Monday, March 10, 2008

Getting Ready for AB Trip

This Saturday, March 15, hundreds of Xavier students will be heading out on Alternative Break trips. I will be with them. This is the first time I've participated in this club and I'm very excited about it. 21 other faculty/staff members are also taking part in the trips.
Our group, which is a great group of Xavier students from freshmen to seniors, will be driving to Biloxi. (12 hours on the road!!) We will be working with Hands on Gulf Coast to help with hurricane relief. It's seems so strange that two and a half years later they are still rebuilding that part of the country.
We're not quite sure what we will be doing. It could be anything from helping rebuild houses to working with animals. We will work Monday through Friday with time for reflection in the evenings (and watch Xavier in the NCAA tournament!!)
Our first day in the area is open so we will be heading to New Orleans for a visit. I was in New Orleans before Katrina and I'm anxious to see how this wonderful city has rebounded. It is one of the most unique places I have even been.
I'm also excited about working with the students and getting to know them better. I am always amazed at how wonderful, caring and intelligent our students are. Being around them is inspiring and rejuvenating!!
I will try to blog as much as possible while in Biloxi. Hopefully I wouldn't be so exhausted that I'll fall asleep right after dinner!! Right now my biggest concern is trying to get all my stuff into a carry-on size suitcase... hmmm... could be tricky. deb