DAY 1
This morning was our first in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We started our trip off by exploring the area, enjoying some of the great food and shopping in Nob Hill. There were several stores with local artwork and crafts that we explored end to end. We also had no idea we were so close to the University of New Mexico, but decided to scope out a little of their campus to see how it stacks up. After getting a feel for the city we are staying in, we packed our bags and headed to Santa Fe for some hiking. The drive in was beautiful, and by the time we arrived we were anxious to find some perfect views. The group climbed up the Atalya Trail, and despite some difficulties traversing the more difficult inclines, made it up in order to enjoy the breathtaking valley below. We finished up our evening by devouring some authentic Santa Fe barbecue (which Kansas Citians disputed as better, but came awful close). At this point the hiking and digestion had us close to passing out, ending a perfect first day. After a few games of Mafia, we were ready for bed and eager to start our first day of service here in Albuquerque.
DAY 2
Albuquer-YEET's first day was a great success. This morning we headed to Saint Martin's Hospitality Center, located in the center of downtown Albuquerque. Some of us served breakfast, others organized clothes, and others worked the personal hygiene station. Today's breakfast served a total of 400 individuals. This was so amazing! The hygiene station allowed clients to shower and get items they needed (e.g. deodorant, lotion, shampoo). Being introduced to a new environment was definitely a challenge but we were able to handle the challenges competently.
Afterwards, we headed to Joy Junction's Homeless Center where our site supervisor, Racheal, greeted us with great appreciation. Today's task was organizing the child center which was loaded with toys. While categorizing all the toys, we were then greeted by a lot of smiling children. Twelve of Mizzou's students immediately became kids again. We flied kites, played four square, and jumped rope. We enjoyed both lunch and dinner with the Joy Junction family. All of us were able to relate our interactions with personal experiences. This was just the start of an awesome week and starting to build meaningful relationships.
DAY 3
Today was another extraordinary day at the homeless shelters. Today was much easier to adjust to because of our experiences from yesterday. The team as a whole felt more at ease and we worked even harder than we did yesterday.
We started the day off at St. Martin's again: serving breakfast, organizing clothing donations, and assisted a hygiene station. Less people came today than yesterday. Our team had the opportunity to serve at a different site within St. Martin's than yesterday, which was super cool. We reorganized products on the shelves in the kitchen for the staff, which they were thankful for.
Then, we returned to Joy Junction, where we met Joylene, who guided us for the rest of the afternoon. We served lunch to their clients, we reorganized and cleaned their sleeping mats, and hung out with the kiddos. Cleaning the sleeping mats has been the most physically exhausting job we've had so far. The kids at Joy Junction were eager to help us out (as usual). They're all very sweet. We finished the day by serving dinner to the clients, and cleaning up the Multi-Purpose Room.
As a whole, the team feels like we're gaining more of a perspective into the realities of the homeless community. Listening to people's stories is shaping our understanding of the hardships they face. We're excited to the rest of the week and to continue to open our minds to their experiences!
DAY 4
Wednesday morning began bright and early again. We took on the day staring at St. Martin's. We each had a chance to work in a new setting and experience different interactions with clients. New shipments of clothing and food donations come in abundance daily, and today we helped sort and organize the donations. Without these daily donations, St. Martin's would not be able to provide most of the food that the clients eat. At a certain point, if there is enough food, we are allowed to give seconds. Being able to give the clients as many Oreos as they wanted was a great feeling. These different luxuries could really brighten up a person's day.
After we left St. Martin's we headed back to Joy Junction. Today we were able to do some work at the thrift store. Joy Junction supports itself through donations and client-run shops such as the thrift store. The thrift store sells quality items for reasonable prices to both residents and the community. We had a chance to organize the shop and get to know the attendants working there. We also picked up some trash in the parking lot and around the building to brighten the space.
We spent the rest of our afternoon hanging out with residents playing games and chatting until we were needed in the kitchen. Again, we helped the staff with their various needs around the kitchen and helped to brighten the area and get everyone fed in a timely manner.
After cleaning up dinner we had a chance to meet with another service group from Mizzou in the area and play some volleyball. We won. After our victory at the volleyball game, we treated ourselves to some gelato, and then we retired to our quarters to reminisce on our activities.
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