The Cast of Characters

The service trip that just concluded was filled with quite the cast of characters.

There was our fearless leader (class of '06, god help me!), who had volunteered with Safe Passage a couple of years ago and had lived in Antigua for many months, but after a week here, still turned the wrong way out of the hotel when she was going to walk me to my homestay.

There was the Bowdoin professor who was quiet but lovely, and who slowly but surely sipped her way through more tequila shots than the rest of us.

There was the 24 year old 6 foot 3 inch former football player (yes, Bowdoin has a football team) who was dubbed "Sparkles", for he was covered with glitter for about half the week. He regaled us with stories about his semester in Argentina, telling us about a hotel he had heard about which you could rent by the hour, which had covered parking for privacy, and at which you could rent various toys. He concluded his story with "It was awesome."

There was the woman ('06) who looked like Madame X from John Singer-Sargeant's painting, who instantly became my Food Buddy, because neither of us had any shame at digging right into whatever was put in front of us (and each other, and anyone else's food on the table).

There was the guy ('93) whom I knew of because he was in the same frat as some friends, who had me in stitches the entire week, especially when I watched him attempt to salsa. (I know you aren't supposed to laugh at people, but sometimes I just can't help it!)

There was the mild mannered doctor ('92) who managed to shatter the sink in his bathroom pretty much just by looking at it, and who was called upon way too often to tend to various medical needs in the group. (One brings those first aid kits on trips, but never pulls them out. Ours was pulled out five times, and there were at least two other instances where they could have been put to use... like when I was standing on a patio, being amazed at how windy it was and watching the tin roof blow off. And then the cinder block which was supposed to be holding the roof down fell on me. I broke its fall with my shoulder and hip. No blood, but a really good bruise!)

There was the woman ('92) whose first question was how to get out of the hotel in case of fire. Always good to have a safety nut in the group so that we are held accountable for all our actions.

There was the woman ('84) who was so wonderfully sarcastic that I couldn't help but smile every time she opened her mouth.

And there was the man ('76) who couldn't open his mouth without creating some diplomatic crisis, but whose heart was absolutely with us and the Safe Passage kids.

Everyone got along with everyone (not my experience with all service trips!), and there isn't a one of them that I wouldn't be happy to call my friend for a long time. Yea for us!