will last a lifetime!
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Posted by cwashin212
Leadership Family
March 13, 2013So on this lovely spring break I have been watching a bunch of old Disney movies with my sister. We watched Lilo and Stitch the other night and I couldn’t help but think of my family back at Mason. Family is really important to me, just as it is Lilo in the movie and I feel as if I have two families now; My Mason Leadership Family and My home family! I am so glad to have meet such a great group of individuals that can always work together with each other as inspiring leaders. Even though I won’t be returning to the LLC next year I know I will still be involved in leadership things around campus and I hope to see you guys too. I know this group strives to make sure no one is left behind or forgotten and that always puts a smile on my face 🙂 So stay awesome Piedmont Second!
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Posted by ksutton5
LCE and Sustainability LLC students team up to volunteer at the zoo
March 13, 2013
Note: The following was posted by Roger LeBlanc.March 2nd, members of both the Sustainability and Leadership and Community Engagement Living Learning Communities volunteered together at the National Zoo.
SLLC Resident Brittant Grutter took the initiative in finding this opportunity for us and contacting the volunteer coordinators at the zoo. We worked in the bird house clearing rocks for a new Chesapeake Bay shore bird exhibit that will be moving into the space.
After lunch we spent the afternoon walking around the exhibits. We were especially excited to the see the Komodo Dragon that was hatched on Mason’s campus.
What happens in Jamaica STAYS in Jamaica… Not for me.
March 13, 2013
Note: This post was written by Macy Passawe, a participant on the 2013 AB trip to Jamaica.
What happens in Jamaica STAYS in Jamaica…. While that may be true for many seeking refuge in beautiful Jamaica, swinging in a hammock on the sands of the Caribbean sea sipping on a cool bottle of Ting, while vibing to Bob Marley’s Is this Love over the crashing waves as the sun goes down; as a participant of Alternative Breaks winter break service trip to Jamaica 2013, I simply can not leave all that I experienced in Jamaica to fester under the sun; my experience must be shared.
From the time we landed at the Montego Bay airport to returning on the following Saturday, I was in a state of euphoria.
Working with the beautiful faces of Hope Basic School was beyond enriching and insightful. What an encouragement it was to see the two teachers and how dedicated they were to teaching the children despite the vast difference between the materials provided to them and the materials afforded to the average preschooler/kindergartener of the greater Washington DC area.
They were an extremely bright energetic bunch and their addition of Jamaican culture was so beautiful to experience. I practically melted each time any one of them spoke; their accent in combination with their tiny voices was enough to make me want to shower them with overwhelming hugs and kisses!
As a student majoring in global affairs, pursing a minor in teaching English as a second language I was in an atmosphere that I felt so connected with. Since 6th grade I’ve wanted to join the Peace Corps and now being less than a year from that goal, this alternative breaks trip was just a taste of what I will be experiencing on a bigger scale in just a few months.
The people of Jamaica were so welcoming and loving wanting to share their culture with us to the fullest extent. From ackee and salt fish to bonfires on the beach and all else in-between, they made sure we had a real taste of Jamaica.
I was blessed to go on such a great trip with a group of amazing women and lovely new friendships were birthed out of that experience. I am extremely excited for next winter break and look forward to going back to Jamaica with alternative breaks next year!
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Posted by Wendy Wagner
Anticipating the Trip
March 8, 2013As you many of you may know, spring break has began! My spring break will not officially start until tomorrow when me and 13 other students from GMU board the megabus at Union Station. We will be going to Philly where we will be helping clean up the community and educate the youth at an after school writing program. This will be my second Alternative Break program and I could not be more thrilled. I have a passion for working with children. I am both grateful and thankful that this program here at GMU allows me to do just that! Stay tuned for pictures and more details on how the trip went in about a week or so! I look forward to sharing my amazing experience with you all!
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Posted by cwashin212
“Where Are You Now?”
