Already Missing It!

After a long 23 hour drive through the snowy conditions thanks to Winter Storm Jonas, the four Bonner vans finally made it back to campus at 7:30pm Monday night. Going into this freshman trip, I really did not know what to expect. Before NOLA, I don’t think the 27 freshmen have been in the same place at the same time since Bonner Orientation. I was pleasantly surprised that the week went off without a hitch and I can honestly say I have created new and strengthened long lasting friendships with freshmen, upperclassmen, and staff.

Words cannot describe the food and night life in New Orleans, Louisiana. By far, my favorite meal had to be the roast beef po boy sandwich I devoured on our first night in NOLA. As for the social aspect, everyone we ran into during the trip was so nice! Some of my favorite people were my Chick fil A server on the ride to NOLA, the very nice man who gave me all of his beads on Bourbon St., and the Waffle House waitresses who kept a smile on their faces when at least 20 Bonners rolled through the doors at 10:30pm on the ride home. The music in New Orleans is spectacular! Everywhere you walk, you can always see someone tapping to the beat and hear music coming from every entrance way. Overall, to say I miss NOLA already is an understatement and I cannot wait to go back someday!

While the night life in NOLA was exhilarating, some of my favorite memories from the trip were the simple times all the Bonners would spend all together. Whether that was squishing into a circle and playing cards on the floor, pushing people on tree swings after eating at The Joint, spending time taking beautiful pictures at the Tree of Life, or cramming onto United Saint’s basketball court to get in a game before bed, these are the moments I will remember forever. On the other hand, some of my favorite moments from working at 4955 Baccich had to be when someone, mostly Edric, was mudding a ceiling and you make the mistake of walking right under him and get hit by flying mud, drawing hearts on the forehead of Kerry after she had sanded a wall, and washing off our mud buckets in freezing cold water while Caitlyn Sweeney tried to off-set the cold by talking about the beach.

During this trip, we worked tirelessly to finish two houses to bring families back home. Not only did I learn new skills I plan on taking with me throughout life, this trip also solidified the reason why I decided to become a Bonner Scholar at The College of New Jersey. To me, the Bonner Scholars Program is not just a scholarship program to help students attend college; the Bonner Program is a way of life. No matter where we come from, the Bonner Program brings people together to fight towards a common goal; and because of this, I am proud to say I am a Bonner Scholar here at The College of New Jersey. 

Post Blog

New Orleans was honestly one of the most beautiful and exciting places I have visited.  The people are so vibrant and the culture and friendly personas were overwhelming in a good way.  I loved the music, the food (I even ate meat), the people, the art, the beignets, and most of I loved experiencing all of it with some of my closest friends.  Even the volunteer work was fun! I would love to go back to NOLA in the future, and had a great time.
-Khadijah Yasin

NOLA

The last day of volunteering was by far the coldest and hardest day there.  Even with the terrible weather conditions, and having to heat myself with lights they had around, I was still sad to end the day.  I learned so much, and for that I am very grateful. I can now mud (not that well), sand, and do a series of other things.  Not only that, but I genuinely loved spending time with my fellow Bonners. I loved seeing the progression we made, except for when Juan had to scrape off some mud because it was too thick and cracking.  I cannot wait to see the progress on the house in the upcoming months.  It will be so rewarding to know all of that hard work paid off.
-Khadijah Yasin

Blog 3

Working on the house and learning how to do various tasks was very fun! Even though it was freezing in the house, everyone made the hard work as fun as possible.  The bonding done over these past few days brought me closer to many people in Bonner that I hadn't really known before.  I liked our supervisors as well, because they were funny and really nice and trying their best.  Overall the volunteering aspect was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.  We blasted music, took an hour long nap in the sun during our lunch breaks, and in the process all came together and built something that will benefit someone in the future.
-Khadijah Yasin

