More than Memphis: Day 2 of EHCO

We went through a lot today.

I started off my day with the noise of a vibrating alarm. It was sometime around 7 am, and I had an hour left of sleep before my alarm, but I couldn't drift back to sleep so I just got up and went to take a shower. It was really nice to take my day slowly though and give myself the time I needed to get ready!

We left for the National Civil Rights Museum around 8:30, with each car making their own pit stops along the way. We got to the Lorraine Motel in cold, drizzly rain, which really set and fit the mood as I walked along the entrance sidewalk and saw the memorial and wreath commemorating the location of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's assassination. It was different than I expected. First off, I didn't realize he was only on the second floor? I'd always imagined a really tall building with a balcony, similar to the one Prince William and Duchess Kate waved to everyone off of on their wedding day? But it was only two stories and a very normal-looking motel, similar to any that you would find in Canton along the highway.

We were introduced to the museum by a fantastic and very knowledgeable guide, and slowly made our way through the exhibits. It was a very educational pathway, filled with flakjdlkfjlk

Right after the motel, we skrrted over to Central BBQ and had some reallll good BBQ. Some real comfort food that definitely made me sleepy afterward. Also was hit on while I was there but I didn't realize? Me being the partially deaf dumbass I am--the cashier asked where I was from, and when I said Michigan, he said he was looking for a Michigan girl to date, long-distance relationship, he'd make it work. I didn't really hear him so laughed and nodded and said "yeahhhahaha" and then he was like, "I was talking about you girl but you didn't realize so it's all good" and I was like "ohhhh ahahaha yeah I was thinking of some girls I could set you up with you know ahaha I didn't realize you meant me ahaha" and walked away, surprisingly unawkardly! And non-uncomfortably. If that makes sense. Like usually I would be v uncomfortable in a situation like that, but it somehow wasn't. I'm really hoping that it was just because I really didn't feel harassed or sexualized, and not because I was seen as an attractive (or at least flirtable) female ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After lunch and booking the escape room (Grizzliessss here we come!), we went to the second part of the National Civil Rights Museum: the boarding house where James Earl Ray allegedly shot MLK. I say allegedly because of the whole exhibit in the museum on the conspiracy theories behind others who could've done it, including his close friends and colleagues, the government, political groups, the like. There was a lot of evidence pointing to other people/not incriminating Ray that made the theories very plausible. However, simply walking by the bathroom window, seeing the clear view of the second floor balcony in front of Room 306 out of it, made me nauseous. The reality of it all--the sudden sense of history alive and kicking right in front of me, with the two buildings that I stood in actually being the physical locations of this horrific event, really hit. It was a similar feeling when I walked by the evidence exhibit, which held actually pieces of evidence released from the FBI's case, including the weapon, the cloth it was wrapped in, Ray's shorts and hairbrush that he left in his room, and the actual bullet that killed MLK. I was shaking and feeling slightly queasy.

I felt that way earlier in the museum too in the exhibit with the statues of slaves being held captive in the Middle Passage, complete with sounds of a rocking boat, shackles moving barely in the tight captivity they were kept in, the cries of a woman and the coughs of the ill. Again, getting hit with the reality of the cruelties that were endured by the slaves really impacted me physically. I don't think I would ever survive such a journey 

More than Memphis: Day 1 of EHCO

Hello and welcome back! This season, we will be exploring Memphis, Tennessee through the eyes of Anu Tuladhar, sophomore in biomedical engineering, leader of the trip EHCO (Engineering and Health Community Outreach), and in general, a very tired person.

But not this morning! When I woke up at 4:45 after three and a half hours of sleep, I was running around the house, throwing in last minute clothes and taking out unneeded layers. I skipped up the stairs and galloped across the floor. I was on an adrenaline rush.

We (obviously) left the house a bit late, around 5:40, to go pick up Darel so that I could drag him to Dollar Car Rental in Detroit just so he could sign a single piece of paper and be authorized as an additional driver. Poor guy. He was such a good sport about it though--I'm so glad he's my co-driver.

When we got to Dollar, I was sweating bullets about the reservation and the nasty reviews I had read about customer service there and of the total price, since I really didn't want to exceed my kids' costs (my travelers are my kids and I will refer to them henceforth as such). But we were able to get out of there with a full-size vehicle (not the economy class I had booked), with insurance and an additional driver for sub-$700! (Just barely, and may increase after I bring the car back and they actually charge my card, but still a good sign). Lots of thanks due to my momma and her amazing ways.

We chose a Nissan Altima (I chose it for the moonroof but shhh don't tell my parents that because this car had the highest mileage but I insisted it was fine) and drove back to Ann Arbor without issue. On the drive back, I was thanking every higher being up there for the good blessings and good luck.

Once in Ann Arbor, we made the rounds to pick up the kids, made it to Austin and Abhay's, and separated into our cars, with me, Darel, Jason, and Aliah in ours, and Austin, Abhay, Alexa, Rikako, and Rebecca in his. We both planned to meet up at the Tim Hortons on Saline, but each car had to turn back for different reasons--bedding and cameras. Our car was able to make it to Tim Hortons and still grab breakfast and some snacks, while still making it out to the road before the others (woot).

The drive down was good. The kiddos kept intermittently falling asleep while Aliah supplied us with directions and good tunes, but after a few hours I felt myself drifting off too. Remembering the pathography of the man who got in a car accident after all four college students (including the driver) fell asleep while road tripping, I quickly asked Darel to switch with me, and napped the other hour until we got to Indianapolis for lunch.

Indianapolis is BEAUTIFUL. It reminds me so much of Chicago with the high rises, one-way streets, huge stores, and fancy monuments. We found our way to the parking structure and up to the food court, where we met up with the other car, ate lunch, and sat and had a water-boiler about what we thought should be made legal.

From there, it was a straight shot down to Memphis, through Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas, with a few rest stops here and there, a couple driver switches, and nap times. We didn't experience the fear of getting caught by the police after speeding 92 right past one (which then suddenly turned its lights and siren on), or of cutting in front of one like Austin and Abhay's car did. Nor did we have the traumatic bonding experience of putting the bumper back on the car after it rattled off. But we sang songs, answered some Buzzfeed questions, and got to know each other a bit better.

We got to Memphis around 8:30 CST and finally got to meet Jeff, the man!! After situating ourselves in our (M-HEAL only) bunkroom, we sat down with him and got introduced (he's so nice and his accent is very comforting), then head out to Huey's Burgers to satisfy our hunger and shoot some toothpicks through our straws (right before we got in the cars, we witnessed a catfight. A literal one. Two cats, just going at it, yowling like they were Warrior Cats). Picture included later when I remember to upload them from my phone. ((Not of the cats, sorry. Missed the chance to take a video :( but I have a video of Darel getting a toothpick in the ceiling! And a hella artsy one Rikako took of me trying and failing. But I tried! That's what counts ain't it??))

Since we got back, we chilled for a bit, wrote down some reflections and expectations, made Jason write a blog post, and played a round of Settlers of Catan (one of the best board games ever IMO). Somehow I won, even though I kept distracting myself with my phone half the game, but I'm not complaining ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It's now 1:24 AM and I should get to bed so I can get ready to the National Civil Rights Museum tomorrow. I know this post is a bit cut and dry--it's much less me than I normally feel it is, but man I'm tired. I'll try to do better tomorrow. But for now, good night!