Charleston - Children

3-27-2012

After three days of traveling to and from organizations and a late-night walk through downtown Charleston, I was not alone in my excitement to experience Charleston in its entirety on our day off. We began our day off with an 8 am wake up call to get ready for our 9 am kayaking reservation. We didn't let the fact that it was actually a 10 am reservation come close to fazing our day. We learned the four basic strokes of kayaking and proceeded to take our newly mastered skills to take on the Atlantic Ocean. Some looked forward to their first time kayaking on the ocean waters, while others just feared tipping their kayaks and not being able to make it back to the shore alive. Thankfully we incurred no such tragedy, and the kayaking experience proved to be the perfect mix of relaxation and fun. We then ventured to a local restaurant before enjoying a day on the beach. Though many of us had intentions of playing football and diving head first into the water, just about each one of us found ourselves catching up on much needed sleep under the sun. The ocean winds masked the heat of the sun more than masterfully (the reason for many of us having a new found love for Aloe Vera). Reentering the world after our naps, we decided to walk the beach before packing up and heading out. As we walked the shoreline, our deserted napping area soon became a crowed region filled with many people who appeared as college-aged students enjoying their spring breaks. Watching them caused me to imagine how differently my spring break experience might have been had it not been for ASB. Though I may have enjoyed a week with my friends accompanied by some nice tan lines, I would not have gained the unimaginable gifts that I have received through ASB. This opportunity has brought me countless benefits, including humility and gratefulness along with a set of eleven new amazing friends, simply to name a few. My spring break would lack the countless rewards and memories that I have gained through ASB.

To conclude the day, we finally parted from the beach and headed home to shower and get ready for our night on the town. We shopped our way through downtown Charleston and ended the night with a meal filled with some of the freshest seafood in town at Charleston Crab House. Saying that the group was burnt out and ready for bed would be more than an understatement. We capped our night off watching Another Earth and resting before the adventures of the next day began.