NOLA Part 2 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Tuesday: Today we began sanding the spots that we mudded in our house. Though this was a messy job, I excelled at this and thus enjoyed doing it. What made my day was seeing the result of my work at the end of the day. I sanded two rooms almost entirely by myself and was amazed at what I accomplished that day. Unfortunately this also made me sensitive to design flaws in other buildings I went to from this point on, by this I mean seeing poor sanding or mudding. To end the day our chaperones came up with the bright idea of taking us to a NBA Pelicans game. It was a very interesting game because though the Pelicans struggled in the beginning, they won at the end in close game what resulted in over a hundred points.
Wednesday: I went back to mudding again but unfortunately I had trouble with this job because I had trouble making the mud (either too much powder or too much water) it was hard finding the balance. My day picked up when we started sanding again. Unfortunately this was Allison's last day on the job, so we had to say our goodbyes to her. Wednesday was going to end in a very fun way with some games and reflection activities in the church's rec center but unfortunately the church wouldn't let us in, so I decided to catch up on sleep.
Thursday: Today I worked on putting screw in the walls, taking screws out of the walls and making sure screw holes were even. It may sound like a simple and easy job but this house had a lot of screws. This shows how much work goes into building a house. Afterward we went to eat at the Joint where I tried some of the best barbecue I've ever tasted, I tried great sausage, an amazing pulled pork sandwich and a very well cooked rib, the only thing I didn't care for was the mac and cheese. Afterwards we went to the nearby park and all hung out for a while. Altogether I love NOLA especially the food.

NOLA Day: 8, 9, & Surprise!

We spent our last day working on the house this Friday. We were able to finish most if not all of the different seams in the house. My favorite task was corner beading, where I would mud the doorways and windows to smooth and hide the metal strip in each corner. When we came home on Friday, we had our last meal with United Saints Parish and got ready to hit the French Quarter. 

In the Quarter, we walked around and stopped by Bourbon St. one last time. After visiting Cafe du Monde for the second time, we decided to meet up with a large group of Bonners on Frenchman's St. There, we listened to all different types of music, mostly jazz. By the end of the night, everyone was very tired after the long week of work. 

On Saturday, we had planned to pack up the vans, visit the French Market, and then head out to South Carolina for the long trip home. As we were sitting in the vans in front of United Saints, we got a call from Britt saying the winds and weather (and 26 inches of snow at home) was not Bonner van friendly. Surprise! It was decided that we would stay another night in NOLA and leave Sunday morning. 

The French Market was an amazing place to visit! We showed up and went straight to the Crêpe Cart to eat breakfast. I got a delicious crêpe filled with strawberries and Nutella! Then, we walked around the open air market picking out gifts and souvenirs to bring home. My favorite purchase of the day was a beautiful painting. After watching some street performers put on a hilarious show, we decided to head out of the quarter for one last time.

Back at United Saints, everyone took a very long nap and woke up to dinner of Po-Boys, fried chicken, and ice cream sundaes for dessert! The night was filled with card games, basketball games, and Bonner bonding for our last night in NOLA! 

My crêpe!

Street Performers

Mary and I!

Walmart Run!

NOLA: Day 6 & 7

Halfway through the week, our group was still mudding the house. At this point, we were mostly on ladders filling in seams on the ceiling. Needless to say, our hair was covered in mud by the end of the day! I also learned how to corner bead a wall to cover up the metal strip that protects the wall corners. At the end of the work day, we had to say goodbye to Ashlyn, one of our site leaders because she was interviewing for different Medical Schools on Thursday and Friday.

That night, the chaperones decided to take us out to Creole Creamery, one of the best ice cream places around. I ordered the Café au lait ice cream which was delicious! We came home and went to bed early because the lack of sleep was catching up with all of us!

We continued to mud and sand the house all day Thursday! I decided to mud the breakfast nook that looks out from the kitchen into the front room. Slowly but surely, the house was coming together and it was starting to look like a home!

After work, we went to a BBQ place called The Joint. I got a pulled pork sandwich and a side of Mac and Cheese. It was delicious!!! One of my most memorable moments from the trip was, as we were leaving The Joint, the chaperones decided to have free time in the giant field across the street. There were tree swings, ropes hanging from trees, and a metal jungle gym that we all played on for about an hour. It was a great way to de-stress from the week and just be us. At one point, we all decided to lay on the grass in a circle and play fun games before heading back to United Saints.

On Thursday night, a bunch of people stayed at United Saints to relax and catch up on sleep. We decided to play cards in the girl’s room and the game turned into a giant competition between the chaperones and the freshmen. In the end, Kai beat everyone in Egyptian Rat Screw! We went to bed excited but sad for tomorrow; our last day at 4955 Baccich. 

Water Lines at Baccich

Cutest Puppy Ever!

Muddin'

The Joint!

