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Lessons of Culture and Nature

Throughout the trip we used the phrase “Wake Will” as our slogan. Our group viewed this phrase to encompass our passion for service. Wakewill be dedicated to service, wake will give 100%, and wake will be respectful to our peers and hosts. It was important for us to remember that the seven of us were representing Wake Forest. The people we worked with would base their opinion of the school off of us. We strived to be the best representation of Wake Forest that we could and through the week we learned more about ourselves and the environment than any of us hoped for.

This trip combined teachings of Cherokee culture and the Appalachian environment into a beautiful lesson. The opportunity to enter the Snowbird Cherokee community is something that we could not do independently we were lucky to have Ed and Arlene there to introduce us. The Cherokee’s love of nature is inspiring, they are connected to the earth in ways that I can only hope to feel one day. The Cherokee commitment to preserving and being respectful to Mother Nature is admirable and we can all learn from them.

Growing up on the Outer Banks, I have always been surrounded with raw nature. It was not until coming to Wake that I realized how rare this is and I often forget this when I am away at school. Going to Appalachia presented a new environment to me, the mountains. Like the ocean, these are untouched, except with the invasive import plant, privet (which we experienced the wrath of). It was wonderful to be surrounded by people that truly understood the beauty and importance of preserving nature. I was grateful that I could experience the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, especially since I usually go home to the ocean.

I loved hearing about the Cherokee culture and learning of their beliefs and basic society structure. The walk down the Trail of Tears was deeply emotional and allowed me to walk the same path thousands of displaced Cherokee did. While I can never fathom the pain of the Cherokee, this walk touched my spirit and increased my understanding of the severeness of this great act against humanity.

Love and respect nature,

Alana

#wab15

Reflection

In many ways, the concept of an Alternative Break is unusual. It seems that when people talk about Spring Break, they picture a week spent at home recharging their batteries or a week spent in relaxation far away on a warm beach. It’s not easy for college students to choose to spend their week in service in a new place unfamiliar to them, and in many ways, it’s a choice where students will forgo other potentially useful alternatives such as preparing for exams, studying for their class, or personal development possible during a week’s break from the semester.

I am proud of my group, not only for their sacrifice, but for the enthusiasm and open-mindedness in approaching their work. This week of service in Maryville, Tennessee and Snowbird, North Carolina was a week of both cultural engagement and environmental work. Our group was a collection of individuals from Wake with different backgrounds and we found that, through the lens of service, we were able to challenge our previous assumptions about the Cherokee and about the environment in a ways that we didn’t anticipate going into the trip. We grew closer together, and through our service together we were able to more acutely represent the principles of Pro Humanitate that the Wake Alternative Break program is all about.

Ultimately, this week was encouraging and a period of growth for me. As someone who has previously attended the WAB Appalachia trip, it was great to return once again. During the week, I was able to see how I had changed as a person from my freshman year. As a junior in college now closer to the real world than to the beginning of my college career, I have changed in how I see things, how I understand things, and how I understand my place in the world. To see the passion for service in others my age was inspiring, and helped me to realize how far I have come in three years and how far the Wake Alternative Break program has come in this time. I hope that the future holds continuing growth for the participants and for the program.

Thanks,

Jason

#WAB15 ProHumanitate

“Ain’t nobody fresher than my clique” - Kanye West

#wab15

Some Closing Thoughts

As I sit in my dorm room reflecting on my final WAB experience, I am humbled by the opportunity we had as a group to be ambassadors for the spirit of Pro Humanitate. I am challenged to think of a more constructive and fulfilling way to have spent my break.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it is so encouraging to meet other students who are just as passionate about service and engagement. It was both an honor and a major responsibility to approach our service initiatives in a manner that reflects well upon Wake Forest. In doing so, we were able to contribute to the creation of an environment defined by compassion, enthusiasm and love. Attitudes are infectious, and an experience like WAB reminds us that ours should be ones worth catching.

I was also glad to have had the opportunity to return to Snowbird and the Great Smokey Mountains once again. Having originally gone as a first year student, it was important for me to re-experience this journey with a more mature perspective. I believe that, the second time around, I was able to appreciate the culture of the Cherokee in a more nuanced manner that could not be expected of someone at the level of emotional and intellectual maturity that I was during my first WAB trip. I have come to understand the importance of harmony, both with ourselves and with our environment, and the importance of cultural sensitivity in facilitating connections with people from whom we can learn so much.

We are all empowered to affect change in our worlds, and this ability is magnified when we combine it with those who are equally passionate. I am wholeheartedly grateful to Wake Forest and everyone who works to make WAB a reality for providing us with a platform to make this happen.

Warmly,

Ryan

#WAB15 #Prohumanitatae

Now that's a hootenanny!

#wab15 #prohumanitate

Our group in the Great Smokey Mountains!

One big bonfire!

#wab15 #prohumanitate

Today I had to modify my definition of service a bit. After a long day of splitting wood and removing privet from our host family's property, it would have been easy to say that much of what we did was of no help to the Cherokee or the Smokey Mountains. This, however, could not have been further from the truth. The firewood we collected today will be used to warm the cabins for breakaway students for years to come. In a very real sense, we were indirectly helping all of the people who future breakaway students would impact. An important part of service, I realized, is enabling other people to pay it forward. As much as we would like to be on the front lines helping those in need, it is important to remember that service is a collaborative effort, and, in helping one another, we are helping more than any of us could alone. -Ryan