March 7, 2013Some of you may know of the Mumford & Sons song “Where Are You Now?“. I recently listened to this song, and realized how many people I wonder that about. I don’t always think in the same harsh and cold context of the complete lyrics, but rather in the sense of the raw and curious title.
For example: I wonder about my childhood Alexandria who left my hometown when I was just starting elementary school. She accidentally left her cheetah print headband at my house, and to this day I still have it. I haven’t been in contact with her since then, but sometimes I wonder offhandedly about her.
Though it’s not just Alexandria I find myself wondering about. Oftentimes my mind drifts to the people that I meet when doing service work. They stay with me, on the backroads of my mind, years later.
The polite Egg-Salad Sandwich Man I encountered through Martha’s Table, the heartbreaking man who’s mother I visited in a Tennessee hospital ICU, or the thoughtful Philadelphia waitress who bought me Tastykakes on her own dime. And to think, I don’t even always know their names. How, how, could I have such a desire to know? How could I have such a deeply ingrained experience to remember for that long? We thirst for knowledge. It makes us ambitious. It gets us in trouble. It enlightens us.
Unfortunately, this is part of the human experience: to have a curiosity that cannot always be quenched. But this shouldn’t be something that hinders us. Instead, I encourage you to let it be something that inspires you to go out in the world and discover all you can from all those you meet.
Just because you met someone once doesn’t mean that they’re insignificant. That’s hardly the case. Don’t be afraid to wonder where they are now. And maybe? Let that wondering lead to wandering.
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Posted by mkinsey
Sneak Peak
March 5, 2013
Coming up this April, Mason will be holding its annual International Week (IWeek), this year will be it’s 33rd! For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, it is the one week in April where Mason as a whole takes the time to appreciate the different cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds of its students. It’s an exciting time where we can pay tribute to our roots.
It just amazes me how with each day I am able to surround myself with people different from me. Going into college for the first year, this is exactly what I wanted – to get out of my comfort zone and really challenge myself to experience new things.
To learn about other people, and what is important to them can help you in life no matter what you plan to do; it creates better communication. Recently, I’ve had the privilege to meet with the coordinator for the Global Crossings LLC, Amy, and many others of the International Programs staff and have learned so much about how we’ve grown as a community. They’ve help me realize that for many of the international students at Mason, events like these really do matter.
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Posted by etorres6
Friendship Week
March 5, 2013
So I think this would be awesome to do at Mason! I’ve been thinking about Mason traditions…and if I could make one Mason tradition, it would be a Friendship Week and I would incorporate ideas like this Soul Pancake video 🙂
Here at George Mason, we boast about being a diverse campus. However, as many of my peers have argued, our diversity is often segregated, and groups are not always eager to intermingle. Establishing a Mason tradition such as a Friendship Week that would be entirely devoted to stepping out of your comfort zone to meet new people would be a wonderful way to unite the Mason community. Having a week completely devoted to simple and random acts of kindness by hosting events such as a block party for the neighborhoods, intercultural meals, or a ball pit where you can “take a seat and make a friend” on North Plaza, Mason will begin to create a truly diverse campus.
Thankfully, I have witnessed a few Mason students who have gone out of their way to make other people’s days. For example, students stood outside to give free hugs at North Plaza and a group of guys gave every girl in the Johnson Center a red carnation for Valentine’s Day. For me, it meant the world to receive a flower on Valentine’s Day. It made me smile to see people giving out free hugs as well, and I was not even having a bad day to begin with. Imagine the impact these little things can have on someone who is honestly struggling and looking for a friend.
In my time at Mason I have made a conscious effort to seek out friendships with those who are racially, culturally, and religiously different than I. These friendships are what bring me so much joy in my day-to-day interactions, and have ultimately made me love and appreciate Mason’s diversity even more. I strongly believe a valuable Mason tradition such as Friendship Week would inspire people to become bold in seeking out the friendships they have always wanted, but never had the courage to pursue.
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Posted by swilli28
Starfish Service
March 5, 2013“A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by swilli28