Today was our first day really going out into the community and getting to interact with those around us. We started by all hopping in the vans and getting a tour of the island. Through this we saw how people located around Marsh Harbour were affected by Dorian almost 4 years ago. We also got to see the devastation that had taken place. After driving around we ventured out to the community center located in Murphy Town, which consists of a building that had been used for weddings, gatherings and many other community activities. It also hosts an outdoor basketball court that is used by a majority of the locals every day. To begin the project we started by painting the main structure. While we were doing this many people stopped by just to talk or even see what was going on.
The first group of people that we were fortunate enough to meet consisted of two young boys around 8 years old. Their names were Z.J. and Rondre. They were cousins who had just come over to play basketball. They told us that they really appreciated what we were doing and they couldn’t wait to see the final product. Later another boy named Rasheed walked over and simply asked what we were doing while we were all eating lunch. After a small period of time we asked if he wanted anything to eat and he eagerly said yes and proceeded to tell us that what we had given him was his first meal of the day. After he ate with us, he went over to the basketball court where our boys were already playing with another local named Kenley whose nickname was Sonch. We were able to spend time with these kids along with many others, really getting to know who they were while they were also making an impact on our own lives.
The entirety of the outside of the building was painted and we got the whole inside primed as well. We then went around the lot that the community center is located on and we began to pick up all the trash that had been accumulated in that area. Once we had finished, basketball games began to take place. A large group of locals walked on over so the boys made teams while all the girls spectated and cheered them on. We concluded our day by being able to spend time in the water and then reflecting on how we’ve been impacted by those we met throughout the day.
