Day Eight: Everybody!

Amy: I can’t believe our spring break is over. On our last day, I woke up and couldn’t wait to see the NYC lights again. But now that I am home, I miss the fresh air and greenery at Gesundheit! I also miss waking up with everyone in that Asian lady bug infested room. After spending a week at Gesundheit! Institute, I, along with our AB group, have grown and bonded tremendously. Beyond the service that we did, I think what made this experience memorable and special were the reflections and how we shared a part of ourselves with everyone. After a week, I definitely appreciate being deprived of technology during our break because…I needed it. Growing up in the city I realized that I have been living in such a fast paced environment and it is difficult to find your peace of mind, but at Gesundheit! I literally felt like I had all the time I needed. I can’t believe that it’s a bit difficult adjusting to the NYC lifestyle. The morning hike, life-threatening canoeing, hectic cooking, tear-jerking reflections, competitive card games, and fun road trip only sum up a part of our AB trip. This was a remarkable experience for me and I am thankful I got to spend it with our AB fam. :) ♥

Lakpa: The AB trip has been an amazing experience! Throughout the week in Hillsboro, West Virginia, I learned so much about myself, every group members, and definitely more about Patch Adam's vision of holistic healthcare. There is so much more to comprehend and realize about our healthcare issue than those stated in the Patch Adam's movie. In addition, working as a team made me understand the true essence of unity and how powerful and effective it could be when everyone comes together to support a cause! Doing any task seemed achievable. In times of adversity it made a lot of difference in individual's attitude and approach- in a positive way- knowing that we are all in this together and everybody's got each other's back. I feel so fortunate and grateful to be a part of this beautiful trip to Gesundhe!t Institute. Thus  far AB has meant really meaningful to me in aspect of building strong friendship, stepping out of comfort zone, and learning more about myself. Being part of the Gesundheit trip has made me appreciate life in general and people who are part of it. This trip was truly one of a kind experience! ♥

Jhaviry: I’m happy to be back home in New York City and to be able to see my mom and dad after a week of not being home with them, but the time I spent at Gesundheit with the rest of the group was definitely unforgettable. From late night conversations to singing songs in the car to listening to Jessica’s pop-tart tragedy, this experience was one that I will never forget. Even though at first I was starting to regret my decision of coming on the trip, because I was feeling so home sick and living conditions were tough to get used to at first, but being in the company of such wonderful people quickly changed my outlook on what would be one of the best weeks ever!

Manjiri: I cannot even begin to fairly express what all this past week meant to me. This trip was a personal journey as well as a great social outing, I enjoyed both aspects of it. I will be honest, on the first night we made it there, I was a bit (ok a lot more than a bit) nervous. I am afraid of dogs, dark, and a lot more things that were a big part of our stay at Gesundheit. I was afraid I had challenged myself beyond my capability this time. However, I was quickly immersed in the beauty of the place. The starry nights, Wildman and Elisa"s hospitality, and the comfortable, wonderful bond that formed between our group made this transition very easy. By the third day, I had grown fond of boomala and black dog, and I miss them now. I learned about what Gesundheit Institute stands for and came to appreciate the dedication to service and efforts to realize the vision of the people involved in this project. Painting the mural, cleaning the basement, tipping over the canoe, making tie-die shirts, meeting Joel or dining at Pretty Penny- I have made unforgettable memories that will always make me nostalgic. It was only after coming back home to NYC, I truly realized I had found a new home- in the people and in the wilderness of West Virginia. I am walking away with so much from this trip that has helped me grow as a person, and sure that the connections I have made and relationships that have formed will carry through in my life!

