The first full day we were there we spent the day in Valencia, California at Magic Mountain. It was a heck of a start to the trip, I spent the day riding roller coasters like Batman, Riddler’s revenge, Tatsu, and Superman escape from krypton. I think what I got out the most from this day was being able to enjoy the nice weather and get a lot of stress from work out. It was nice having the freedom to roam around, and I ended forming stronger friendships. I think it’s very important to have fun every now and take a break from work.

                     The following day we went to Union Rescue Mission, this experience was a flip from the day before. We were on Skid row, which is where a lot of homeless people end up in L.A. It was honestly very devastating to be there. And before we even arrived there, I had no idea what to expect from it. The volunteer work we did in Skid Row, really reminded me of the same type of work I did in Chicago. We had to do basically the same type of work. It was interesting to see the variety of people there was. There were mother and children, families, and single men. Lots of angry/frustrated, confused/happy emotions were all in this center. It was great to see how much extra bread we cut up for the following days. Lots of hands make light work! By the end of the day I was very exhausted, but felt great for being able to lend a hand. It’s important to help those less fortunate, not just to feed your ego but because you're doing something nice for someone who can’t help themselves sometimes. It’s the right thing to do.

                  Museum of Tolerance was the next day, and I enjoyed a lot of this experience. Before we arrive to the museum, we had to walk there. And It was super great being able to see the architecture around the area. (+Fox Studios oooo! ) Once we arrived at the area, we had to be checked in. There was no food allowed, and we couldn’t take pictures. Which was fine- but I would have loved to take a couple pictures of things to help remember a lot of it. We had a tour of the Museum and we got to hear/read a lot of history about World war 2. It was sad to see how many jewish people were executed. And I really liked the small rendition of a concentration camp. It gave me a snapshot of how life was like in the camps. It was a little hard to focus on the guide when they were talking because there was so much things around the walls of the museum. The best part was talking to a holocaust survivor. I just wanted to hug her as she was telling us her story, and her tattooed id number;  which helped the nazis identify her from the rest of the jews.  I learned to be appreciative of our lives. Sometimes we think we are going through the worst but  we aren’t. It’s important to understand this because sometimes we take things for granted. We always want better everything and envy those with a lot of money.

                         A Place Called Home, was the funnest experience for me personally. I enjoy helping children around me, and had wish that I could have had a bigger impact in the art class I was helping in. All we did in that class was watch a cartoon show. But I tried to engage in conversations with kids around me. After that class, I  helped out with the kids outside. It was fun trying to help the kids be active. I would motivate them to run faster after I was running really fast and shouting out, “Who can run faster than me?” I also played basketball with the little kids. It was fun playing games with them. I think it was really sad when it all ended and I wanted to continue helping them. Kids are the future. And most of these kids do not get a proper education and food to eat. A Place Called Home, is super great place. It’s a great environment for the unfortunate. I’m very glad a place like this exist. Kids need a place to have fun and get a good meal before going home. Lots of kids here last meal is at this organization. California tends to have a bad education because of class sizes, and A Place Called Home, allows kids to get extra help with their homework.

            The final volunteer group that we did was, The Petsave Foundation. This was a great way to end the trip, it was calm relaxing and fun. Plus bunnies! Our instructions were to go around the center, and clean out cages. I had never done anything like that before. It was fascinating to see how the people who work there do their job. The woman who usually cleans out the cages one by one, told me that it usually takes her all day just to finish all the cages, and thanks to us,  we were able to clear and clean cages, in less than a couple hours. There is so many bunnies in the small enclosures. Most of the bunnies were very friendly, and allowed us to pet them. It was super fun seeing everyone work together to get it all done. Many hand create small work. It’s important to help out local non-profits because they usually get underpaid, and are usually understaffed. It’s vital to help those businesses going by lending a hand. I will remember to keep helping out these communities with any small work they may need support in.       

          Overall, this trip was amazing and I’m grateful for the fun and exciting things we did. Sometimes it felt strenuous with all the things we did, but at other times it was super exciting to get everything done, and see the good we did for all the organizations. I will continue to cherish all the memories I created on this trip. We have to help those in need or else we are no better than the rest of the people around us.