Long drive…but it was worth it
Hello! Today was the first day of the expedition. We had a LONG bus ride, but it’s ok because we used our time well. We had a really good discussion of how we define ourselves (as a southerner or not). I came to the conclusion–which I always have-that I am not a southerner. I feel like that one’s pretty obvious, but because I’ve lived in North Carolina for so long I think others may disagree with that. I just think it has a lot more to do with one’s culture than the geographic region in which one lives. At this point I don’t have too much to analyze because we did spend so much time on the bus. We did hear presentations about the 16th Street Church bombing and those involved in it. We will be touring the church tomorrow and I think that will put a different perspective on the presentations. It’s so different to hear a presentation or watch a video or sit in a classroom and learn about something than it is to actually experience it. Although this trip will have significantly more impact on my view of the world, I had a similar experience in high school after I took world history. My teacher took a group of us to Europe and we actually got to see the artwork and the architecture we spent so much time talking about. Like I said, this will be very different, but after 4 years of sitting in classroom and learning about racial tensions (in the south and the United States as a whole), the Civil Rights movement, stratification, along with everything else, I’m going to see it. I’m still not sure exactly what to expect from this experience, but I’m looking forward to it.