First Bon Air Experience

I wasn’t that nervous until we parked right in front of the facility and I saw the barbed wire and tall fences. Then I became more and more nervous as we walked inside. I was the most nervous as we were sitting down at the table, waiting for them to walk in. I felt like every move I made, they would be judging me but that was definitely not what it was actually like. They were friendly, kind, outgoing, and very intelligent. I loved how interested they were in books because sometimes its hard for me to get interested in books. I envied that for sure.

It was also interesting to me that they had on different outfits depending on which unit they were placed in. After speaking with my partner, Brian, I learned that he was in one of the good units because of his good behavior. He wanted to change his 4 year sentence to a 2 year sentence by showing good behavior. Brian was really nice and friendly and seemed so genuinely interested in what I had to say. I didn’t feel awkward once. He seemed like a really good kid. My favorite quote from the evening was when I asked him if he liked it there. He shook his head and responded with, “No.” When I asked him why, he told me, “The world is too big to be cooped up here.” That really resonated with me because he has such big dreams and aspirations but he is also stuck with a long, hard road ahead of him. It made me really thankful for the position I’m in.

He loved talking about food with me and because he has lived in Richmond his whole life, he recommended some great places. Another thing I found really interesting was when we were talking about what he wants to do after he gets out, he said he wanted to go into the family business of irrigation. Then, when I asked what he would do if he could do anything, he responded with, “Wow that really makes me think. I want to travel. I have so many cities I want to go to.” It reminded me a lot of myself because it is easy to get trapped in the day to day and forget to dream big.

Overall, the night went really well and definitely calmed my nerves. It’s literally just talking to people and making connections. I can’t wait to go back!