May the Fourth [day] Be With Us

Today was a more relaxing day. We had the chance to so some sightseeing so we went to the Martin Luther King Historic Site and the Georgia Aquarium.

The MLK Historic Site was incredibly fascinating, to say the least. We started at the walk through museum that took us all through the journey of segregation in the south. Watching it all evolve through MLK's history really made the whole thing more real. We then traveled to MLK's childhood home and took a tour that took us through each room of the house. To finish it off we traveled to the the burial site  and Ebenezer Baptist church. Walking through these four historical sites brought to life what we have all learned while growing up. It made MLK's journey seem more real, and it truly was a beautiful site to discover. We were able to reflect on the progress that our nation has made but we also realize that there is still so much that needs to be done. Walking through this site showed us that it is possible for great change to happen.

The Georgia Aquarium was so freaking awesome. WE SAW A WHALE SHARK! and a lot more sea animals. We also got the chance to see a dolphin show. It was nice to be reminded how small we are. The Aquarium was also a stress reliever. A lot of us were waiting for that final grade to get put in and finally be able to not have any focus be on school and with the grades being due yesterday the aquarium was some peace to go along with it.

Later that day we did the same thing but with a different group of kids and this time it was out in the garden so it was way more organized. These kids are so bright and friendly. They just want to have someone to play with or to just hold someones hand.
While playing with the kids this guy, Gregory, came up to us and just started chatting. We learned that he was from Congo and wanted to practice his English.  Through conversation we were able to learn that he enjoyed to play basketball and wanted to eventually go to college to study accounting. Gregory was a prime example of what it meant to be a member of Clarkston, where all are welcome. He did not need anything from us, he simply just wanted to talk and we were eager to listen. While the four girls were talking to him, the others were all playing four square. Gregory had never played, so we threw him right into the game, and he loved it!
While talking to Gregory a wind came and blew some papers around and so Torrey and Hallie went and ran to go pick them up and ended up meeting Marwan, who was from Baghdad. He showed them his wood workshop and shared his passion with them. He went around explaining all the different things that he could build and what tools do what. Then he offered to show them how to paint but we had to leave. He makes mostly kitchen furniture and you can find that at bestwoodmakers.com