Ashley Schwanebeck
We started the day with creating our community guidelines as a group. I scribed and wrote our guild lines in a beautiful rainbow-array of colors. Some of our guidelines includes: be respectful, be present, take initiative, be cooperative, vegas rules, be accountable, ect. Next, we went through a Know, Want to know, Learned chart. Around 12:30 we went to World Relief and learned about their organization. We loaded furniture onto a truck and moved it all into a townhouse for an Iraqi refugee family of 6(the house had 3 bedrooms). I thought this was such an amazing experience. I didn't even get to meet the family I met, but I'm so glad I got to do something to help them out. Later in the day we watched square dancing by a group. It was their 41st anniversary, and watching them happily dance around was also a great experience. Overall, today was such a humbling day. I'm so lucky to have my own bedroom at home, not have to worry about acculturating to a new country, and go to college. I also saw you can be so contempt just dancing around with amazing friends. The square dancing group had been together 41 years. That is SO long, and they still are committed and have so much fun together. Today was such a great day!
Robdeti Geleta
Today, we officially started working with World Relief and honestly it could not have gone any better. A bunch of our members are well educated and well versed about the refugee and immigration issue that are currently happening in the US. However, during our morning session, we talked about issues we wanted to learn about and also what we already knew coming into the trip. So I really liked that we were able to go volunteering with an open mind but also an idea of how we wanted to engage with our NPO and the community that we were serving. I experienced so many highlights just on the first day and I am so excited to see what we have in store for the rest of the week. For instance, a few of my personal highlights included, organizing and moving furniture from the warehouse to a brand new apartment that was going to house an Iraqi family of 6. Also while we were moving the furniture inside a few children who were coming back from school and they stopped to speak to us and we ended up dancing and singing with them which was so amazing and sweet. My two last highlights included praying with a few missionaries from a university in Missouri and watching members of a square dancing team have their practice session at the church and it was awesome to watch a little bit of southern American culture since I haven't really had very much direct contact with square, line or round dancing. Overall, it was an amazing day in #theville with UMD alternative breaks.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Meet the Nashville Team!
Sarah Eppley
Sophomore, Anthropology
This is my first Alternative Break. I have taken several courses on immigration in the past few semesters, and I am very excited to be able to put my knowledge about migration and refugees into practice! I'm also stoked to be discovering Nashville with such a dynamic and interesting group of people. :)
Tiezhou Duan
Graduate, Conference Interpreting
This is my second AB trip. Last year I went to NYC for the LGBTQ trip. LGBTQ and refuge issues are what I read constantly on newspaper but experienced little so I chose to go to Nashville this year. It's exciting to travel, volunteer and meet new friends. This year I've decided to volunteer, travel and experience different culture hopefully in Nashville, Tanzania and Brazil. I'm excited:)
Talatha Mah'moud
Sophomore, Neurobiology
This is my first Alternative Break trip. This will also be my first time traveling out of Maryland without my family so I am really excited for this trip. I have never been to Tennessee before and I want to experience the different cultures and people that live here. Though I will only be here for a week I want to immerse myself in the culture of Nashville and learn things about this town that one couldn't know from the internet.
Robdeti Geleta
Senior, Arabic Studies
This is my second AB experience. I am really interested in working with immigrant and refugee communities and I believe that this trip will provide me with the opportunity to do this. This will be my first time traveling to Nashville, Tennessee and I am really excited to work with and service the members of this community.
Ashley Schwanebeck
Sophomore, Mathematics and Economics
This is my first Alternative Breaks experience. This is also my first time to Nashville. I'm part of the living and learning program Global Communities, and I am going on this trip thanks to this program. I don't really know much about the immigrant and refugee community, but I am excited to learned more about it. I mentor 4th graders at the University of Maryland, and I am mostly excited to tutor kids here in Nashville.
Sydney Robinson
Sophomore, Physics and French
This is my first AB trip, although I have previously participated in and facilitated other LCSL programs. I am excited to spend the next week learning about immigrant and refugee rights in a city with as much cultural diversity as Nashville.
