Urban Expedition Memoir
By Aaliyah Thomas
Midtown Academy, 8th grade
During the expedition, we did many things, faced many challenges. We learned communication skills, to be responsible and more. Some challenges we faced were trusting each other, not being scared of bugs and walking long distances without giving up or complaining. I was annoyed, frustrated and homesick at times. A challenge for me was keeping a positive mindset. I learned that I can get annoyed really easily, at which point I sometimes isolate myself from others.
My favorite part of the expedition was going to the Baltimore American Indian Center. It was really fun, and I learned a lot about Native American culture. The people there were nice, welcoming and sweet. I had a good time.
On the expedition, I gained more responsibility and got to see a different side of my classmates than I see at school. I don’t think I’ve changed much from the expedition, but I notice I’m helping around the house more, and I’m more responsible.
We stayed at Clifton Mansion, Solo Gibbs Recreation Center, the Church of the Guardian Angel and the Crossroads School of the Living Classrooms Foundation. We did service for Solo Gibbs, Reach!
We walked to most of our destinations with heavy backpacks on our backs. The first night was really fun. We stayed at Solo Gibbs and had spaghetti for dinner, which was kind of dry, so we mixed in different spices, such as oregano, cinnamon, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce and parmesan cheese. It was crazy! After dinner, we got in our pajamas and listened to music, danced and played foosbol.
Everyday, we’d go somewhere to do service and activities, have lunch and walk to our sleeping spot. Then we’d start dinner, get in our sleeping clothes and play games, eat, have evening meeting and go to sleep.
For me, I didn’t really want to go because I couldn’t shower. But I came anyway. To make the experience fun, we talked, sang and played games when walking. We talked about everything from domestic violence, TV shows, music and boys to school, movies and what to do when we got home. From this experience, I think my class and I gained more responsibility and insight into what we want for ourselves in the future and how we plan on reaching that goal.
