#wab15

Lessons of Culture and Nature

Throughout the trip we used the phrase “Wake Will” as our slogan. Our group viewed this phrase to encompass our passion for service. Wakewill be dedicated to service, wake will give 100%, and wake will be respectful to our peers and hosts. It was important for us to remember that the seven of us were representing Wake Forest. The people we worked with would base their opinion of the school off of us. We strived to be the best representation of Wake Forest that we could and through the week we learned more about ourselves and the environment than any of us hoped for.

This trip combined teachings of Cherokee culture and the Appalachian environment into a beautiful lesson. The opportunity to enter the Snowbird Cherokee community is something that we could not do independently we were lucky to have Ed and Arlene there to introduce us. The Cherokee’s love of nature is inspiring, they are connected to the earth in ways that I can only hope to feel one day. The Cherokee commitment to preserving and being respectful to Mother Nature is admirable and we can all learn from them.

Growing up on the Outer Banks, I have always been surrounded with raw nature. It was not until coming to Wake that I realized how rare this is and I often forget this when I am away at school. Going to Appalachia presented a new environment to me, the mountains. Like the ocean, these are untouched, except with the invasive import plant, privet (which we experienced the wrath of). It was wonderful to be surrounded by people that truly understood the beauty and importance of preserving nature. I was grateful that I could experience the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, especially since I usually go home to the ocean.

I loved hearing about the Cherokee culture and learning of their beliefs and basic society structure. The walk down the Trail of Tears was deeply emotional and allowed me to walk the same path thousands of displaced Cherokee did. While I can never fathom the pain of the Cherokee, this walk touched my spirit and increased my understanding of the severeness of this great act against humanity. 

Love and respect nature, 

As I sit in my dorm room reflecting on my final WAB experience, I am humbled by the opportunity we had as a group to be ambassadors for the spirit of Pro Humanitate.  I am challenged to think of a more constructive and fulfilling way to have spent my break.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it is so encouraging to meet other students who are just as passionate about service and engagement.  It was both an honor and a major responsibility to approach our service initiatives in a manner that reflects well upon Wake Forest.   In doing so, we were able to contribute to the creation of an environment defined by compassion, enthusiasm and love.   Attitudes are infectious, and an experience like WAB reminds us that ours should be ones worth catching.

I was also glad to have had the opportunity to return to Snowbird and the Great Smokey Mountains once again.  Having originally gone as a first year student, it was important for me to re-experience this journey with a more mature perspective.  I believe that, the second time around, I was able to appreciate the culture of the Cherokee in a more nuanced manner that could not be expected of someone at the level of emotional and intellectual maturity that I was during my first WAB trip.  I have come to understand the importance of harmony, both with ourselves and with our environment, and the importance of cultural sensitivity in facilitating connections with people from whom we can learn so much.

We are all empowered to affect change in our worlds, and this ability is magnified when we combine it with those who are equally passionate.  I am wholeheartedly grateful to Wake Forest and everyone who works to make WAB a reality for providing us with a platform to make this happen.

Warmly,

What a week it has been for Mt. Wabanoke!  We have had a wonderful experience breaking out of the Wake Forest bubble to serve those who are less fortunate than us and to build meaningful relationships with others (both fellow Deacs and many members of the Roanoke community) who we otherwise would not have met.  It’s hard to believe we’ve been here only a week since we accomplished so much.  

Each night after finishing all of our daily activities, we always reflected as a group about our day. One thing that came up during one of our reflections was how much of an impact volunteers like us really make on those we serve.  I would like to share part of the letter of recommendation each of us got from Sarah, a dietitian at the VA, to help everyone better understand the impact we have on those we serve:

“All expectations for this group of students were exceeded.  Preceptor feedback included statements such as ‘no matter what I asked them to do, they were ready to do it and their attitude was amazing’ and ‘they expressed so much interest in what they were learning, you could tell from all the questions, and good questions too, really perceptive.’”

Although we knew we had done a good job volunteering at the VA this week, I think all of us were pleasantly surprised by just how much of a positive impact we were able to make on everyone we encountered at the VA clinic just by maintaining a positive attitude and helping out with little things like manning the National Nutrition Month booth or making toast in the kitchen.  I’m sure those at Straight Smiles and New Horizons felt the same way about group two given the enthusiasm of everyone in that group at the end of each day.  