After NOLA

Something was different about the van ride back to New Jersey. Conversation filled the air instead of the silence that accompanied the ride down to NOLA. Looking at the others in my van, I was able to speak to everyone and laugh at what we found common ground in. I felt comfortable which is an emotion that I feel has been lacking a bit in my Bonner interactions. I didn't feel pressured to be anyone but myself, and to be accepted as just that was incredible. I always feel the expectations of others breathing down my neck, but this time I felt those expectations run parallel to my own. The first day back on campus and classes, I have seen a few Bonners and now find that I feel a connection with them automatically. More so than I did before. I believe that the hard work we put in, as well as the fun, cemented the bonds of the freshmen class. We are a group of very different personalities, but this trip overall has shown how necessary each person in. Now, it is time to continue another great semester of service and spending time with friends.

Post-NOLA

Monday - January 25, 2016 

Driving back to New Jersey from NOLA I have come to realize a lot about myself. Completing the service in NOLA and spending time with my fellow Bonners I have realized that I should not be so shy to open up to people and speak to them. Before coming to NOLA I never really spoke with the other Bonners out of fear that I would be rejected. As the week unfolded I became a little closer with everyone because I was not as reserved as I usually am and tried to open up a little more to them. Working alongside them, exploring New Orleans with them, completing the scavenger hunt with them, singing and solving riddles with them certainly made me realize what great people I have been missing out on and moving forward I will work to change that. 

NOLA 3

Friday - January 22, 2016

Today was our last day working on the house and I am excited to see how the home will look completely finished! It was such a great experience listening to Rock n' Roll, and mudding/sanding next to fellow Bonners. Although it was rough at times, it was really nice sharing a room with all the girls particularly since I got to know more about the girls I already knew and have some interesting conversations with girls I had never spoken to before. It is incredibly rewarding to be a part of something that helps the larger New Orleans community and to be able to do it alongside such great people.

NOLA 2

Tuesday - January 19, 2016

Today I had the opportunity to speak with an elderly woman who survived Hurricane Betsy and Hurricane Katrina. I learned a lot from this seasoned soul who spoke with so much charisma and passion about her city of New Orleans. Elizabeth was her name and she bared such alacrity to speak with a college student since her granddaughter was also a freshmen in college. I learned that she had lived with her grandmother and uncle during Hurricane Betsy when she was a child and she survived Hurricane Katrina with her granddaughter and daughter both of whom are now in Italy and planning to travel the world to acquire knowledge of places that could not be unearthed in the city of New Orleans. Elizabeth was such a sweet woman and although she told me that her original home had not been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina she now resided in a home that she helped build herself and she spoke with so much pride that I could not help reciprocate the smile that crossed her face as she spoke about it. Moreover, Elizabeth said something that really resonated with me as she began to speak proudly of her granddaughter who was studying abroad as she assertively stated that "Traveling was also a great educator" and as the trip continues I wholeheartedly agree with her. Exploring the city of New Orleans and its food, culture, and working alongside my fellow Bonners I would not have been able to learn about a beautiful city filled with beautiful people or learn about the well accomplished and ambitious Bonners I was working along side.

NOLA 1

Monday - January 18, 2016

It was my first time ever mudding and sanding and after going at it with the mudding knife and living room wall for a few hours I found a new appreciation and sincere gratitude for people who commit their lives to a profession that requires the tedious task of mudding/sanding. In addition to the reverence for construction workers that flourished from that moment, a wave of  grand appreciation for my home and my family washed over me as I continued my work day. I began to think about the home and family that resided on that very same plot of land before Hurricane Katrina hit and how difficult it is to cope with the idea that a place once known as "home" no longer existed and the very same people you shared home with might have been carried away and lost forever midst of the storm.  Thus, I began to miss my family and my own home and as I continued mudding the walls I began to think about the walls that stood on that land before Katrina hit and how those walls helped create a safe space for a family to shed tears of joy, pain and laughter together and how unfortunate it is that it was all stripped from them after the storm. 

New Orleans is full of spirit.
It's a city like I've never experienced before with exuberant energy that makes for a colorful city and proud residents.
I had so much fun visiting the city but what made for the most memorable and wonderful memories were the people I was blessed to be surrounded by.
Whether it was mudding away the morning or goofing off in local stores, a friend or friends were always by my side.

