Blog One

So it's the night before you leave for New Orleans. You have had all of break to anticipate on your own what this trip is going to be like ... and up until now, you haven't been able to see all of your friends to share your thoughts. But at 8 oclock, when you first gathered in the Bonner center, you could not keep your mouth shut. Your mind is full of questions and concerns about the drive, the food, the work sites, the living quarters, the french quarter, the food, sleep and the food ... and on top of that you even want to know what the people are going to be like. "What shape will their houses be in?" "What questions CAN I really ask them?" "Will I even meet the owner of the house I'll be working at?". You've never been on a trip like this before and you're excited but at the same time you're nervous. It's coming down to the last few hours before you and all of your friends head out in the same white vans and you're STILL AWAKE ... But this is the time for you to forget all of those  preconceptions. Every one of your detailed questions will soon be answered. You WILL eat food, don't worry. You will get to help people and help repair their homes. Not only let go of the older Bonner's experiences you've heard about, but let go of your ideas of what you're going to do and what you're NOT going to do. Open up your mind to the possibility of anything amazing happening on this trip. No one can tell you e x a c t l y what is going to happen, but this trip can be so much more than what you have thought it was going to be, if you just let it.

- Alyssa