By Michael Bluestein
Penn State Abington offers its Alternative Spring Break every year for students who want to experience a different type of spring break. Rather than spending it partying, or sleeping in, students get the opportunity to travel to different locations and learn about communities in need. This year the ASB locations offered were Washington D.C., and Pine Ridge, S.D. Twenty students were selected to embark on journeys to these seemingly different locations, to learn about the issues that are being faced there.
The ASB trip consists of two key components: service and education. The trip delivered both components in profound ways. We were taken to a cabin that had been built by the first Penn State group three years ago. Once there we were taught how to install floor boards and paint the inside. Everyone had a job of sorts, from sweeping to chopping firewood. This was the physical part of service. We were able to purchase handmade crafts from the locals, the Lakota tribe, providing them with a small amount of income. It was very rewarding to help in different ways.
Living in a busy city like Philadelphia, I am used to seeing a building everywhere I look. I am not used to seeing a night sky filled with stars, or breathing fresh air. Everywhere you looked you saw mountains or beautiful acres of land; it was incredibly refreshing to not see a billboard every mile. I have never seen a constellation in the sky until I visited the reservation.
American History is taught in a specific way in American schools. Native American history is taught from the American point of view, and is almost always overlooked. This trip meant so much to me because it challenged the idea that history could only occur one way. It was refreshing to see that there were two sides to the same story and that it was being taught.
To say that the trip changed me would be an understatement. I have never felt so close to a community that I had just met. Every single person that we met welcomed us to their homes with open arms. The impact that this community has left on me will stay with me forever and will motivate me to become a better person. The community taught each of us that you do not need many things to live a happy life. I think the most surprising thing about meeting the Lakota is that they don’t hold on to hate. I would not blame them for hating outsiders, and I believe that they have every right to harbor hate based on history, but they chose to teach us that it was not good to harbor hate and that is something that will stick with me forever.
I cannot stress enough how important this trip was, and how important ASB is to the campus. To the students who want to make an impact and experience how quickly a community can become a part of your heart, I urge you to apply for the trip when it comes around again. It will change your life. I know it changed mine.
ejy5121 says
Thank you so much for writing this.