We began our adventures today by traveling to the University of Kentucky Center for Rural Health. After being welcomed with open arms by the receptionist and the secretary of our speaker we made our way to a large room with a conference table. Joking around and talking to each other we waited for Dr. Casey to come in and talk with us about rural poverty in this region of Kentucky. When she entered the room our team made the University of Maryland proud. Not only did we listen intently to all of her facts and statistics, but we asked inquisitive questions. Dr. Casey shared with us that 60% of students in the grade schools in Kentucky are obese, not over weight, but obese, plus another 15% are overweight. She shared that 25% of people in Kentucky live without health insurance. She informed us that Kentucky is no longer the leading state in the production of tobacco, and that instead of being one of the top five states with the lowest tax on tobacco, that Kentucky now falls in the middle. In Kentucky you only have to be 16 to drop out of high school, but the state and officials are working toward a law that will change that to 18. Dr. Casey explained to us that teen pregnancy is an issue in this state because a if a girl becomes pregnant she is considered to be a legal adult and able to make decisions for herself which comes into play if she wants to get away from her parents. She was questioned as to which mental disease is most prevalent in this area and responded with depression due to the environment and financial statuses. She noted that a problem in this area is that smart, educated people go away to college and then move to live elsewhere where they can start fresh and new. Dr. Casey mentioned that it is important for people to realized that those living in the Bible Belt are not stupid, but ignorant. This meaning that they aren’t any less than you or I, but that they are uneducated and lack the resources that we take for granted every day. Her highest hope for Kentucky, her home state, is that the people and families here can become more self reliant and use the money that they live on efficiently to start their own gardens in attempt to improve their eating habits and overall health and wellbeing. It was amazing that Dr. Casey, an educated woman, the first physician in her family, a first generation college student and someone who was told that she would never become a doctor was in fact able to prove others wrong and make something of herself. She was able to come back to her community and devote her work and life to bettering the lives of the people in Kentucky.
After leaving the hospital, we ate our bagged lunches and then traveled to one of Kentucky’s many state parks which had the landmark called the Natural Bridge. We stopped in the rustic lodge first which overlooked the lake and the forest and thought that it would really be a beautiful place to stay in the warmer months. We walked a mile long trail that winded up the side of a mountain, leading to the Natural Bridge. It was muddy from all the previous day’s rain, so we were all careful not to fall! We were all awestruck when we reached our destination. The Natural Bridge was made from an eroded rock at the top of the mountain, and gave a breathtaking view of the entire forest. It was like we were on top of the world. After taking many group photos, we explored a few more trails around the top of the mountain before heading back down to the lodge. It was really peaceful and fulfilling to just wander around in nature and appreciate it.
We returned to Kentucky Mountain Housing and the dinner crew (Laura, Lauren N., Ariel, and Melissa) prepared stir-fry with chicken and an assortment of vegetables and rice for the group. It was so yummy! We then headed to a common room for our reflection. We sat in a large circle on the floor with a ball of yarn. Laura started with the end of the yarn, and said something that she had learned today, either from the group as a whole, from a specific person in the group, from Dr. Casey, or just something about the trip so far in general. She then threw the ball of yarn across the group, and the pattern continued until each person had participated. The end result was a web of yarn which signified our unity as a group, and that we must all stick together for the rest of the week while we are on the trip. We then revealed our secret buddies that we had picked on Saturday, and picked new ones to be revealed on Wednesday.
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