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Day 7: Dawn of the Final Day

Nidhi and Alan here!

We went to TCC in the morning as usual, though it was bittersweet knowing that it was going to be our last day, and that we would have to say our farewells to the residents there. That being said, the day proceeded as previous ones had, and we spent the morning and afternoon playing cards, dominoes, and pool, in our respective groups. Some of us went to Shabbat service with Mr. Rosenberg, sang some songs, and learned about Hebrew culture.

We had Nick's pizza for lunch! We grabbed a slice of that drippy 'za, if you know what we're saying here now. We were all presented with tokens of appreciation, the TCC gift bag deluxe containing a certificate, a water bottle, some hand sanitizer, and some sweet shades. We had some gifts of our own in kind, and we hope that the Testudo we presented to Tom will hang on the walls of TCC for years to come, symbolizing our ongoing partnership. We also wrote cards for Tom, as well as Father Derby, who was so kind as to let us stay in St. Edwards church for the week of our service.

After the lunchtime party, sentimentality, and photo session, we spent our last afternoon with the residents, as if nothing were different. Towards the end, we all had our goodbyes, our hugs, handshakes, and pictures, and I think each person had something special and personal to say to one of the residents. Mr. Rosenberg slammed Ben and roasted Nidhi like there was no tomorrow, and all was cordial and well.

After leaving from TCC in the afternoon, we returned to the church and then took the subway to Kaede Japanese restaurant. Many of us had a good time there sampling dishes that they had never tried before; fried ice cream for dessert was a special treat for many of us. Upon returning to TCC, we wrote our extended reflections regarding how we might attempt to retain the lessons and practices we gleaned during the trip and bring them back to our campus, and into our daily lives. We also wrote our sappy happy messages to everyone on the team. It was 2 AM by the time everyone finished, but no one felt like sleeping, a good deal of us stayed in the conference room to pick up some salsa dancing tips from Dr. DeSilva.

We are writing this now on the bus home to Baltimore, and as tiredness sets in, we all have our own memories and lessons to consider.

Stay Fresh,
Nidhi and Alan
 

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