Hello, my name is Lauge Rasmussen, and I am an Economics and Finance dual major at Gannon. This is my second ABST trip, but my first one as a trip leader. Our group is amazing, and we have truly gotten to know each other well.

Today we started by eating breakfast at Cornerstone, which is one of the L’Arche homes here in Hamilton. After this, the group went to the “Inclusion Coffeehouse,” which is a cafe located at a local recreation center. We had been in contact with L’Arche, Hamilton before the trip and planned to help host a Pajama Party during our time there.  We helped with various tasks, set up activities such as puzzles, cookie-making and arts and crafts. After it was all set up, we spread out, sat down, and did these different activities with core members, and people who came to buy coffee. There was even a local singer from Hamilton who played songs such as “Freefalling,” and “Valerie.” I was at the puzzle station and worked on a 1000-piece puzzle with a few core members. This was a lot of fun, but it was impossible to finish in time. After this, I helped set up a projector, and visitors were able to dance to instructional dance videos, which were being shown on the projector screen. 

After our time at the Inclusion Coffeehouse, our group went into downtown Hamilton to visit the farmer’s market and explore the downtown. The Farmer’s Market had food from all over the world, and it was overall an amazing experience. The Farmer’s Market was connected to the Jackson Square Mall, in downtown Hamilton, and we went window shopping after having explored the Farmers Market. Later, we explored downtown Hamilton, which was vibrant, and had many cute, narrow streets with a mix of Victorian buildings and modern architecture. 

When we were done exploring downtown Hamilton, it was time to go to dinner at the different L’Arche houses. I went to a house called “Holten” house and was served dinner together with the core members and my dinner group. Holten house is incredible, has great food, and there is never a dull moment, as we are able to engage meaningfully with the core members here. 

In the evening the entire group got ice cream at a local ice cream shop called “Panini and Ice Cream.” They gave us very big portions, we all had a blast, and most people probably got sent into a food coma, since we had almost just had dinner. 

To me, one of the most meaningful moments of the day, and indeed on this trip, was eating and engaging with the L’Arche core members. You are reminded of how important it is to have genuine connection with other people, and a great way of doing that is by sitting down and sharing a meal or laying a puzzle. Often, I do not have time to do these things in the everyday, and thus I have very much enjoyed this aspect of the trip. Every day I have found myself looking forward to going to Holten house for dinner and speaking with the core members there. The people at Holten have done an awesome job making my dinner group feel welcomed, and we will remember Holten well after the trip.

Keep an eye out for more blog posts about the L’Arche, Ontario trip!