Goodnight!

Its 8:30pm on Saturday night, the rest of the group is out for icecream/exploring but I stayed back to head to bed early; Kyle and I are making/serving breakfast in the morning and the breakfast shift starts at 5:30am...not a normal rising time for us college kids but something that I can get used to!
The drive from Madison to Boston was definately an adventure...snow storms, semi's galore, wrong turns, but we made it. With a little help from coffee, 5 Hour Energy Shot, and pro-driving skills, Matt and I drove through New York last night from 1am-5am. Normally wouldn't recommend extensive caffeine consumption but I wanted to get my group here on time and in one piece!
A few of us helped prepare the meal tonight, and we all began meeting and talking with the residents here. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated as to what it would be like to socialize with the homeless that come here. Obviously all of us are very kind and understanding people, but I was worried about the glaring gap between our very priviledged lives and the lives of those that we are volunteering with. My fears went away almost immediately when we sat down to play cards and watch football with a few residents. Everyone who talked to us was so kind and very interested in Wisconsin, what the purpose of our trip was, and just talking to us in general. We met John, who is the "resident poet", an elderly guy who talked out ears off with his poems, and several other unique individuals, all with interesting stories of their own.
Even during the few hours we spent with them, my stereotypical idea of the homeless is beginning to change. Many of them grew up in nice areas, have children, went to college, etc. Its really eye opening to see how far poverty and homelessness really can reach. We all complain about the economy now, but the next time I start to complain about not having money to go out to eat, drink, etc., I'll surely stop and think about how lucky I really am.
I am SO excited to the next few days, to continue really getting to know all of the residents that pass through the doors, and learning as much as I can from them. John, our poet, brought out some cards/letters that were sent to him from former UW volunteers, telling him how much their time at the shelter meant to them, and how they'll never forget him. I can only hope that I can as rewarding an experience, and maybe leave my mark on the people here as well.
Time to catch up on sleep, no one likes a crabby/tired Brittany!
Goodnight!

Brit