Garrett Sander – Day 22

It dawned on me when I awoke today that the days ahead were the last we would experience in Alaska. Now begins the time of reflection as I think about my trip in its entirety. Every place we have visited so far and all of the individuals we have met along the way have all made an impact on me throughout these three weeks, and it is definitely daunting to consider all we’ve done.
Today the group traveled to Anchorage to attend the Saturday market downtown. We had the choice of a free lunch or buying food at the market; I chose both, opting for some delicious Thai food shared amongst my van mates. After that, we walked around the various vendor tents. I came across some pretty interesting things, including “glacier” fudge and aurora photography. Although it was tempting, I refrained from purchasing anything.
We drove back to the church in Palmer and decided to play some games with the participants in the backyard of the church. Some popular games to pass the time included soccer, frisbee, and “Crocodile”, which was my personal favorite. We ended up playing games for a good few hours, which I thought turned out to be a fantastic bonding experience.
The time had come for dinner preparations. My van was in charge of pulling apart several rotisserie chickens and making the mashed potatoes for the evening meal. When that was all said and done, we served dinner to the AGLP group. It ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip. That night, I reflected more on my trip as a whole. It has definitely been an experience, and has molded me into a new (and better) person.