“Word of the day is halcyon,”
reported a Project Lazarus resident, a voracious reader and writer, at the first morning meeting,
“...meaning serene, calm, pleasant.”
At the time, I was not even remotely aware of the implication this word would have in serving as the mold for my Honors College Alternative Break to New Orleans, but it proved to create a lense through which I viewed my whole experience.
In order to understand the true impact of the experience, we will have to go back to the beginning of my Honors College experience—a time of overwhelming uncertainty about the future, about how to get involved, about how I would make friends. My mood was far removed from anything that could be described as halcyon.
Then, I met my mentor (shoutout to Friya!). I had so many questions racing across my mind, and my mentor enthusiastically worked to answer them with equal parts personal experience, reassurance, comedy, and raw honesty. My biggest takeaway from the meeting was that A) I needed to breathe and B) I needed to apply for an Alternative Break.
My mentor told me that Alternative Breaks were a great way to meet new people, get outside of your comfort zone, and of course make a difference through community service. Before you roll your eyes at these clichés, know that this experience and its community service are not ordinary or cliché in any sense. We start preparing months in advance, meeting with our Alternative Break team to learn about the issues we will target during the weeklong trip.
In my case, the HC Alternative Break was in New Orleans, Louisiana where we volunteered at Project Lazarus, a transitional living facility for homeless individuals with HIV/AIDS that focuses on holistic wellness, healing, and empowerment. It was at Project Lazarus, volunteering in the gardens and offices surrounded by new friends, where I found the meaning of halcyon. From the shaded secret gardens to the labyrinth outside our volunteer cottage, I realized that the atmosphere was everything to the residents, so I am glad I could play a role in continuing to make this a peaceful place they can call home.
I learned two primary things on my alt break trip:
1) Any social issue does not have a single face. Even with the issue of HIV/AIDS, for example, I realized that monolithic portrayals of victims or circumstances for social issues are completely unfair. They actually make solving the issue harder. Meeting the residents and learning more about them was one of the most rewarding parts of the trip. It completely opened my eyes to the realities of HIV/AIDS in New Orleans.
2) Service can take on a multitude of forms and no form is inherently less or more valuable. Whether you coordinate a drive, self-direct a community clean-up, or ask an organization directly how you can help, there are endless ways to give back and act as a global citizen.
Global citizenship is about recognizing yourself as part of a larger community, realizing that our actions are important and that we have a role to play. We should be asking ourselves, how can I harness my time, energy, and abilities to serve the greater good and make a meaningful, sustainable impact? Alternative Breaks provide some of these answers. You learn what interests you and where your strengths lie in a hands-on, immersive, supportive setting so you can continue to make a difference. And I could not be more grateful for an opportunity to do so, and to meet such wonderful people along the way.