Morgan Chase
Sophomore, Government and Politics
This is my first AB trip, however I have done a service trip during high school. I'm so excited to participate in our service activities and I am extremely intrigued at what this week will hold and how it will open my eyes about immigration and refugee rights! Especially in one of America's most cherished musical cities, Nashville, Tennessee! Stayed tuned folks, we are live from Nashville!
Corinne Paul
Junior, Government and Politics
This is my second Alternative Breaks experience. Last spring I went to Baltimore to learn about socioeconomic inequality. I'm excited about being in Nashville this year because I have never been to a southern state! The immigration and refugees topic really interests me because last year I worked at the International Rescue Committee, a prominent refugee/ asylee center, and because am learning about US Latino immigrants for my minor.
Olivia Delaplaine
Freshman, Government and Politics
This is my first AB trip and I am so happy to be here! At UMD, I'm a member of the Arabic Flagship Program and am really passionate about other languages and cultures. I hope to work for nonprofits that aid and advocate for refugee and immigrant populations, so this is a great introductory experience for me! I am so excited to get to know all of the other wonderful participants and learn more about the history of immigrants in Nashville.
Sophomore, Anthropology
This is my first Alternative Break. I have taken several courses on immigration in the past few semesters, and I am very excited to be able to put my knowledge about migration and refugees into practice! I'm also stoked to be discovering Nashville with such a dynamic and interesting group of people. :)
Tiezhou Duan
Graduate, Conference Interpreting
This is my second AB trip. Last year I went to NYC for the LGBTQ trip. LGBTQ and refuge issues are what I read constantly on newspaper but experienced little so I chose to go to Nashville this year. It's exciting to travel, volunteer and meet new friends. This year I've decided to volunteer, travel and experience different culture hopefully in Nashville, Tanzania and Brazil. I'm excited:)
Talatha Mah'moud
Sophomore, Neurobiology
This is my first Alternative Break trip. This will also be my first time traveling out of Maryland without my family so I am really excited for this trip. I have never been to Tennessee before and I want to experience the different cultures and people that live here. Though I will only be here for a week I want to immerse myself in the culture of Nashville and learn things about this town that one couldn't know from the internet.
Robdeti Geleta
Senior, Arabic Studies
This is my second AB experience. I am really interested in working with immigrant and refugee communities and I believe that this trip will provide me with the opportunity to do this. This will be my first time traveling to Nashville, Tennessee and I am really excited to work with and service the members of this community.
Ashley Schwanebeck
Sophomore, Mathematics and Economics
This is my first Alternative Breaks experience. This is also my first time to Nashville. I'm part of the living and learning program Global Communities, and I am going on this trip thanks to this program. I don't really know much about the immigrant and refugee community, but I am excited to learned more about it. I mentor 4th graders at the University of Maryland, and I am mostly excited to tutor kids here in Nashville.
Sydney Robinson
Sophomore, Physics and French
This is my first AB trip, although I have previously participated in and facilitated other LCSL programs. I am excited to spend the next week learning about immigrant and refugee rights in a city with as much cultural diversity as Nashville.
Morgan Chase
Sophomore, Government and Politics
This is my first AB trip, however I have done a service trip during high school. I'm so excited to participate in our service activities and I am extremely intrigued at what this week will hold and how it will open my eyes about immigration and refugee rights! Especially in one of America's most cherished musical cities, Nashville, Tennessee! Stayed tuned folks, we are live from Nashville!
Corinne Paul
Junior, Government and Politics
This is my second Alternative Breaks experience. Last spring I went to Baltimore to learn about socioeconomic inequality. I'm excited about being in Nashville this year because I have never been to a southern state! The immigration and refugees topic really interests me because last year I worked at the International Rescue Committee, a prominent refugee/ asylee center, and because am learning about US Latino immigrants for my minor.
Olivia Delaplaine
Freshman, Government and Politics
This is my first AB trip and I am so happy to be here! At UMD, I'm a member of the Arabic Flagship Program and am really passionate about other languages and cultures. I hope to work for nonprofits that aid and advocate for refugee and immigrant populations, so this is a great introductory experience for me! I am so excited to get to know all of the other wonderful participants and learn more about the history of immigrants in Nashville.
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