Mural Tours and Al

(5) What about being in Philadelphia is a new experience for you?
Philadelphia is a new experience for me in that it is a trip for service work. Previous school trips have been about sightseeing and, when I was in show choir, performing. For our leadership team, the trip to Philadelphia is to encounter different contexts of leadership as well as give to the city and its residents, of whom have lifestyles and situations very different from what we are used to. (We’re in Philadelphia to have fun too, but that doesn’t sound as chivalrous.)
The last few days of the trip felt entirely different than the beginning, simply because we were spending our time sightseeing, eating, and shopping. I love all of those things, and I loved that part of the trip, but I get the most pride from our first few days. I know how hard our team worked at the service sites, and that is an experience I am not used to with school trips; though this trip may appear as a vacation to some, our work bettered the lives of a few people, if not more. That alone shows the effect of a good leader, inciting positive change as a common goal for his or her followers.
Another new experience of Philadelphia were the place we stayed and served. I remember our mural tour leader, Al, telling us, “You guys have seen places in Philadelphia most tourists don’t see.” To me, this is a powerful statement; we went places and did things most people will not. We encountered experiences most Philadelphian tourists will never encounter. Admittedly, we went to places I would have never gone to otherwise. I think the concept of making a difference in a place not many others will is another thing for our team to be proud of.

Shout out to our pal Al for a wonderful mural tour around Philly's downtown! Everything was beautiful and so interesting 🎨 Our feet hurt, but we are ready for some good din!Read more