Pre-trip Jitters| Mariah Reimer

|As I get ready to leave on our trip, I only feel excitement. I’m excited to be traveling with a really cool group of people, I’m excited to go to Washington D.C. for the first time, and I’m excited to be doing service work. But as I reflect on my excitement, I realize that maybe I shouldn’t be so excited. If I’m going to Washington D.C. to really immerse myself with the people we will be working alongside and truly understand the lives that millions of Americans are having to, then I shouldn’t be excited. In all honestly, I should be nervous, unsettled, or even anxious knowing that throughout this week a light will be shinning on the privileges that I take for granted; but at this moment I’m not. Overall, I’m still excited for our trip but I need to put into perspective what we will be doing all week, how it might emotionally affects me, and the steps I can already start taking to better the community I live in.