Why I’m Doing an Alternative Spring Break

By Anna R

When I think of spring break, I usually imagine lounging on a beach in Mexico sipping some type of frozen cocktail by day and dancing at a nightclub with all my friends by night.

This March, instead of doing any of the above, I’ll be in New Orleans with 11 strangers, volunteering at an animal shelter that was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. We will be walking dogs, helping with some repairs, and doing some administrative work. At night, we’ll be sleeping in an old church that has been converted into temporary volunteer housing (into which I cannot bring my flat iron!!).

So why would I possibly want to spend my break waking up every morning (without a hangover) at 7:30 a.m. to work with people I don’t even know?

I can think of lots of reasons!

Meeting New People: I wanted to meet some new people and do something fun without having to pay the expensive price of a ticket to somewhere tropical. What better way to make some new friends? At least you know that they’re all going to be nice; I doubt mean people spend their free time volunteering. And while it might be a little awkward at first, after some dreaded icebreaker games and bonding over scooping dog poop together, I’m sure I will leave this week with awesome new friends and memories.

Cheaper Than Cancun: While ASB does cost money, you can fundraise for it. I wrote letters to family and friends, and managed to raise most of the money. We also had several UNO’s nights, where Pizzaria UNO’s donated 20% of the price of every meal towards our program. While I did have to pay a little out of pocket in the end, I saved a ton of money. Plus, I’ll probably be saving a couple hundred dollars by not drinking and partying every night (and day).

Experience a New City: The focus of our trip is to donate our time to fix up the animal shelter, but we also get to do some fun things in New Orleans. Our group leaders have mentioned going to the zoo, visiting jazz cafes, and eating at some well-known New Orleans restaurants.

Doin’ Something Nice: Obviously, the main reason I chose ASB was to give back to a community that really needed it. The other things are awesome perks, but helping out and giving my time is the real reason I am heading to New Orleans this Spring Break.

I’m sure I would have had a blast partying south of the border for a week (or, more realistically, watching reruns of Keeping Up With the Kardashians on my parents’ couch), but I’m really excited to leave for my trip on Feb. 28th! The only thing I have left to do is try and squeeze a week’s worth of clothing into a small duffle bag. (That’s right, no giant suitcases allowed!)

It may be too late for you to sign up for an ASB trip for this year, but there are tons of different programs out there. It is definitely something worth looking into.