My point in sharing this letter is that, whether we know it or not, we are making a difference in every volunteer activity that we do, and each and every one of us has the capacity to make a difference in our communities.  We may not understand the significance of our experiences until afterward, and most of the time we won’t receive letters like the one we got from Sarah to tell us about the positive impact we had on others.  As we continue to serve others though, we should keep in mind that we can (and do) make a difference in the lives of those we serve and interact with, regardless of how big or small the tasks at hand may be.  

Even though vacationing in Cancun and other warm, sunny places for Spring Break sounds appealing, I cannot think of a better way to have spent my Spring Break, and I personally am proud of our group and everyone else who chose to spend their break serving others.  The Mt. Roanoke team is blessed to have been hosted by Reverend Ziglar and other members of Mt. Zion AME Church, Ashton (who organized our whole week), everyone at the VA medical center, Straight Smiles, New Horizons, and Bradley Free Clinic, and the community of Roanoke.  Everyone here has shown us the utmost hospitality and have truly been dedicated to making sure we get the most out of our learning experience.  I am also fortunate to have bonded with every member of our group during the past six days.  We all have very different backgrounds and personalities, but I can honestly say that we have a common passion of serving others in some way shape or form, and I think this is one thing that has brought us together as a family.  

I hope everyone else’s experience has been as amazing as ours, and I look forward to meeting with everyone in my group as friends after returning to Wake.

Thank you WAB Roanoke and everyone who contributed to this amazing experience.

Love,

Please excuse our lateness, but once we began experimenting withnovel s’mores combinations last night, we simply couldn’t leave the fire to write a blog post.

That being said, yesterday’s activities were a bit different from those we have been doing. It was our day off, so after our delicious fruit-packed oatmeal we piled into Fran with a list of Kevin-and-Barb-approved caves and coffee shops to explore in nearby Ohio. Though it took about five tries to successfully maneuver Fran out of the driveway and we drove in the wrong direction for a few miles, we eventually got it right! We jammed to throwbacks and enjoyed views of farms on farms before making our fourth (but who was counting?) bathroom break at a local donut shop.

Fifteen minutes later we arrived at our first stop- Old Man’s Cave. It was a steep icy trek down, and some of us didn’t make it down without falling (Moriah). Harsh and Preston found great entertainment in quoting Donkey from Shrek as we explored the “NIIIICE boulders,” ice-covered bridges, stone steps, and breath-taking waterfalls. We were about to head out when we realized Megan was on the lamb, but after some search-and-rescue we found her sun-bathing in the cave’s corner. After exploring the icy landscape, we returned to trusty Fran and headed to Ash Cave. The views were equally as beautiful and we were able to get in some amateur rock climbing in as well (much to the dismay of the park rangers). We eventually ventured down to the stunning waterfall and took some quality group pictures, thanks to some friendly photographers nearby.

By this time in the day however, we realized that Moriah was running on low and was in desperate need of some coffee. We all loaded back into Fran and drove for over an hour to the hip city of Athens, OH. Upon arriving in Athens we headed to the delicious and locally famous Whit’s for some much needed caffeine, and more importantly, custard.  We spent the rest of our afternoon leisurely wandering, and eventually settled on dinner at Restaurant Salaam. After getting Moriah more coffee again (she has a serious addiction), we headed home to Kevin and Barb.

As we pulled into the now familiar driveway of Hurricane Run Farm, we were greeted by the warm sight of a massive bonfire. For the entire week, we had compiled any lose sticks or branches from pruning into a gigantic collection. Each day as the pile grew larger, our anticipation grew with it. Thus, we were thrilled to see our pile aflame when we rolled in. For the next hour or so, we fed the fire with sticks and toasted some marshmallows for s’mores. Lauren had the innovative idea to forgo the graham crackers for thin mints. Her reasoning for doing so: “at worst, it will still be pretty good.” After the fire settled down, we came back inside and let Moriah boss us around while we played Taboo. She was sneaky and played on both teams, so she could claim that she won no matter what. Well played Moriah, well played.