Kim: For me, this week meant a much needed break from the regular stress of being a college student, and allowed my 11 friends and I to reflect and gain a new point of view into life.  More importantly, this trip brought the 12 of us together to make a great friendship, which according to Patch Adams, is the best medicine.  I will always reminisce of this week when I think of West Virginia, Asian Lady Beetles, or whenever I sneeze.  I love all of you guys ♥

Alyssa: Before going on this trip I knew that it would an experience like never before; but, after experiencing this week at the Gesundheit! Institute I can't find words to express what this week has meant to me. Not only have I formed intense bonds with every single person in my group, but I have also grown immensely as a person. This Alternative Break turned out to be so much more than I have ever imagined and I can't believe that this week is already over. I have become so accustomed to living with my group and surviving the asian lady beetle infestation that it actually feels a bit weird to be home. I have been blessed to find a group of people that make me feel like I am home, and I am going to miss not being with you all 24/7 (even though we all lost our marbles). I will never forget the memories that were made this week and I will forever carry with me the values I learned at the Gesundheit! Institute. NYAB2013 ♥

Alma: After a week of service in West Virginia I can safely say that my concept of service has been broadened. We did everything from maintenance to the facilities of our service site to interacting with locals. Having advised other AB groups before, I am familiar with how close team members can get. I truly feel this group has become a family and am fortunate to be a part of it!

Jessica: I woke up this morning thinking that I was still sleeping on the floor of the Art House. Worst disappointment ever. When I signed up for this trip, I expected to get some service work done and get a unique insight into the world of health care. I did, but these expectations fall short of what I’ve experienced. This institute, and this trip for that matter, emphasizes the importance of human interaction and its remarkable beauty. I was able to see this interaction at its best while clowning at the hospital. I was able to see the not-so-good effects from the lack of interaction when visiting Jole, a man who seeks to create his own “universe.” And thankfully, I was able to experience the power of interaction with my AB group, of which I now call family. I am extremely grateful to say that I gained a family here, I gained children here (the goats and the dogs I fed!!), and best of all, I gained my sanity here. I will forever cherish this experience, as it has profoundly changed my life.

Priyanka: I really dont know what to say. This week has been fantastic. Every year that I have returned to G! changed my life in a different way. In previous years I've learned how to serve, I've learned how to lead, and then this year I learned how to love. I learned to love the land, love my friends, love myself, love my family even from afar, and love life. I've made relationships that I will value forever and learned so much from every single one. I want to take a second to thank all 11 other people that were on this trip for everything they have taught me and I want to tell them that I'm proud of them and love them oh so very much. Thank you for making my last Alternative Breaks trip beyond amazing. 

Hannah: This week was incredible. Even having been on this trip previously, the past week has been an entirely new experience. Part of that can be attributed to it being a different time and Gesundheit! being a more evolved place and our having different living arrangements than we did while at the site last year, but the greatest attribution owed - and by far the most important - is that owed to these people sharing this blog post with me. In the months leading up to the trip, I knew our group would inevitably grow much closer while on it, both from my previous AB experience as well as the simple fact that we'd be living and working together in such close quarters, but the resultant phenomenon was unlike any I could have ever imagined. In the months leading up to the trip, I would never have imagined that these individuals - individuals I would have never otherwise even noticed if I saw them on the street, let alone met - would become very much a family to me. For that, I am indebted to them, to this trip, and to even the Asian Lady Beetles that brought us so close together. I'd also like to add that I am so incredibly proud to have been able to see - and perhaps even foster - how these individuals have grown throughout the trip; by its end there were eight incredibly strong leaders in those who had started out as participants. To the eight of you, there are no words for how proud I am of all of you, and to the whole group of eleven, I love you, and thank you.

Day Seven: Alyssa and Jhaviry

So, after unwillingly getting out of bed this morning after a long night of awkward & intense conversation we began our last day at the Gesundheit! Institute. We all quickly got dressed and swiftly walked to the farmhouse so that we could have breakfast and make sandwiches (which we found Kim graciously making). Today we were spending the day with Joel at his home Point of View Farms. Although we didn’t know what we would be doing on Joel’s land, most of us were excited about driving across a river in a monster truck to get there.

Jhaviry: So today was finally day seven, I thought it would never come, but now I’m sad that it came this fast. I was excited and nervous to cross the river in Joel’s monster truck, but when the moment finally came we all got on the truck and braced our selves for the ride of our lives.

Alyssa: My experience at Joel’s house was really fun and came with lots of firsts. To begin with, today was the first time that I’ve ever ridden in a monster truck, and at that we were driving through a river. The ride had lots of bumps but that’s what made it so fun. Within ten minutes of being in Joel’s farm I ended up feeding a BEAR, met some weird emus, owls, vultures and parrots. We then proceeded to move some rocks, and this quickly turned into a competition where Priyanka would lose her toes.

