It's less than a month until I start my job at Animal Kingdom, and I'm sooo excited!
Quite a bit has happened since my first entry. On Saturday, May 14th, I graduated from Juniata with a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Conservation! It was pretty strange to realize that my college career was over, but it was a good four years. I've met some amazing people at school and I know that I'll hold onto those friendships forever. So thanks to everyone that I met at Juniata that impacted my life. :-)
After graduation and all the post-ceremony pictures, my dad, brother, and I went back to my apartment to pack everything into the car. I only managed to forget a few things...including the living room rug. Don't ask, lol. When we finished packing, I returned my key to the RA and took a few last pictures around campus, and then we headed to our "cabin" (aka trailer) at Lake Raystown. It was nicely furnished but pretty cozy for eight people. That afternoon, we had a graduation/7th birthday party for my niece. We had ice cream cake (from The Meadows!!), a campfire, s'mores, and glowsticks. It was good to spend some time with my family, for sure.
On Sunday, we all went home. I didn't have time to blink, because when we got back to Pittsburgh, I had to pack for my mission trip to Philippi, West Virginia. I was heading down there that evening with a few people from my church, some of their relatives, and a few other college students.
The family we were helping out was an elderly woman, Hattie, and her two sons. She had just finished paying off her first house, but it was in horrible shape, so we started the foundation for a brand new house. We collaborated with Heart and Hand, a non-profit organization that helps assist the less fortunate. I'd worked with them on previous mission trips with my church, so I was familiar with the great things that they do for West Virginian families.
Throughout the week, we spent a lot of time mixing mortar (or "mud"), laying cinder blocks, digging holes for pipes, leveling out the ground, and laying gravel for a driveway. Let's just say that I worked some muscles I didn't know I had and I now know the proper recipe for a good batch of "mud." This will come in handy some day when I decide to forget my career with wildlife and become a professional bricklayer. The salaries are probably about the same haha. You can check out a few photos of our group on the Heart and Hand Picasa site here or on my facebook page.
One of the highlights of our trip happened during the first few minutes on the work site. A little 6-week-old stray kitten came walking toward us across a very dangerous road. One of the girls in our group saved him from being potential roadkill, and kept "Phili" (short for Philippi) as a new companion. He definitely provided a lot of entertainment for us, especially when he finally met the Taylor family's two golden retrievers.
That whole week was pretty amazing. I hadn't been in Philippi since I was there with my church as a high school senior. Every time I'm there, the families we help have a lasting impression on me. Despite all the rain, mud (there was A LOT of it), and soreness, I enjoyed helping to make life a little easier for this family.
Clearly, we didn't expect anything in return except a few smiles, but we were blessed to be given a few delicious meals on our last day. The family bought us a feast of KFC's finest cuisine for lunch, and Hattie baked 100 cupcakes for us. How sweet. Then, a Heart and Hand employee invited us to her house for an AMAZING dinner. I love West Virginians. They're so welcoming and friendly. I hope I can go back again someday and help change the lives of another family.
Since I returned from my trip on Friday, I've mostly been catching up on sleep and cleaning my room. It feels surprisingly good to throw out things I've held onto since high school. I know that I have to move on and start a new chapter in my life, and this is the first step. Soon it will be "Goodbye, Ohio Township" and "Hello, Orlando!"
Alright, well I'm going to head to bed. I'll keep y'all updated on anything exciting that happens in the next few weeks. Night!
-Alison
No comments:
Post a Comment