It's getting late (or early?) here in T3 and I'm just finishing up packing for my Alternative Spring Break trip to Salamanca, New York. Of course I felt the overwhelming urge to procrastinate further (because the three movies earlier tonight with Crystal & Leroy wasn't enough) and sit down to write a quick post about the trip!
So for starters Alternative Spring Break is a program run through the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs at Ithaca College. It's a week long, substance-free, service immersion trip that students apply to be a part of. This year there are trips to West Virginia, Washington D.C., Florida, Missouri, and Salamanca, New York (the one I'm going to!).
In Salamanca we'll be volunteering at the youth center and hopefully learning more about the Seneca Nation. I'm super excited because I love working with kids. Recently I started a one-to-one mentorship with a sixth-grader in Ithaca and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of college so far. My relationship with Viola (my mentee) has gotten me excited to work with kids her age for an entire week.
In addition to volunteering at the youth center, one of the reasons I chose to go on the trip to Salamanca was because Salamanca is one of the only city's that's located entirely on native territories. I'm expecting it to be a really culturally unique place. I'm hoping to observe and experience some of the cultural differences between Salamanca, Ithaca, and Hauppauge (my hometown), which I expect to be a product of differences in heritage/ethnicity/race. I also hope to understand more about the Seneca Nation.
In New York State, casinos exist on native territories (Thank you, Grandma.) Like other Native territories in New York, Salamanca also has a gambling industry. On our trip we're taking a tour of the casino and talking about the gambling industry. In my week there I hope to see how the gambling industry affects the businesses, people, and overall atmosphere in the city.
A van of seven people I've met once and I are leaving tomorrow around 11:30. I can't wait to get to know the people I'll be spending my spring break with. :)
Well that's all for now, I'll post everyday so be sure to check in!
back to packing (then maybe sleeping)
-Bree
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