Very satisfied.
Today I went to St. Anthony's with my religion class. Let me say this right now: Solidarity, ladies and gents, is one of the most rewarding experiences you could ever have. I realize that not all of the people who read this are Christian, or even religious at all. I'm really not religious; I'd say I'm more spiritual. However, I do think that as human beings, he have the tendency to want to help other people, probably because if we are in need, we want someone to help us.
At St. Anthony's in the dinner hall, I served trays of food to people and bussed tables. The foundation is situated right in the tenderloin district and it's the poorest area in San Francisco. Different people came in to get food -- the working poor, homeless, mentally ill, addictively ill, disabled, handicapped, immigrants who speak little English, the elderly -- generally the types of people that most of us overlook. Usually we stereotype these people into being stupid, lazy, rude, greedy, selfish, and seriously unpleasant. However, the guests I served today were not like that at all. The people I encountered were polite, wise, funny, and educated, just like you or me. If you warm up to them, they can be very lively and fun to be around if you're willing to break down your barriers and go past your comfort zones. Plus, they give all sorts of advice... Some funny, some serious. There were the usual "Stay in school" and "Don't do drugs" and the more interesting ones entailed "Read books, eat food" and "Don't have 600 wives."
It was an extremely rewarding experience. I really hope I can go back there again for my senior year Christian service requirement. All day, I could sense myself just smiling like a maniac. Helping people out -- and seeing their delighted reactions was all worth the hard work.
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At the same time, though, after being on my feet all day and going to hula, I'm super-burnt out. I may ask my dad if I can go to school later.
At St. Anthony's in the dinner hall, I served trays of food to people and bussed tables. The foundation is situated right in the tenderloin district and it's the poorest area in San Francisco. Different people came in to get food -- the working poor, homeless, mentally ill, addictively ill, disabled, handicapped, immigrants who speak little English, the elderly -- generally the types of people that most of us overlook. Usually we stereotype these people into being stupid, lazy, rude, greedy, selfish, and seriously unpleasant. However, the guests I served today were not like that at all. The people I encountered were polite, wise, funny, and educated, just like you or me. If you warm up to them, they can be very lively and fun to be around if you're willing to break down your barriers and go past your comfort zones. Plus, they give all sorts of advice... Some funny, some serious. There were the usual "Stay in school" and "Don't do drugs" and the more interesting ones entailed "Read books, eat food" and "Don't have 600 wives."
It was an extremely rewarding experience. I really hope I can go back there again for my senior year Christian service requirement. All day, I could sense myself just smiling like a maniac. Helping people out -- and seeing their delighted reactions was all worth the hard work.
-----
At the same time, though, after being on my feet all day and going to hula, I'm super-burnt out. I may ask my dad if I can go to school later.