Jhaviry: After Joel’s we were all pretty worn out from our adventure at Point of View Farms. So after some more awkward yet funny conversations and a refreshing nap, we were once again on our way out of Gesundheit and were heading towards Pretty Penny. At Pretty Penny we were able to eat some delicious food, most importantly some of us finally got to eat meat again after a week of being vegetarians! I enjoyed a cheese burger with fries as well as some fun time with the rest of the group taking pictures and playing truth or dare while we waited for others to finish eating dinner.

While we were all excited to eat some meat at the Pretty Penny tonight, Tinley was a bit disappointed that she couldn’t eat steak. She had her mind set on ordering a steak, with a side of steak, with the juices from the steak in a cup. But, she was satisfied with her chicken and stinky fries.

Alyssa: When we first entered the Pretty Penny everyone who was already in the restaurant could tell that we were from out of town, but things were still good. Although not eating meat this entire week didn’t really seem to bother me, I was excited that I could give up my temporary vegetarianism. Although we had to wait a while to get served (there were 40 of us and one waitress), the food was delicious and I had lots of fun talking and laughing with everyone. There were moments where I became worried that the people in my group had gambling issues. There was a gumball machine in the restaurant and apparently if you got a white gumball you would get a free dessert. Once we found this out, everyone spent several dollars in their attempts to get the white gumball. No one won, so as a result we had a bunch of gumballs at our table and we proceeded to take pictures while blowing bubbles with our gum.

Tonight was our final reflection, and it was amazing. Although it wasn’t as emotional as our previous ones have been, we certainly ended on a high note, and everyone is appreciating themselves and each other more than ever. WE LOVE EACH OTHER!!!! :D

Jhaviry: Our time at Gesundheit! was definitely unforgettable. I’m going to miss Gesundheit and I’m going to miss everyone that was on the trip with me. Wildman and Elisa treated us like family and getting to know the other students from UMBC and Rutgers was also a great part of the experience I had here. This Alternative Break trip will definitely be something that I look back on years from now. I am also going to forever cherish the fact that we have all grown very close with each other and the fact that this group has grown to become one big family =).

Alyssa: Today was definitely the perfect last day at Gesundheit! Although it was relatively chilly, the sun was shining bright and we had a great day. Since everyone knew it was our last day at the institute we all really soaked in our environment. Whether it be Lakpa, Kim, Tinley, and Jacob canoeing in the lake (without falling in the water), or Jessica, Jhaviry, and myself hanging out with the other students, we all made sure to embrace our last day of being at the Gesundheit! Institute. The Gesundheit! Institute has definitely left a lasting impression on us and I am sure that I can speak for my entire group when I say that Gesundheit! is a place that we will never forget and will always carry with us.

Although today was our last day at Gesundheit!, our entire Alternative Break trip isn’t over just yet. After packing up our bags and saying goodbye to Gesundheit!, and the lady bugs, we await what tomorrow’s road trip back to New York City has in store for us.

Day Six: Amy and Manjiri

As Jhaviry would say, today is Day 6 (with a big smile). We started our day with an exciting promise of eggs for breakfast from Jessica. Sadly, we later found out that we can’t eat eggs for breakfast L.

Amy: Luckily I had some anywayyy and it was delicious. Mama Jessica also makes the best hot chocolate.

Manjiri: Luckily, I had some too, but I was sad because Jessica, who made them, didn’t get to have any. But she said, the thank yous filled her up, which was sweet of her!

Amy: WAIT… Before we continue with today’s story I have to mention what happened at around 6am this morning. All week Alyssa told us Manjiri randomly screams some gibberish stuff in the middle of the night, and we never believed her. Coincidently this morning, Manjiri decides to scream some tongue twisting gibberish. The whole entire room woke up startled and I was so scared I screamed at Manjiri. Moral of the story is…Alyssa was right and no one should wake me up while I’m sleeping.

Manjiri: Anyway, ignoring the totally made up story mentioned by Amy, let me continue telling you about the rest of the day. After breakfast, our group was split up and assigned different tasks.