#wab15 #prohumanitate

For our free day we decided to check out Knoxville, Tennessee. We have had a wonderful time connecting with nature but wanted to explore the urban side of TN. We started off by going to the McClung Museum of Natural History at the U of Tennessee, Knoxville. There was a great exhibit on native people of TN and showcased their day to day lives including pottery and weapons. Next, we needed some lunch and free wifi so to Panera and Starbucks we went. We had the unfortunate surprise of boots on the van. So $75 later we were on our way to downtown. We explored a bit, got some delicious food at Tomato Head, ask Hassan about the menu, he memorized the highlights for next time. We also ran into the group from U of Miami that are also doing Once Upon the Time. We caught a open mic night in Market Square and talked to a few peformers. After, Millie had the great idea to go to Cookout dor some milkshakes. After 30 minutes and some wrong turns we got our milkshakes. Overall, it was an awesome day off and we were excited to get some city exploring in as well. -Alana

Beautiful day supressing privet in the Great Smokey Mountains. We pulled over 5,000 privet plants, go deacs! Had a ton of fun with Kevin, an AmeriCorp member, and Ken, a forest ranger, for the park. We loved the opportunity to help make the Smokeys better! The park covers 800 square miles in TN and NC and has over 10 million visitors annually, making it the most visited national park in the country. -Alana

Beyond Words

Interaction. What is it? Why do we crave it? How do we findit? In my opinion, communication is overrated. I don’t think we need words to see someone’s heart. Interaction is just about being there for one another.

We went to the Snowbird Senior Citizen Center yesterday. I spent my time working on a craft with an elderly Cherokee named Amy. She is 100% fluent in the Cherokee language and has lived in the Snowbird community her entire life. I was pleased to hear that her two daughters were also at the center; I found myself hoping that one day when I am older I will have the fortune to spend everyday with my family and loved ones.

As I sat down and began to talk to Amy I realized there would be a challenge. Her abilities to speak and comprehend what I was saying were limited. When I discovered this barrier in communicating my initial thought was “Oh no, what am I going to do? I do not know how I can help. She cannot understand me. She cannot share her wisdom or experiences in the Cherokee community with me.”

Little did I know how wrong I was. Upon realizing that our ability to communicate was severely limited we both somewhat awkwardly smiled and laughed, but despite that there was kindness between us. Kindness that spoke its own words: we didn’t need to talk to care.

While sitting there, Amy was working on her craft, creating this egg shaped object filled with candy by layering wet tape squares on a balloon. As Amy was taping down the tape on her egg she tilted it towards me with a look that said, “Do you want to try?” Grateful to be included, I nodded in enthusiasm and began to help. It was very peaceful sitting there with this stranger working on a craft. I was interacting in a way that adults so often don’t take the time to do anymore.

Working with Amy taught me that we can have a positive effect on each other just by being there, just by caring. She reminded me much of my grandma who has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It’s hard watching someone you admire struggle with their own words and understanding you, but at the end of the day all I want is to spend time with them. It doesn’t take talking to be there for someone, it takes actually being there. I was sad to leave Amy, she had this smile that touched my heart. As I gave her a hug goodbye I realized what had just been achieved: two strangers found themselves caring deeply about one another bonded by a simple craft. Interaction.

Millie Donoghue

#wab15 #prohumanitate

"You can park there, they never actually tow you from these spots"

75 dollars later, and I guess we’re technically right…

#WAB15 #ProHumanitate #WakeWill #NoMoMoney

To get to Snowbird you have to take a road that has 318 turns in 11 miles, named, “The Dragon”

#wab15 #prohumanitate #appalachia #SlayedTheDragon

“You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'” - Maya Angelou

This quote by Maya Angelou strongly embodies the sentiment of the Cherokee Community. I continue to be surprisedby the strength the Cherokee Tribe in Snowbird has to forget the past. They do not dwell on things that have happened, they move past it. This is especially surprising when discussing the Trail of Tears. We were fortunate enough to walk a small section of it in Tennessee. Silently walking that part of sacred ground personalized the Trail of Tears for me. I cannot forgive the act of 16,000 people being forcibly removed or the 4,000 deaths it caused but the Cherokee people can. This strength is indescribable and I greatly admire the ability of Cherokee people to move past this tragedy. They say, yes this happened to us but look where we are now. We were not broken by this. Our community continues to thrive regardless of what has been done to break us. Cherokee members have enough courage to stand up and say “I forgive.”

Continue to forgive but never forget,

-Alana

Bonding over making jam with Arlene at our jam sesh.

Enjoying the beautiful sights of the Great Smoky Mountains at the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and on the Dragon (US 129).

#beautiful prohumanitate WAB15 WABalachia

Pro Humanitate: For Everyone

One of the things I appreciate the most about this trip is the fact that Wake Forest is just one of four institutions working in our various service placements. It is an incredible responsibility to represent Wake Forest well, but it is an equally incredible opportunity to connect with and learn from the impressive students from across the country (and the world!) who come to Once Upon a Time.

Facilitating these connections has been much easier because of the fact that we all have at least one thing in common: we all passionate enough about service to dedicate our free time to causes we care about. Simply asking students about the other philanthropic endeavors that they take part in or why they chose to go on an alternative break opens the door to enlightening conversations about the ways in which other schools strive to embody Pro Humanitate in their own way.

I am thankful to Ed and Arleen for regularly strengthening the commitment of young people to service simply by providing them with a platform to make the realization that their enthusiasm is shared by people they may never have otherwise met. I am reluctant to think about the end of this trip, but I know that I will be leaving WAB encouraged by the fact that there are a plethora of people beyond Wake Forest who are committed to facilitating the development of responsible and engaged members of a community.

I am also sure that I will return to Wake Forest with new and exciting ideas that have been shared with me by other students. Indeed, although there is much to be learned from the people we serve, we can learn just as much from those we serve with.

Thanks for letting me share,

Ryan

#wab15 #prohumanitate

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