We thought we were excited several months ago, when we confirmed our service here in Denver. We even thought we were excited a few weeks ago when final arrangements were made and packing lists were sent out.
But alas, these moments paled in comparison to the feeling we all felt when we, in our tiger-tailed Ford Flex, reached the top of a hill on I-70 West and our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains appeared on the horizon. It really hit us. We are going to Denver. For an entire week. To do meaningful, rewarding service.
The city has not let us down. We spent Sunday morning at the Museum of Nature and Science, where we had our minds blown by the space exhibit, and Madeline relived her childhood obsession with rocks in the gems and minerals exhibit. We chatted with locals and got a recommendation for dinner that (spoiler alert) lived up to the hype. Later in the day, we fought the rain at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Park, and took in views of both Denver and the mountains. We climbed more stairs than we thought were possible for humans to climb, and blamed our aching lungs and legs on the "change in altitude."
Monday brought out the sun and our first day of service at Sunrise Senior Living at Cherry Creek. This week is themed "international week," and we were all able to interact with the residents. We split in to three groups: one group worked with the memory care neighborhood, one designed an exercise regimen to present later in the week, and one group created a presentation and cooking demonstration about Germany (their "country of the day" for international week).
Regardless of the project we were on, the best part of the day was by far getting to talk to the residents. They had such crazy (and often strange) stories to tell. Listening to them was an experience. Even though we were there to serve the residents, they were the ones that made us laugh, take pause, and even reflect.
We are excited for the stories tomorrow will bring and can't wait to go back!
MAB Denver 2
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