Blog 3

I really enjoyed traveling to NOLA because I got to experience so much. I was very interested to hear more about Hurricane Katrina since I had little idea about how destructive the hurricane was to the city of New Orleans. I really liked getting to know people from the city and their stories which was a great motivation when we were working to build the homes we were assigned to. Overall I had a great time and I hope that I can later on help make this trip and unforgettable experience for future Bonners.

Blog #2

I am so glad I got to experience NOLA and am honestly looking forward to return with future Bonners as a chaperone. I really enjoyed my site and seeing the progress of our home throughout the work week. It was also great to work with our amazing site leaders and learning so much from them. My site leader was David and I really loved working with him since he was aways very helpful and understanding. Although I didn't know how to everything, David was extremely patience with me and helped me through the process of whatever task he assigned the group. With practice I became better and David was always very positive and easily identified my progress.

January 24th, 2016
Today was the funnest day of this entire trip. Sure we are leaving one of the best places I have ever been, but my bonner van on the way back bonded beyond words. We talked about how we enjoyed the trip, and how fulfilled we feel after helping build the house. I think the best part thus far was waiting an hour for someone to use the restroom and the conversations we had. I really enjoy how throughout the rides we can grow closer than any other day. I actually really enjoyed how yesterday we played basketball for 4 hours. Besides enjoying everything, I feel as if this trip should happen a few weeks before school goes back into session because the transition is going to be brutal.

NOLA Post #3

Friday 1/22

            Today we finished up our work at the house and I am extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend this eye opening trip. Today I sanded the house which was the hardest and dirtiest job I had to do all week long. The sand kept getting into my eyes and by the end of the day my hair became stiff to the touch because so much of it had fallen onto me. Though I was extremely gross and longing for a shower (which mind you took 3 rounds of shampooing to get my hair to feel normal again), I was proud of the work that I had done. Many times during this week I had made mistakes, one so bad that all the mud had to be chiseled off the wall to fix, I can tell that the work I did was appreciated. Cam and Tanya were very thankful for what we would get done, and were very instructive and encouraging with everything that we were working on. My simple job of mudding and sanding was a huge help to them even if it didn’t seem it to me, because everything that I was able to finish put them one step closer to finishing this home.  It was kind of sad leaving the home because I won’t physically be able to see the finial product, but I look forward to following its progress on Tanya’s Instagram (which you should all follow @sbpsitesuptanya).  In a few months a family will be moving into that home, and though what I did was small, I am proud to say that I have worked to put the city of New Orleans one step closer to being back to where they were before the storm.

NOLA Post #2

Tuesday 1/19

            We have officially been working on the house for two days and I have a new found respect for construction workers. Monday morning we started the day off with our orientation at The Saint Bernard Project’s main site. I signed my name on the benches with the name of every other volunteer that has worked with them and then listened to their opening speech. I was astonished that after all this time, they still receive 5-10 calls every week from people looking for them to rebuild their homes and have a waiting list of 100+ people. Never did I think that that many people were still trying to rebuild their lives back in New Orleans. They explained that besides rebuilding homes for people, they also build new homes to sell for people that were young when the storm happened and want to start a life where their family began. This was the type of house that we would be working on, an “opportunity house” as they call it. We broke into our sites and went over to our houses. The site supervisors on my site were name Cam and Tanya, both young post college students that run the construction of this house from start to finish.  They gave us a tour and we began working right away. Over the past two days I did mudding, a lot of mudding. This is similar to spackling, in which we either use pre-made or make our own “mud” which is applied to the walls at all different places to cover up things. I mudded up corner beams, vertical and horizontal wall seams, wall edges, and much more. It seemed like we were covering almost the entire wall in strategic thin coats of mud. By the end of each day I was extremely exhausted, standing for so long doing such a tedious job really made me appreciate the work that people do every day in creating buildings.

