Bon Air Day 1

I was pretty nervous beforehand, because going in blind and not knowing whats coming often scares me. So when I got there I was very curious and was looking all around trying to get a feel for the place. The entrance was kind of frightening, but I was expecting it. Once we got in there and sat down I felt more comfortable knowing it was just a small room and everyone was in close proximity. When the boys started walking I immediately noticed their outfits. From the polo to their shoes they all looked the same. A couple had watches and it made me wonder if everyone got to have one if they wanted to. I have multiple watches and I’ve always loved them, so that caught my attention that they could only wear that one specific kind and they couldn’t express themselves with any jewelry or anything.

The boys were just like us. You could tell some of them really didn’t enjoy being there, but most of them seemed to be making the most of it and were grateful to have this experience with us. I loved talking to Jaquan, he was very bright and easy to talk to. He loved poetry and reading and had a nice cohesive family just like mine. We exchanged thanksgiving stories and it made me think of how hard it would be if I couldn’t sit at that table with my whole family in a couple months. He was very optimistic and willing to talk about anything. I don’t know if I would be able to be that outgoing while in that situation. He clearly missed his family, but I didn’t get to find out when he would see them next. He really wanted to go to college and settle down and was even asking questions about studying for the SATs. He was so excited to take them and I remember dreading them and being so angry I had to study. And all he had to say was “it’s worth it”.

All in all, I can’t wait to go back and I’m really looking forward to continuing the conversations we had. There is so much more to learn about everyone and I’m excited to exchange more stories and gain more insight into their lives and how different yet the same they are to ours.