This is the night before I am leaving for my ASB trip to New Jersey. It is March 15th, 2014. I am sitting at my computer and I have not even finished packing yet. I am still determining how I can compartmentalize. As I sit here, many thoughts are going through my head.
First is the uniqueness of experience. My level of community engagement has thus far mostly been limited to working with children and teens in my whole life. This experience is new to me. I may be an engineer, but I’ve never done construction type work. I am a mechanical, not a civil engineer. But that is beside the point.
It is still hard for me to picture the impact that Hurricane Sandy has had, now a year and a half ago. My hometown was hit, but not drastically affected. As for Lafayette College, where I was at the time, I was in a friend’s dorm perhaps a ten minute walk from my own when the storm hit. I was going to walk back, but the wind was so strong I could barely open the door to the outside. Thus, I ended up sleeping on the floor for the night with covers, thanks to some help from a gracious host. It was unsettling to sleep with all the chaos outside.
I know areas of the country such as Long Island were hit very badly and have not yet fully recovered, but it is hard to describe or understand something like this until you see it first hand. In a matter of hours that is exactly what my group and I will be doing, and we will be doing our part to help, understand the issue and raise awareness.
I on a certain level, am nervous and do not know what to expect. But I also know that it will be a rewarding and memorable experience. More to come.