Experiencing New Orleans
Over my spring break, I decided to take the time to go to New Orleans to volunteer. For me, volunteering isn't just a high school requirement. I didn't even know it was a requirement up until a few weeks ago. To me, volunteering is fun and it makes me feel good about myself. I feel like I'm making an impact on someone's life for the better. One of the days while we were in New Orleans, we volunteered at an Urban Garden. They were very understaffed and were so grateful for our help. Some of the kids on my trip weren't very talkative and some were a bit ignorant about the work these people were doing. I started working with a woman who had tried talking to some of the other kids which didn't work out, so I decided to talk to her. She was so sweet and I learned a lot just from that small conversation. You could also tell from the small conversation that she was grateful I talked. She was so excited to have a conversation with me and vice versa. This may be a small moment and not an inteneded act of kindness, but I feel that that's the only genuine way you can show kindness. It has to be spurr of the moment. You can't force yourself to do things because you will end up not fulfilling your goals or dreading it the entire time you do it. To be kind, you have to WANT to be kind. Its an amazing thing, kindness, because not only does the person it's being done to feel grateful, but you also feel good about yourself after it.