NOLA Post #1

Sunday 1/17

            After an extremely long van ride, we have finally made it to New Orleans! The ride went pretty smooth, but I think everyone can agree they were ready to be out of those vans.  We moved our stuff into The United Saints Recovery building and claimed the beds that would be ours for the next week. Sunday morning the chaperones took us onto a tour of the wreckage of New Orleans. The stuff we saw is something that one can only fully appreciate seeing it in person. I have always heard about the stories of how bad hurricane Katrina was and the wreckage that it caused, but seeing it in person really gave me a better feel for the damage that it really caused. I was amazed that 10 years after the storm, you still drive down the street and see one house fully rebuilt next to one that still is boarded up and has complete walls of the house missing. I cannot imagine how bad it must have looked 10 years ago if this is still how it looks now. I was also amazed when seeing the levees that broke, these things were massive and for there to be enough water for them to break absolutely amazes me. These huge concrete blocks must have had to have such an extreme amount of pressure for them to break. I can see how houses must have been just wiped out when the water flew through because of how much that they hold back. The tour that we got really showed me how affected the entire city was. Afterwards, to lighten the  mood we did a scavenger hunt in the French Quarter, which I really enjoyed, and even though we came in second (we should’ve really won) I really had fun with my team and exploring the city. I am excited to start building tomorrow and can't wait for what the rest of this week has in store!

Nola post #3

In a few minutes, we'll be on our way out of New Orleans. It's been quite a rollercoaster of a trip, with lots of unexpected turns and changes. We got to stay an extra day, which was definitely fun; now I can say I've been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I am anxious to get home though, especially to prepare for classes and play in the snow. As for finishing up the service, I have mixed feelings. I think I did a good job and I was definitely trying my best in the last two days of work, but I wonder if I could have done more. I think the other house was able to accomplish more because their site supervisors were more organized and pushed them more. I just wish my site supervisors had been more effective. Overall though, I'm happy with what I've accomplished and the skills I've learned. The other day, I was talking to Maureen and Cori after going out to the French Quarter, and I was saying that I think I understand why it is so important for people to move back to New Orleans. It is a special place with culture that is unique to its area, and so it creates a culture that cannot be replaced anywhere else.

Wrapping It Up

Today is our last day in New Orleans. We are going to the French Market and then heading back to confront the snow.  My time here so far has been incredible. I've spoken with Bonner's I never thought I could have interactions with, broken out of my shell and had fun on Bourbon street, and really had the chance to do some amazing work on a house. Now, as we are cleaning up, I am sad to leave, but the experience is forever in my mind. I am even more grateful that I could celebrate my birthday here. The bonds of friendship I had grew stronger and new ones formed. To the ladies in my room, you're all strong, unique, and intelligent women. Thanks for a great time! To the chaperones, thanks for looking out for all of us. I'm sure it must have been crazy at times. I appreciated having you here to speak with and look up to. And, a thanks to Bonner for making this trip possible. My final shout out goes to the natives of New Orleans that I had the pleasure of speaking with. These are stories that I will never forget. Your city is alive and thanks to SBP, it will only continue to grow, even if it is bit by bit.

Signing out,

Kai

Nola Post #2

Today is the last day that we will be working on the house. It is currently 5:27 am, so I think I'm probably the only one awake - it's because I fell asleep early last night. But I'm lying here, writing this blog and looking around the room, and I notice how far we have all come in such a short time. We have all gotten so much closer and learned to work through trying situations with one another. I have gone on similar trips before when I was in high school, but this trip has definitely been the one where I've grown the most as a person. It has been an incredible experience, from the service work to the culture to the people I am with on the trip. Speaking of the service work, I found my momentum yesterday when I realized I had two days left to make a difference on the house we're working on. Yesterday we spent a significant amount of time fixing previous errors and I am worried that our work at the site is less productive than I wanted it to be. Hopefully today everyone will be inspired to work their hardest, being as it is the last day.

Blog #2

The food in New Orleans never fails to be awesome.  Whether it is the fresh salty oysters or the smoky pulled pork, the food here rocks my taste buds.  The only thing that matches the quality of food is the quality of service.  It is truly peaceful to listen to music while brushing mud on the seems a wall/ ceiling.  It is very fulfilling to be a part of building a house for a family to live in and create memories in.  I look forward to exploring more things in New Orleans,

NOLA Sunday and Monday

Sunday: I loved the tour we took of this city, I literally fell in love with the place! First we visited the Ninth Ward to see the gravity of Hurricane Katrina in person. While I was aware of this tragedy, getting to see it in person had a large effect on me, I was moved by the sight of it. I got to see unique sights of nature such as the Bayou and the Tree of Life (Where I took a ton of pictures :) ). My favorite part of the tour was the French Quarter however, the food was delicious, the street performers were awesome, the musicians were talented and the nightlife was amazing. I had a blast during the scavenger hunt, even though we lost :( .  This tour couldn't have been executed in a better way and it made this long drive worth it!