Unfortunately because it was snowing today, we couldn’t visit Joel. Instead, some of us went to clean up the highway, some went to the docha, and some were assigned lunch duties.

Amy: I was in charge of lunch today and definitely was not looking forward to cooking for 40 people. Luckily, Lakpa took the lead and guided us with making curry, tortillas, and brown rice.  I missed out on the highway clean up but I heard that Alyssa’s face almost fell off because it was freezing outside. (It snowed today!!)

Manjiri: All our faces fell off because of the cold. As gratifying as it was to see the highway get cleaned up by our team effort, it was really cold and I was actually miserable because I wasn’t prepared for the cold and snow. However Jacob’s positive attitude, and great conversations we had with the rest of the group the night before, enabled us to get through this and have fun.

 

Lunch was a success! After lunch, all of the schools got together to read our responses to the letters that were sent to Patch.

Amy: It was great listening to everyone’s responses…but halfway through, it was really difficult to stay awake… (We stayed up too late the night before bonding).

Manjiri: Some of the stories were touching and thought provoking, and it was interesting to hear different perspectives on the issues.

We had a group naptime after this activity. We then drove to the farm house for dinner. Priyanka had begun to lose it at this point, we got to see a crazier, funner side of her.

Amy: Dinner was delicious…pizza, mac n’ cheese, and lasagna…I don’t think I mind being a vegetarian anymore!

Afterwards we did some t-shirt tie-dying with the Master Wildman.

Manjiri: I am really excited for my T-shirt. I was going for a design, but at some point I just started improvising, so lets see what the end product turns out to be.

 

As usual we ended the day with reflections. But tonight’s meeting was the most intense; it went past midnight and almost everyone was bawling.

Amy: These past reflection meetings have been great. I think we’ve become much more comfortable sharing a part of ourselves with each other. This is why I love our AB group so much J. 

Manjiri: I second Amy. I shared things with the group I would only with close friends and family, because that is what we have become.

After reflections, we bonded more over fun gossip and ended the day on a good note, looking forward to our last adventure on this trip tomorrow holds.

Day Five: Jessica and Priyanka

Today marked the day of extreme excitement – we would finally be able to go clowning. After a night of fun banter and pointless complaining (regarding the “Asian ladybugs” & wasps in our room), we woke up eager to wear our clown suits, hit the road, and spread happiness.

Jessica: Although living in New York City is exciting and the lights are oh so inspiring as Alicia Keys promises it to be, West Virginia is literally a breath of fresh air. Realizing that this is unfortunately already the fifth day of our trip, I attempted to wake up early to soak in the surrounding scenery and watch the sunrise. I woke up a little too late but was still able to have a morning walk while jamming out to U2’s old hits. Once my U2-inspired phase ended, something within me knew that today was going to be a jam-packed day of pure happiness and generosity. Perhaps it was because I walked into Jacob and Kim’s selfless act of making to-go lunches for our group, or perhaps it was because the goats didn’t attack me this morning as I fed them their hay. One by one, all of our group members began trailing into the farmhouse, dressed in their clown suits, and prepped up with red noses and Kool-Aid smiles.

Priyanka: Once again, another beautiful morning at Gesundheit! I can never get over how gorgeous this place is and how incredibly different it is from NYC and my home in New Jersey. Clowning day is always my favorite and I woke up incredibly excited. We got all ready to go, ties and tutu’s galore, and then hopped in cars to take the winding road to the VA hospital. HOWEVER, we had a very rude experience by one Alma who decided that she and her Gumby pants felt the need to exit my fabulous van and steal the walkie-talkie as well. She was punished by the silent treatment and Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay.” Except, it’s not okay. She owes me big time.

After breakfast, we followed Wildman, who was dressed in his best clown suit, up to Veterans Hospital. Staff members, visitors, and patients immediately greeted us in the hospital lobby. Robert, one of the hospital staff members who has worked with Gesundheit several times, hosted our visit and guided us towards patients, specifically Vietnam veterans, to visit. 

