Day of Volunteering

Completely exhausted from an entire day of volunteering at three different projects...

So the day started off at 6am. I got up and walked to the harbor where a Aquathon was going on. People swam in the Hudson and then (some) ran. I don't think there's a bicycling part to it. Anyway, the real volunteers were actually there at 5:30am so we (NYCares volutneers) showed up kind of late. The race started at 7:30am or so. I helped pass out bags for a while and then set up the after race snacks. Everything was pretty unorganized and chaotic. I was then asked to help out at directing traffic when the swimmers came back. Basically I stood at the dock, making sure the swimmers ran over the mat where a receiver picked up the signal from their chip. I'm glad I got to do that instead of taking off their chips or whatever the other people were doing. I got to see them come in. That was pretty cool. Only a handful of people had to be picked up by the boat. I wish I could have stayed longer to see the runners come in and such. I had to leave for my next project. But not before picking up a water bottle from one of their sponsors though.

The next project was helping the NY Parks with a park in Brooklyn. It took a long time and a lot of effort to get there. I went on three different trains and walked around in a few stations before I finally got there. I was only about 5 minutes late. The team leader wasn't there and didn't manage to get anyone to replace him. So a bunch of us were just sitting around when the park's volunteer coordinator came and picked us up. We bascially cleared vegetation around trails. So we had big cutters and gloves and cut down weeds for a while. The project was three hours long. We took a break nearly half an hour of break in the middle though. At that point (around 11:30am), I found that my hands were shaking from exhausion. I ate a sandwich and felt better but was definitely feeling very tired. After this project, I was sweaty and dirty.

I actually managed to make it to my next project sort of on time. I mean, I got to the area on time but went past the soup kitchen the first time around. The numbers on the street were very unclear. I have never volunteered at a soup kitchen before. It turned out to be pretty interesting. They served soup, sandwiches, fruit, coffee, juice, even had dessert. Most people there were elderly and really seemed to appreciate the hot meal. This brings me back to freshmen year when I volunteered for the first time at the Boston Red Cross food pantry. It's nice to help kids with homework, clear trails for a park, or staff a booth at an event. But when it comes down to it, that's all nice things to have. But food is essential. Everyone needs to eat. Helping to put food in the hands of people who can't afford it brings more satisfaction for me than any of these other things.

After this, I walked around Union Square and the farmer's market there. It's a pretty big farmer's market. I couldn't find the Trader Joe's and ended up getting orange juice and cheese at the Whole Foods. There are three floors to this Whole Foods. I don't think I will ever get used to grocery and drug stores with multiple floors. So inefficient. Anyway, the Whole Foods is huge. All the organic stuff you will ever need right there.

I returned some library books on the way back. I was completely exhausted when I finally got back to the apartment. I still managed to make a smoothie out of orange juice, banana, and papaya. It tasted great. And then I collapsed on my bed and napped for a while.

So all in all, it was a good day. I did quite a lot. When to places that I would have never gone otherwise. I mean, why else would I got out to the middle of Brooklyn? I kept thinking about all the new experiences I was gaining, all in the course of one day. I signed up for these projects online without really knowing what I'll be doing, who I would be working with, nevermind the people I will be serving. I'm just heading into an abyss. And yet everything works out at the end. I met some cool people, explored new places, and experienced new things. What more can I ask for?