Hi, Citizenship Tour admirers! Special guest writer, Tour Counselor Amy, here. Excited to share with everyone that we have arrived to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia!
Our first stop was Downtown Philly where we did a walking tour with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts program featuring our incredible tour guide Brendan. We were able to learn about different topics surrounding the history and community of this city. Topics targeted issues surrounding homelessness, LGBTQ activism, preservation of arts and music, and women’s rights through the use of mural paintings. It was incredible to just watch students asking questions about the smallest details in each mural and just learning about the city through the lens of art. We re-charged by visiting the Reading Market and fueling our bodies with only the best remedy for sore feet– ice cream.
While today was mostly a day of of travel and exploration, we made our way to dinner at one of our Native SquashSmarts student’s recommendations, Hibachi Buffet. Thanks Josh, we couldn’t have asked for a more authentic tour guide. As we settled in for the night, we found an opportunity to do our mid-trip reflection outside the SquashSmarts gates (We weren’t locked out or anything like that). This moment for me was what really made me realize how incredibly lucky I am to be a part of this trip. Within just 3 days of knowing each other, students were already reflecting on the relationships they had built with one another. They shared not only their reactions on the locations and people we had already met but on the deep bonds they had started to find with each other. Whether it was deep conversations or simple acts of sharing a meal together, it is clear to see that we have definitely started to become one urban squash family. I am so excited to see how much more students will grow, learn, and relate to each other by the end of this trip.
With all the sisterly love,
Amy
SEA Citizenship Tour 