Jonathan Russo’s Alternative Spring Break Reflection: Day 1

Today was a rather interesting day. For me, it all started in the Halls of Alumni where I met up with 4 other Pleasantville members. We were all in a shroud of confusion on what this experience would be like for all of us. The first question that popped up was whether or not we’d be going in a van or in a bus to which I replied with “Of course we’re going on a bus. How would we all fit in a van?”

We learned we can all fit in a van.

After we got into the van, we were acquainted with the other Pleasantville members and began our journey to our lovely hotel. Along the way we tried our best to socialize. Initially, it was us doing the traditional ice breaker of what’s your name and major, but over time, it progressed to us casually talking and socializing as if we all knew each other. Though it took a while, we eventually made it to our destination and we got to see our NYC campus members. This was also a very exciting moment for many of us because we’d finally meet our roommate that we’d get to know better over the next couple of days.

As we walked into the lobby, there they were, the NYC campus members, standing and waiting ever so patiently for our arrival. New faces, new voices, it was almost as if I felt a bit lost in it all, but just in the nick of time my roommate called my name and I was no longer alone. We went to our room to drop off our luggage, had some small talk, and before we got too comfortable we had to go back out to explore the Rockaways community.

Before we all went on our ways to see some sights or to grab a snack, I could see the formation of two groups, one containing the Pleasantville students and the other with NYC students. I decided that it would be nice to go with the NYC students because maybe something interesting might happen. Our first destination was the local beach, and it was quite the sight. We walked on the beach, but were careful to keep our distance from the crashing waves and the rising waters. It’s a shame that weather wasn’t 30 degrees higher because it would have been nice to just kick of my shoes and to get a little wet. After we had our fill of the salty airs and of the sandy beaches, we decided to take a stroll down into town and saw some interesting murals. We figured that we should at least stop at some place to eat and chill, so that lead to us going to a local Dunkin Donuts.

Though we didn’t start volunteering yet, I for one am excited for what tomorrow’s day holds for all of us.