Monday, March 14th, 2016

Today is Monday, March 14th, Pi day! Our names are Srijoy and Kira, and we are going to take you through our first full day on Alternative Break. We started the morning super early. Breakfast eaten, sandwiches made, and out the door by 7:45. First stop was at the organization Vital Voices. Emily Hooker, the program coordinator sat down with us, and talked about the organization and the typical work they do. It was awesome hearing that they reach out to female leaders around the world to promote human welfare. After leaving there, we were running a little early, so we went to a local coffee shop for some warm drinks and cookies. We visited the LaoGai Museum where we were given a guided tour. LaoGai basically stands for "Labor Reform". We met Harry Wu, the founder of the museum and a survivor of a 19-year-long imprisonment in a Chinese labor camp. He was very passionate about the cause, and spoke about the problems his family faced as well as where he currently sees the future of China. He was an insightful man with a rich personal background. We left the museum to eat lunch before we were on our way to Sasha Bruce. This is a group based in the south-eastern part of DC working to alleviate issues with homeless and troubled youth. These develop programs to help these children find their way back into the world with a skill-set to allow them to get their higher education, and eventually careers. Our work there involved sorting clothes and handing out fliers for a coming event centered around bringing the community together to give out clothes and provide testing opportunities those at risk for such. Some members of the group were given a tour of one of the houses that Sasha Bruce used to rehabilitate the troubled youth. In fact, they were able to meet some of the residents of the house. We finished up at Sasha Bruce, and eventually made our way back to the Pilgrimage. Tonight we will have pizza, and finish up our day with some group reflections. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as busy and fun as today!