Being Part of a Community

Day of Caring is an annually event that brings people together in the Santa Barbara County in order to give back to our community. There is always some work that needs to be done, whether it cleaning a park or painting a school, and they can be found all across town. I know it may sound like it is not  much, but I guarantee that as little as this kind of work seems sometimes it is precisely what our community craves for. For instance, one of my tasks was “simply” to remove graffiti at the Bohnett Park – why the quotation marks? Because this job was way harder than I expected. Seriously, washing off graffiti isn’t nearly as easy as it seems. Back to my point: what seems like a little for us may be a huge thing for someone else.

This was the 23rd Day of Caring, and as always we had a big breakfast where we meet other people involved, and only then we head to whatever place we signed up to help. It took place last Saturday, September 20, and me along with a bunch of people (some were SBCC students and friends, but many were people I’d never seen before) I volunteered to help out a few non-profit organizations. I truly believe we should go out of our way to improve the community we are inserted in, especially if it is not the community we grew up in or if we don’t plan to stay much longer. I guess it is like we are thanking for the hospitality.

However, the funny thing is that it did not feel like we were working at all. Really. In the end a friend even painted me with leftover green ink, and I found myself laughing with several people I didn’t know their name just a couple of hours before. 

The Beginning

It is always exciting to start something new, something you’ve never done before. No question about it. Strangely, we still feel the necessity to look into the mirror, stare at that frightened person who stands before us, and wonder whether we’ll succeed, whether we’ll fail, whether it’ll be fun, or whether we should just give it up already. Indeed, though we may have expectations, it is rather difficult to predict what will really happen and what we will get out of it, if anything. Don’t get me wrong; I think sometimes “getting something out of it” can simply mean that we are making a new friend, or having a joyful experience. Or hopefully both. But, after all, isn’t it the whole point of trying something new? To stray into the unknown?

I remember when I first moved to Santa Barbara, and how thrilled I was to finally get something I had longed for so much. Still I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to talk to people, I didn’t know anyone here, it was my first time living abroad, and the list of things I dreaded went on and on and on. It was almost endless! But what truly matters is that I made it. I can surely speak the language – although my accent is still easily noticed – made new friends, joined some clubs, got a job, and I even live close to the beach now (this is a story for another post). I am not saying it has been a smooth ride, but it has been worthwhile.

To some extent, I am facing a similar situation right now. I have always liked to read and write; however, I’ve never put my text out there or allowed many people to read them. So, obviously, this is my first time blogging, and I am both excited and a little hesitant, but let’s just hope that my excitement takes over. And, as the semester goes by, I’ll show you guys my daily life here in the breathtaking Santa Barbara!