Monday: Going to the house was the moment I was waiting for, we went to Gentily, a very socioeconomically diverse neighborhood. I met Ashlyn and David, who were very nice and helpful.  I had no experience with construction before the trip but by the end of the day I learned how to make hot mud and become good at spackling. Despite working really hard at this site, it was still fun because of the music playing and the meaningful conversations I had with my peers on the site. Part one of making a difference was complete and I went home fulfilled. I went to the French Quarter again that night and listened some great jazz musicians.

During the Week

After being in New Orleans for a few days now, it is safe to say that this trip will definitely be one to remember! From running around the French Quarter doing a scavenger hunt to mudding a wall, I have had so many new and exciting experiences here. I have to say, I was skeptical about how much damage still remained in the city, but I was totally wrong. Even though it has been 10 years since the storm, people are still without homes and without the resources to go back to their normal lives. The first full day here, we did a driving tour of the city and it was great to see the different socioeconomic neighborhoods, and a place like the Lower 9th Ward which was hit badly by the storm. We also got to see the Levys and Bayou, which was something interesting because it is nothing I have seen before living in New Jersey.

When we began the service week, we started with an orientation and we got to listen to an amazing personal testimony of a man who was in the area during the hurricane. That gave me a personal motivation for the work I was doing because I knew that every part of the house the team worked on was a contribution to a greater purpose of a family living and having a home there. It may sound cliche, but I truly can not imagine losing my house. Coming here directly after winter break, made me have a greater appreciation for my home. During finals week all I dreamt about was laying in my comfy bed and waking up to a home cooked breakfast on the weekends. To think that one day I could have these luxuries and the next day I couldn't was frightening. It is impossible for me to conceptualize the loss these people experienced, but all I can do is serve to try and make a minor impact.  Overall, the mudding was easily learned and once everyone mastered it, it was a lot of fun working along side my fellow bonners, especially ones I do not get to interact with a lot during the semester. The city has such a culture of love and perseverance that is already evident by the fourth day of being here.

Nola post #1

  Today was the third day of construction. It has been an interesting experience to say the least. This trip has been full of ups and downs, but it most certainly has been one to remember. I think that the Bonner program accepts individuals with strong personalities, and so concentrating all these independent people in a close space can be intense at times, in both good and bad ways. I have been enjoying connecting with Bonners I hadn't known well before. At the site, we are building a home to sell to someone at a reduced price. The work is fun, though sometimes monotnous. Mostly we've been mudding and sanding; I don't think I will ever be able to think about mud the same way again. The other day when we were leaving I had some extra mud that normally we throw away. I shaped it into a heart and now have a little momenta of the work we've been doing, which I think is great.

The Time Here so Far

The first day of construction was incredible. While mudding is not the most exciting task, it was still a lot of fun to learn because it is a skill I never thought I would use. Tanya and Cam, our site supervisors, are really laid back and extremely helpful. I would like to say that I am pretty good at mudding now, but I don't think I have the mudding touch just yet. Sanding was a rather painful experience. It is really difficult to see through the fogged up glasses, although I learned the trick is to keep them lower on your nose (kudos to Dom for this one). Since the start of construction, I have really enjoyed working on this project with my fellow Bonners. I have grown closer with a lot of people that I have never really spoken to before.

Aside from the actual construction work, I have also been able to speak with more natives of New Orleans by random chance. We were at Wendy's for our lunch break on Tuesday and I was sitting at a table with some of my team members. There was an elderly woman next to us and when I happened to glance at her, she asked, "High school or college?" I told her and we proceeded to have a very nice conversation. Her granddaughter is currently in Italy studying abroad. This woman informed me that her original house was destroyed by Katrina and never rebuilt. However, the current home she is in was rebuilt. I wish I had more time to speak with her. Part of what has made my experience so wonderful is speaking with the New Orleans residents and understanding why our work really matters.

On a different note, today is my birthday. I have never had a better and more exciting birthday. Everyone in Bonner is like family to me, so being with everyone made me incredibly happy. Not to mention the ice cream from the creamery we went to was delicious! All in all, looking forward to the rest of what this trip has to offer.