Day four of Miami! We’re starting to feel like a little family now, and we got to spend today exploring the city on our day off. At first we were worried because it was a chillier start to the day (in the high fifties!), but thankfully it warmed up. The day started off with a trip to Villa Vizcaya, a gorgeous estate and garden that released our inner models. We took every opportunity to snap a picture (which all turned out pretty well)! At one point we gathered ourselves together for a cute picture next to a waterfall, and were promptly told to get down. (It turned out nicely, though! Shout-out to the kind stranger who took it!)
Once we’d thoroughly explored Vizcaya and gave up any chance of taking it as our own home, we hopped back into our van and drove over to Wynwood. It was a bit of a struggle at first, because we weren’t quite sure where to drive and went through some areas we probably should have avoided. Thankfully it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because in our efforts to find the murals, we were able to explore many of the graffiti-lined streets in the area. There are some incredible artists down here, and they only spurred us to take even more pictures. Phones died, and memory was used up—the signs of some successful documentation. Adventures were definitely had!
Sometime around this point we discovered that yesterday had been Bryant’s birthday (a fact he had been trying to hide) and went into action. We sneakily got some cupcakes from Publix and smuggled them inside. A card was passed around unbeknownst to him and, when he least expected it, we dropped a celebration on him. (He deserved it—he’s been looking out for us this entire trip!)
Now, as this is being typed, we’re just relaxing in the church and talking. That’s definitely the great thing about this group of people: we have a lot of fun together. We keep getting asked if we knew each other before we came here because we get along that well, which is truly amazing. Going on this trip and having this experience with anyone else wouldn’t have been the same. Tomorrow we’ll be hitting it hard again with service, education, and outreach, and we’re ready!
Written by Sammy
Slavery in our Backyard 