First Day in Knoxville

Hey everyone! My name is Alexa and I'm a freshman student from New York. I'm a history major and my favorite things are anthropology, my dogs, traveling, and eating. Today was our first day in Knoxville, Tennessee after traveling for seven hours yesterday. Even though the ride was long, it definitely gave us time to bond, and everyone was very comfortable with each other today when we went to the Family Justice Center in downtown Knoxville. After being introduced to the leaders of the center, we participated in the In Her Shoes activity, where we picked a character card and read the experiences of women who were victims of domestic assault. As my partner Jen and I traveled around the room stopping at tables and learning more about our characters, we were shocked and frustrated with some of the decisions that the women made - they were rejected from shelters and neglected by child protective services in some situations, and an tragic situation one victim even died at the hands of her abuser. It was both frustrating and heartbreaking to see the women sent to jail because of injustice or go back to their abusers because they thought things would change; they usually never did, and they were physically or sexually abused by their loved one. Although it was frustrating to see this happen and have no control over it, it allowed us to realize the reality of the situation. Along with that and talking to the director Amy, who spoke about the mindset of victims and survivors, we were truly able to prepare ourselves for the rest of the week by understanding the thoughts and feelings of victims of domestic violence.