MONDAY, MARCH 3RD

Sunday, March 2nd, was tiring but exciting at the same time! The flight was smooth and uneventful, which was wonderful. Watching to see how Willetta reacted to the flight was like a kid opening presents on his or her first Christmas. She was very animated during the take-off. It was also refreshing to see someone truly enjoying what many take for granted daily. After arriving, we walked around the Hostel neighborhood and took in a few NY sites.

The Hostel International is different from the Holiday Inn, but if you ever get the opportunity to stay in one and see the city, I highly recommend it. Our first day of service was at the Clothing Bank. We learned that there are locations which receive new, not used, clothing to donate to the non-profit agencies. This impressed me because it allows those who receive the clothing to regain some of the dignity they may have lost. --- Denise Taylor


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New York is totally different from Georgia. The people, the cost of living, and the environment overall is very surprising to me. Many of the people that we met on the street were very "unfriendly." The taxes were as high as the prices were but i'd love to invest in the city's real estate market. The environment was cold and very urban. The locals moved around the city at a very fast pace.

Today we visited The Clothing Bank of New York. The clothing bank was not like any other that I’ve seen before. They only receive new clothing to distribute to the needy. We saw brands such as Prada, Fendi, Lacoste, and Ralph Lauren. The entire operation was very organized.

Overall the trip so far as been fun and extremely interesting. I will not mention the public transportation until a further date. It was quite interesting but I’ve learned so many things about people and life. --- Xavier Russ


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The flight to New York was extremely smooth. I took a nap, not because I was tired, but because I wanted to get my mind right for the experience ahead of me. As soon as we arrived the overwhelming number of people everywhere screamed “Welcome to New York.”

Checking in to the hostel was an experience on its own as most of us had never stayed in one room with more than two or three people. Exploring Time Square was definitely a thrill.

Our first volunteer adventure was great. At the soup kitchen, the staff was very warm and appreciative of our presence. I worked directly in the kitchen cutting tomatoes and lettuce for the next day’s lunch. It felt really good helping out in the kitchen and it came at a perfect time as one of the workers had already called in for the next day, so the work I did prevented one of the other workers from having to come in early. --- Atawanna L. Royal


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The soup kitchen was a wonderful experience. The people were so nice. I met some wonderful people who volunteer at the soup kitchen as well. --- Michelle Carter


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This experience has been wonderful thus far. This was my first flight; it was pretty smooth and fun. At first, I was so nervous... but everyone was very supportive and it calmed me down.

This experience has taught me to be appreciative of what I have. Working with the homeless population is very eye opening. I really like the Hostel because it reminds me of living in dorms. I never lived in dorms but they seem like they would be fun. --- Willetta Reed


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From the minute we left the LaGuardia airport we immediately began living the quintessential New York life! From crazy cab drivers, to eccentric street musicians, New York pizza, Times Square, fast paced living and lots of people from all over the world!

The hostile that we are staying at has a very unique atmosphere, with great customer service and many interesting things to do. We have had dinner twice now at a wonderful diner called “The Metro Diner.” This morning we started our day at 5 am. We went to Starbucks; then made our way to the subway. We went to our first meeting with the YSOP and met students from other universities who are involved with the project as well. We were divided into groups and dispersed to different parts of the city.

Our group went to a clothing bank in Brooklyn. Our task was to separate, inspect, fold, organize and store the clothing. We worked very hard and knocked out almost three weeks worth of work for the understaffed employees & volunteers. They were very grateful and we felt very proud. We reconvened at our original location with the YSOP and each group shared their experiences of the day. It was a great first day. I look forward to the many experiences yet to come. --- Amber Bennett


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Woah…This is my first time out of the South. I believe it is a great adventure. The plane trip was pretty cool with the new strangers. I was very tired after the plane and the walking to the hostel. We had an awesome dinner at Metro Diner. The food is a bit different. My steak was better than Carrabas in Georgia. I still don’t know everybodys’ name, but I will eventually. I had a great time at YSOP. Our group was split into two.

I was with Eric ‘s group. We were designated at a clothing bank. I learned at the clothing bank that it is cool to be poor or homeless at times. At the clothing bank, we folded so many brand new name brand clothes that I felt jealous for the people. I really wished at the moment I was homeless or poor. BUT to be appreciative, I believe I wouldn’t trade my life for a lower living just to get brand clothes.

Oh I met a lot of diverse people at the hostel. I have met people from Montreal, France, Germany, Argentina, and Detroit so far. I hope to meet more. I like New York so far but I have to say I don’t like the limited transits or food to me. I appreciate having a house, car, my own bed, lots of trees and grass since I have been living in New York. OH I lOVE SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY!!!! Northern hospitality stinks so far. --- Penny Ho


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Today we met up at YSOP and got our first assignment. My group went to the St. James soup kitchen. I worked in the back in the food pantry and stocked all the donated food and placed it in emergency bugs. The people were very nice and loved that we were there. It was good first experience of volunteering in a big city like New York, and has gotten me excited for the next few days. --- Tina Young


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Today was a very exciting day because it was our first day of service. After waking up at 5 a.m., the others and I went to Starbucks for breakfast. The train ride to YSOP was a little scary. Upon arriving at YSOP, we had a very long orientation and then we were released to our sites. My group went to the clothing bank on the Broclyn Army Base. The Bank provides brand new designer clothing to the needy. I was humble by the Bank’s purpose: to have homeless people feel like they are worthy to have nice clothes and to help them merge back into society. Today was a great day and I feel that we really helped them cut. --- Kamille Rigsby