Jessica: Visiting the hospital was simply amazing. I’ve seen Patch Adam’s “clown tours” in documentaries, and I’ve always longed to not only participate in one, but also see the effects of participating in a clown visit. Upon our arrival at the hospital, our group’s effect was obvious right away. In the parking lot alone, visitors’ faces brightened as they saw our colorful outfits. And inside the hospital, this face-changing domino effect took an even greater toll. It was especially fulfilling to hear one of the residents sing “Amazing Grace” to all of us, as he was genuinely happy to express his singing ability in two different languages. Afterwards, we decided to sing it for him, and his happiness at that point was rapidly contagious. It was then that I realized that although Patch Adams interacts with patients through a comical approach, what the patients really need, is genuine interaction. A comical approach is a gateway to reach this interaction. For what it’s worth, it’s quite frankly a genius approach in my opinion.

Priyanka: I agree with Jessica wholeheartedly. The only separate experience that I had was seeing a few of the same people that I have seen for the past 3 years. I felt a mix of sadness and joy upon realizing that these people have still been here for that long, but joyful that I could chat with them again and maybe bring some momentary happiness to their day.

After failing to resist our Subway temptation, we returned back to Gesundheit. Because there was some free time available, we decided to get some much-needed rest, and then prepare for an evening skit. (For Hannah and Priyanka, this meant taking a nap. For all others, this meant bonding through leisurely laughing and intense Facebook stalking of our AB leaders….)

Jessica: One of our tasks here at Gesundheit was to prepare a skit regarding a social issue and presenting it to Wildman, his wife Elisa, and the two other university groups. Seems simple, right? Well, it was. After we got over rehearsal, which took several laughs to complete. Our skit was about a young girl revealing her homosexual identity to one of her friends and ultimately facing a compilation of challenges because of it. Though our skit was rather serious, we were able to sneak references from Mean Girls in it and poke fun at Kim, who was struggling to portray the right amount of “swag” for his character. No biggie though. We eventually got it right, after several (fun and loving) attempts.

Priyanka: I was really grumpy after my nap. So everything was a blur. Read Jessica’s blurb for the real story.

After a delicious dinner (thanks Manjiri!), each university presented a skit of a health/social issue present in our society. Not to be overly confident, but NYU received an encore, and we proudly performed twice!

As usual, our group gathered for reflection at the end of the day. We all participated in a “Step in, Step Out” activity.

Jessica: Rutgers and UMBC, I’m really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but NYU AB had the best performance of all time! OF ALL TIME!! Seriously though, after we performed our skit, a lot of students complemented our acting skills (was it an overwhelming Tisch influence maybe?). They seemed stunned by the simplicity, yet equal complexity of our skit. Elisa asked us to vote for the skit we all wanted to see again to work on through audience interaction, and our skit was quickly voted in. What I’m most proud of is not the fact that our skit was voted to perform again, but rather by the feedback we received regarding this complexity of our skit. Our play dealt with the complexity of identity, and because this complexity is so prevalent at our university more than others, this skit was definitely more than just a skit. It was a rich learning experience for a lot of students, and no matter how big or small this skit performance was, in some way or another, we really did positively impact our audience. And for that, I am forever grateful by the students that are participating in this AB trip. Now more than ever, I’m realizing that this group of twelve students is a group of great promise. We’re all diverse in our way, thus our complexity. Yet even so we all want to create an impact, thus our central purpose. And yes, I’m proud to say that this impact was successfully done this morning, evening, and will surely be further done in our individual future endeavors.   

Priyanka: I am so so so so so so proud of our group for the skit. They really beautifully portrayed a difficult situation and the rest of the groups responded well to it. Tonight’s reflection was also particularly important in my opinion. I want to thank everyone for their willingness to participate and to put themselves out there. This was one of the only times where I felt like I was in a truly safe space and wasn’t nervous to share my thoughts.

            

Day Four: Lakpa and Hannah

This morning at 6:40 am, Lakpa woke up to the cacophonous screeching of a scorned bird. It was, however, alright, as she was preparing for a morning hike up the Ridge Trail with Jacob, Alma, Kim, and Amy.

Meanwhile, Hannah was asleep with Quorra, her penguin Pillow Pet. (Yes, named for Olivia Wilde’s character in Tron Legacy.)

