Everyone should go on an alternative spring break

The locals asked why we were there of all places: for a life-changing experience and goodwill, of course

Spring break is supposed to be a fun week filled with new experiences, new friends, and fun times in the sun. However, this vacation time is much better spent broadening your horizons than partying and passing out on repeat. This spring break story’s chosen destination was New Mexico.

The chosen group in attendance were 14 complete Trojan with one obvious thing in common, being a Trojan. Known around campus as an alternative spring break, or ASB, this trip consisted of volunteering at a local New Mexican pet shelter, exploring the natural sites of this overlooked state, and turning complete strangers into friends.

Enter day one of spring break with a 6am meeting time to embark on a journey two states and fourteen hours of driving away. By the time we reached the house we were staying at, we’d conquered our first adventure of the trip: pushing our minivans up the short, but steep hill, leading to the garage.

Already, we were realizing that this break was going to require us to learn about each other, ourselves, and the unfamiliar space we would be residing at for the next week.

The view from the house.

Each day we volunteered from nine in the morning to two or three in the afternoon. We all got our fill of puppies at the dog wash we volunteered at on day one, met the locals going door-to-door to spread information about proper pet reproductive care, and became real manual laborers when we all worked to clear a portion of land to be used for a dog obstacle course at the sanctuary we helped.

Every single day, multiple people we met asked us why we had chosen to go to New Mexico out of all the places in the world. They would ask us why we weren’t just partying it up on a beach for the week.

Well, here at USC, that’s a possibility every single day so why not trade in the usual for something more extraordinary?

A baby goat attended the dog wash.

Finally washing a dog.

Beyond volunteering, we were able to explore New Mexico from visiting the White Sands National Monument and the Bandelier Monument to rafting down the Rio Grande. We bonded over the beautiful sites of the desert, the trials of hiking up mountains and climbing into caves, and feeding several goats at a farm located off of a winding highway.

Yoga at White Sands National Monument. (Photo by Lisa Kamray)

Climbing into caves at the Bandelier Monument.

These nine days broadened my mind and heart, exposing me to the wonderful feeling of positively impacting a community over 600 miles away. Throughout the nine days, fourteen people from differing spaces found common ground with one another and eventually morphed into a family, something hoped for but not guaranteed.

Yes, we could have all partied in Cabo or lived the high life in New York City, but what we did instead had a greater impact on our lives and other lives that will get us all through the stress of the rest of the semester.

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