Hola!! My name is Arpan, and I’m a junior Pre-Medicine Biology major with a minor in Arabic. This is my very first ABST, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the Ruskin, Fla. adventure! Today was the grand finale of our journey and wow, what a day it turned out to be.
On our seventh day we set out for Beth-El Church, rolling in around 9:45 a.m. Our morning kicked off with some teamwork, pairing up lotions and strawberries for about an hour before heading out to meet local farm workers and hand out care packages. Each package was filled with essentials: a bandana, shampoo, mouthwash and body lotion.
We reached McClure Farms right at noon just as the workers were taking their short break. Time was tight because we had to move fast since their lunch is over almost as soon as it begins. In those few minutes we managed to hand out around 62 packages while greeting everyone warmly. It was eye-opening and honestly heartbreaking to see how little time they get to eat, especially while working under the relentless Florida sun. I have so much respect for their resilience. Talking with them gave us a real glimpse into the tough realities immigrant workers face, like job insecurity, no paid time off, no health insurance and a lack of basic benefits many of us take for granted.
By 12:45 p.m. it was time to say goodbye to the farm and head back to Beth-El for lunch. On the way something wild happened. A baby alligator crossed the road right in front of us! The whole van was buzzing with excitement and disbelief. Before lunch we gathered to reflect on the week’s highlights, share new things we had learned and ask questions about the workers’ experiences. During this I had a really cool conversation with Jesus, the handyman at Beth-El, and discovered he’s from Guanajuato, a city famous for its mummy museum. That totally blew my mind because I had never heard of it! Lunch itself was a feast: empanadas, rice, beans, salsa and enchiladas. The flavors were so authentic that it was unforgettable.
After our meal we presented Beth-El with a small donation from the Gannon family which they received with heartfelt gratitude. Then at 2 p.m. we headed back to campus to gear up for the big event, the Strawberry Festival!
Everyone piled into the van, buzzing with excitement for the 40 minute ride, with a quick pit stop at Publix to grab our tickets. When we arrived the place was packed with people and cars all over. Parking lots were overflowing with people even offering up spots in their own yards. The whole neighborhood was alive with folks of all ages. The festival had not one but three Ferris wheels, including a giant one we just had to try. Riding high above the bustling crowd with my friends under a sky painted by the sunset was pure magic. We explored the festival grounds, soaking up as much as we could before heading out for a late dinner.
For our final team meal we hit up Hibachi. We split into two groups and handed out silly award titles to each other while laughing, reminiscing and feeling a little sad knowing it was our last dinner together before heading back to Erie.
The night seemed to be winding down until around 12:30 a.m. when Sharif and Amy were the only ones still up and wandered into the kitchen. Amy was sipping chocolate milk as Sharif popped a bagel in the toaster. Suddenly BAM! The fire alarm blared to life. No smoke and no fire, just chaos as everyone stumbled out of bed and out the door at 1 a.m., groggy and confused, while the firefighters strolled in to check things out. The Ruskin maintenance team showed up fast and after a quick look we were told it was a false alarm. Relief washed over us, especially since all our important documents were still inside and we had a flight in the morning! It was a crazy and hilarious end to an unforgettable day and once the adrenaline wore off we all finally managed to get some sleep.
All-in-all it was a day packed with deep conversations, meaningful service, a little chaos and a lot of laughs. This trip has taught me so much, and I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable ending with the fire alarm as our grand finale.
