Day 7 or 1 week or 4 days left.

Another day at Blue Springs Park

As UMD, we’re leaving our mark

First pick up trash by Thursby Lawn

Bottle caps, straws…

By this day [I] pretty much have a schedule down. Wake up at 6:30 to my alarm. Listen for any noises coming from the kitchen. Nothing. Set alarm for 6:45. Think about what the day might have in store and eventually don’t fall back asleep. Hear a rustle in the kitchen. By that time Josh has woken up so I know I have someone to hang out with while everyone else is asleep. Eat breakfast, laugh, drink orange juice out of soup bowl and prepare for everyone else to wake up. Between 7:30 and 8 more people wake up and receive greetings from us in the kitchen. Bathroom is on high demand.

Round up the troops and head to the shop for an itinerary. Work until 12. Eat lunch. Work until 5. Walk home, stare at each other for 2 hours. Eat some concoction for dinner. Reflect. Go to bed at ten.

But, in all seriousness,

I’ve learned I have a twin named Emily. We discovered we both have very long legs and short torsos and love to laugh. We spent a good chunk of the day interviewing elderly people who pass us by. We asked how they feel about the spring being used as a source for public drinking water. They always seem to have something good to say. One told me to “Stay Tall”. I will try. The amount of “thank you’s” we’ve received is more than I have ever gotten. One couple stressed they enjoyed seeing young college students like us having fun doing community service when we could be wasting our life away drinking.

I’ve cleaned out bathrooms with Little Emily and Hermela. It may seem like the short end of the stick but Little, Hermela and I laughed every minute we were in there. We left the bathroom with such high spirits that elderly people probably thought we were on some type of happy gas. Little knows how to talk to the older men. I’m pretty sure she’s on the lookout for a sugar daddy. Scotty doesn’t know. Hermela is the fourth sister I never had. Always there for a good laugh, braids hair like a beast, and is due for an update on her music selection. We’re both stuck in the in the early 2000’s.

I didn’t expect that community service on this trip was going to be unbearable, but I also didn’t expect this trip to be a blast. I almost feel guilty from the amount of praise people have given us for the simple things we have been doing in the park such as picking up trash. It doesn’t even feel like work. Work isn’t fun. The people on this trip I have only known for 1 week. Some of these girls I feel like I’ve known for years.

Emily Winafeld (to be continued)