Sunday, February 23, 2014

My New Home

Over the past 10 months, I have had probably one of the strangest experiences any high school kid could have. I've stayed after school for days on end, begged Starbucks and Paneras for pastry and coffee donations after others had fallen through, planned fundraisers, served around the community, gained 48 new family members, and changed my life. No matter how crazy busy my life has been this year, it has easily been the best yet, and an amazing way to end my high school career.

I have only been a part of NM's Service Learning program for two years now, unlike many who have been for four, and I regret every second of freshmen and sophomore year for not signing up. Through this program I have learned the values of life, how to appreciate what I have, and realize how lucky I am to be raised the way I was. I've always known that I was lucky, because I always have 3 meals a day, have a roof over my head, and a family that loves and cares about me, but I never really understood that some people don't have this.

Over the past 8 days, I'm pretty sure the whole experience was just a roller coaster that hasn't even come to an end yet, starting at the top with the plane ride down with 42 of my closest friends, and still running now with coping with being back in Townsend again. From touring the lower ninth, to  visiting the quarter. From working at the church, Milton Mary's, Shalom Zone, Houma, Green Light, Arc, and Second Harvest, to our free time, Smoothie King trips, Bops, CiCi's, reflections by the fire, nights on the balcony,and rides in the vans, I don't know what I would do without every single person in the program.

I haven't really come back to reality yet: falling asleep in a room by myself, waking up and eating breakfast alone, and simply wearing a jacket again, it's just not normal again yet. As of right now, I'm definitely on a low part of my own personal roller coaster, as we've been calling it the Post NOLA Depression (believe me it's actually a thing... And so is Senioritis, but that's a story for another day) and it's definitely not the easiest thing, knowing that my last service learning trip with North Middlesex is over, the fact that I've had my final reflection by the fire, and that there are a lot of underclassmen in the group that have the chance to go to New Orleans again and experience it all over. But I know soon enough I'll start climbing back up the hill, maybe it'll be tomorrow morning, making sandwiches in Kane's room with you all again, or maybe I'll be next week, or maybe the next time I make it back down to New Orleans, as I know I will make it back down again someday.

Everyone keeps asking if I'm glad to be home, and asking if we did a lot of work in New Orleans, and my response will always be "I'm glad to be back in Townsend to see my family and friends again, but there's no way I could ever have a more life changing experience with my new family in my new home."

-Sam Meehan

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