Last year when I decided to apply for the Bear Breaks Immersion Trips, I did not know what to expect. I have heard of people having positive experiences with their Bear Breaks Trips and decided why not! My trip leader tried to explain some of things we would witness on our trip and new outlooks on these issues, but I truly did not understand it until I was immersed in the culture. Now more than ever, I realized how important it is to expand your horizons and truly absorb information like a sponge. Going to Asheville made me realize how one action may not only directly impact one situation, but how it can also indirectly impact other situations. When we were doing our street clean up along the highway, I always saw it more as taking care of the environment. As we were picking items, we saw needles on the ground, introducing the idea that health is also at risk when people litter. It is always important to realize the main idea, but interconnecting the subcategories is just as important. When I try to explain to people how Bear Breaks has positively impacted my life, it is hard to explain. Once you are from the inside looking out, you have obtained all these wonderful ideas about being an active citizen in communities but explaining that to someone is hard sometimes. Bear Breaks gives you not only new ideas, but new passions and feelings about things you did not feel before. That is why I recommend this experience to anyone who is willing to learn a new view on community engagement. Realize that everyone is a part of a huge machine, all working together to make communities better.