Swagtastic

My name is Andrew Hornick, I’m a sophomore at Centre College participating in Alternative Spring Break 2010. Today is the day that we embarked upon our epic journey south towards Atlanta. For the first step of our trip, we were carried on a bus that can only be described as swagtastic. Fully purpled out in our bus, we arrived in Atlanta in some serious style. Upon arrival we were introduced to the place that we will call home for the next six days. I’ll describe the setup for those of you out there in blogland: our men’s quarters are in the basement of a converted church, which we immediately dubbed “the suite,” while the women are housed upstairs in what was formerly the sanctuary. The middle floor is the dining area, and our showers are located in a trailer called “the rubber ducky project.”

Our first afternoon was spent touring a vibrant young neighborhood in ATL. We were able to meet Kwanzaa, the city councilman from the district, who was very welcoming and even invited us to friend him on Facebook or follow his tweets. His chief of staff, Jay, then led us on a tour across the neighborhood, which is the birthplace of MLK Jr. Jay was filled with intriguing facts and fascinating people. The socioeconomic factors that have caused the neighborhood to be revitalized as it has are truly fascinating.

We definitely are roughing it with our living conditions, but we are collectively learning to deal with our surroundings and be grateful for what we have. The trip should prove to be a great learning experience.

One last pearl of wisdom:
“Ain’t nothin’ but good comes from school”
Mrs. Thompson, amazing Atlanta resident