At the end of our first day we are all exhausted to say the list. There are tons of emotions and decompressing of all that we have soaked in after our first day of service. Today has been fast paced and we have learned plenty in such a short amount of time in San Francisco. We all gathered at the our amazing hostel and put our feet up after all the walking we had done. Conversations about our day sprouted up to decompress about what we had experienced throughout the day as we waited for dinner to be done (bomb pizza by the way, be jealous).
After our long day, we all did not travel much. Even those that did go out to explore did not go much further than from the Tenderloin district, where our hostel is located. Some of our group did go to grab treats from a local Japanese market before we all gathered around the table for reflection.
Our reflection was picking from a list of famous quotes to represent what we had experienced throughout the day. The quotes were taken from speakers such as Janet Mock, Harvey Milk, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Elie Wiesel, and Margaret Mead. The quotes touched on topics such as telling stories, developing safe/supportive environments, and fighting injustices. We all developed personal connections to each of the quotes that spurred on conversations in small groups.
The quotes encouraged us to process our busy day. Many of us mentioned the emotional impact that servicing the community around us has had. There is so much work to be done but we know that we are part of a bigger picture and what we are doing makes a difference. We talked about the intent of our work and acknowledging our place in being on this trip. The community of San Francisco is changing each of us individually through each experience we have.
Throughout our first day we have seen two amazing organizations fighting to impact the injustices in San Francisco. Each organization showed us success in making change in addressing numerous needs in the community. Both organizations gave us an insight on what can be started from the passion and motivation to impact those around us.
Our small group can do amazing things starting with our trip and bringing it back home to make big changes. We are just beginning to learn how to be a support system for each other and that will only grow throughout our trip. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people in a beautiful city.
More soon!
Taty
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