The hike was incredibly steep going up, and Lakpa and co. had been heading up for about half an hour when they saw a spectacular sunrise from the top of the trail. They did, unfortunately, take a wrong turn on their way down, but found their way home!

Meanwhile, Hannah was still asleep with Quorra.

Lakpa: The morning hike was really refreshing, and I felt rejuvenated! However, I felt pain in my thighs at the end of the hike, but I must say that it was worth it. The hike was great overall.

Hannah: Quorra is a superior cuddler.

(Lakpa: Hannah is adorable! <3)

Following their hike, Lakpa and Amy tried to take a picture in front of the Datcha. After several attempts, they were finally able to take a good picture!

Soon after, Black dog came out from the farmhouse to get her early morning massage. Like a boss!

After several attempts, Hannah was finally able to get up and stumble up to the Farmhouse, where she and Priyanka, after several failed attempts, were finally able to make coffee.

After coffee, Hannah, only three-quarters groggy now, hiked back to the Library for the leaders’ meeting, where the day’s activities were discussed. Yay delegating!

Lakpa was assigned to a group with Priyanka and Alma to go stain the Library, Wildman and Elisa’s home. The weather was sunny, but the wind was really chilly.

Lakpa: I would say staining was not as easy as it seemed. Priyanka, Alma, and I had a lot of trouble putting up the ladders, and it took a long time for us to get it. We were finally able to get started when Jerome, one of the leaders from UMBC, brought a ladder down to help us out.

Hannah was assigned to work with the remains of an apple tree that’d blown down: with a group of students from both Rutgers and UMBC, she worked to sort and further cut pieces of the tree.

Hannah: I’m proud to say I used a chainsaw for the first time today, and now have yet another reason to smile to myself with smug satisfaction every time I wear one of my many plaid flannel shirts. Throwing logs into the pile, I also pretended like I was Peeta in training for the first Hunger Games. Because I’m totally a Peeta. The Peeta-est Peeta to ever Peeta. I must say, I enjoyed working with wood today.

Before lunch, everyone migrated back to the Art House, where Lakpa, Manjiri, Jessica, and Amy were preparing to give the canoe a shot, with Kim and Hannah watching.

It was nice, until the canoe tipped, and everyone fell out into freezing water. Luckily, we were still pretty close to shore. To say the least, it was a memorable moment.

Lunch was nomz: we had pizza toast, or tomato sauce and three shredded cheeses on bread that was then toasted. There was also salad with homemade dressing!

After lunch, everyone returned to work: Hannah and co. headed back to the apple tree, which, after some bonding over JLaw, was quickly finished, at which point she headed over to help with Lakpa and friends.

Lakpa: I noticed a change as we were staining the Library. The staining just started getting darker than the previous ones! I felt like something was wrong.

Hannah: Famous last words.

And thus, the ombre house was born.

Team Ombre worked on finishing the wall well into – and past – supper, as well as past the descent of the sun below the top of the misty mountains. It was cold. Super cold.

We made up for it when Hannah brought out her ukulele, though! Priyanka played some sick chords and we all rocked out to an acoustic version of the Biebs' "Beauty and the Beat." It was a pretty amazing experience and quite frankly, we all deserve a Grammy.

Finally, we made our way up to the Farmhouse to have dinner – and props to Jessica for helping out! – for some delish vegetable stir fry with brown rice. Tinley also made some bomb gluten-free dairy-free blueberry cupcake!

After supper, we watched Clownin’ Kabul, a film depicting a clowning trip to Afghanistan in preparation for our clowning trip to a VA Hospital tomorrow.

Lakpa: Luckily the lights were off while we watched the documentary. I teared up. It was really emotional. I feel more respect towards Patch Adams, and I feel like he’s very strong as a person because he was able to go out there in such a dangerous place and perform, just to bring a smile to war-affect children. At that point, I felt really glad that I was part of this change.

Hannah: Even though it was my second time viewing the film, it was still incredibly emotional. Compassion is so often such an incredibly brave act, and I feel like it goes so often unappreciated. This really helped me come back to that knowledge and appreciation myself.

After the film, we did a reflection, gossiped a little bit, and went to bed, excited for the day ahead and the adventures to come!