Throwback Thursday: Kodi Haney, Spring ‘18
[Photo Credit: Renee Chan]
Kodi Haney, Social Work and Sociology major at Gordon College, interned at Eviction Defense Collaborative
Enjoy Kodi Haney’s #tbt post on his first encounter with this vibrant city, breathing in its welcoming air.
I remember my first night in San Francisco. It was raining, typical for January. It was much colder than I expected. I landed at about 8:30pm and, as the minutes passed, I became increasingly hungry.
I had been travelling since 8am and was tired, so I hopped in the Uber going to my hotel. As I gazed out the windows, a strange feeling began washing over me, something I had never felt before. Air.
For the first time in my adult life, I felt air. My lungs, unaware of their immeasurable importance, shouted with joy. Quickly my entire body began to quake, until all I could do was cry tears of joy in the backseat of that Uber.
As I reflect upon the semester’s experiences, those feelings begin to creep up again. Tears of pure joy stream down my face as I remember back to the time some woman on the street saw all of us with our backpacks on going to Rodeo Beach and asked, “Are you on the Urban Program?”
[Photo Credit: Kodi Haney]
Or, when I remember the time we all played sardines in the Clunie house. Or, even thinking about our accident on the most crowded bus of the twenty-first century.
San Francisco has given me something I had come to accept did not exist for me; it gave me life. Its vibrancy, pizzazz, and uniqueness have overflowed my heart with incredible joy and love.
The moments and people who have filled each and every day have renewed my spirits and given me a new song to sing. Most importantly, San Francisco has taught me what it means to breathe in and breathe out fresh and wholesome air.
[From April 2018]











