Smoke Alarms and Thunderstorms

Today we got to volunteer with American Red Cross. I was very excited to volunteer, but also a bit nervous because I didn't know if I possessed the skills to install smoke alarms. Thankfully, we had excellent guidance and it was an easy process. We then headed out to Soddy Daisy, the area in which we would be fixing the smoke alarms. When I got there I was a little bit shocked at the mobile homes because it was a huge contrast from the large homes we had previously seen; and considering America is one of the richest countries in the world I did not think there would be a whole area full of just mobile homes. It was a pleasant surprise to see that most of the homes were well kept and nice. In all, we had a great time and our team (the best team!) installed 15 smoke alarms.

We also met some awesome people from the local community and had some interesting conversations with them. For example, one person spoke to us about how Southern [American] English is very close to British English, and also recommended that we go to this Southern restaurant called Cracker Barrel to try some fried chicken, fried okra, biscuits and gravy, and some grits (which can be a hit or miss for some people). A few of us also got to speak in our native language too, as there were a lot of Spanish speakers in the area. This just proves why diversity and engaging in culture is important. It's good to know we are a part of making people's home safer and saving lives, and I'm really thankful for this opportunity. Thank you, Red Cross and the SUSI program for setting this up. It was an eye opening experience that broadened our horizons!

Funnily enough, we actually went to Cracker Barrel for lunch, and it was good! 🙂

The most eventful part our day was definitely bat cave canoeing. Despite the weather being on and off, by the time we we were ready to go the sky was as blue as it could be, and there was no sign of any rain. In fact, we were all thankful that the rain had stopped before we went canoeing. As soon as I was beginning to get the hang of canoeing, the clouds started to slowly darken, lightening began to strike, and the thunder made sure we heard it's presence. We were not prepared for what was to come... And suddenly, it did not matter whether you were a beginner or a professional at canoeing. We all had the same mission: to escape the oncoming storm, and to get to the car quickly safe and dry. Did we achieve our mission? Well yes and no; we got to the car safely but definitely not dry! The wind worked against us whilst rowing and the rained poured heavily down on us. It was an experience. In a way the thunder storm brought us all together and helped us to strengthen our team work skills even further.