The Southern Experience

The Deep South is different than any other place I have experienced. I thought I got the most authentic tourist experience possible.

     Highlighting the trip was the Selma talk with history makers and the boys and girls club. Both were two worlds and experiences that will change my everyday thoughts. One of the youth workers at the boys and girls club told me “seven dollars is the minimum wage” and then said something along the lines of go to university or college and then you can make 11.25$ per hour and live well. That is just an example that allows to gain more perspective of the world I live in.

 

     Something else I really enjoyed about the trip was aspect of Walking in the footsteps of history. From ATL to Nashville I stood in places where action and words changed the world. The Birthplace of  MLK and the Ebenezer Church were powerful moments to me. I would also like to comment on the perspective I have gained about the positive influence of religion. I am not religious myself but my parents and a large portion of my extended family are associated with Christianity. So the Ebenezer church did have meaning to me because of my surroundings. I also really like the line of the lady who led us around the church in Montgomery “Everybody is a piece in a puzzle” she portrayed the  ability the church had to unify people towards a common goal. Even though this religious part wasn’t an intended learning outcome of the trip I put it at one of the utmost importance. Religion is the cause of many conflicts something I would like to understand and comprehend people’s motives. In the case of the civil rights movement it allowed people to come together and fight for equality which I don’t think would’ve happened without religion.

     Next the music portion which was just plain cool. I don’t listen to a lot of music and am not to into a lot of the genres we explored but I guarantee it will be something I look back and say “I watched a Grand Ole Opry show” and it was clearly rich with history but it’s just something I couldn’t really appreciate.

 

      One more thing I almost forgot to to mention was how fun the trip was. Segway Tour, Aquarium, World of Coke road trips and chicken so much chicken was amazingly enjoyable. This trip was one of the best experiences in my life and one I will never forget.