Many people choose to spend their spring breaks kicking back in their hometown or soaking up the sun at the beach. Spring Break is the week long vacation college students get to have away from the hustle and bustle of exams and studying. Instead of hitting the jersey shore, I decided to spend my spring break differently this year and go with Habitat for Humanity to help build a house for a family in need. Called the Collegiate Challenge, schools from all over the country came to Columbus, Georgia to build a house for a family in need.
I was a theatre girl in high school and physical activity was not a very common word in my vocabulary. Performing box-steps was the most physical strain brought on my body. I did play softball growing up, but running was something I could manage, no heavy lifting involved. Whenever I needed help with anything strenuous, I always called upon the nearest male to help me complete tasks, screwing in light bulbs, lifting my furniture around, you name it. The thought of building a whole house within 5 days sounded like a challenge to me, yet a scary endeavor all at once.
How was I supposed to lift scaffolding or help lift pieces of plywood twice my size? As the naïve person I was before the trip, I just assumed I would bask in the sunny Georgia weather while the stronger people did the heavy work. I didn’t realize that not only would I would have to lift heavy things after all, but I would learn that I am capable of things I would have never thought to try.
In an hour’s time, I hammered a nail into a piece of wood for the first time. Okay, so this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but for me it was. It took about half hour to get the nail to stay in place let alone hit it all the way in, but I managed to get it in. Older members of Habitat on the trip stayed by my side teaching me the way to maneuver the nail and being patient with me until I got the hang of things.
After a few more nails and a very sore thumb, I was hammering nails to make the framing of the house and even constructed support for a window.
The next couple days included me carrying heavy wood, tools, and scaffolding between the tool garage and our worksite. I learned the proper way to use a chop saw, nailed plywood against the framing all around the house, wrapped the house, and even put up a whole section of siding. With the help of our supportive contractor, Tom, who had been working with the University of Pittsburgh for years, our advisors Johnny, Tim, and Josh, and Habitat veterans, my group and I all worked together to quickly yet correctly build the house. Little by little, the house became more detailed. Tom described us as ants, as we worked in teams to complete projects around the house. It was brilliant to see my peers so focused and dedicated to jobs that they just learned how to do.
The last day of construction, Pitt’s house was the only house on the block that was nearest completion. Our work ethic and teamwork paid off and was quite visible just by looking at our house. As I hammered the last shingle on the roof after an entire day of shingling, I stood up in awe. I stared at the roof which from below looked like a beautiful (and straight) pattern. It was not only gratifying to see my completed work, but to know that I had a hand in physically helping put a safe roof over someone’s head.
I had advocated for people’s rights to live comfortably my whole life, but this was the first time I actually did anything about it. A person can talk about how much they care for others and want to make a difference but actions are what make the most differences in people’s lives.
Not only did I gain appreciation for the things I am blessed to have in my life, but I gained awareness that this world is larger than just my life at Pitt. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something new for the good of others will teach you a lot more than doing well on your last Organic Chem Exam.
Who knows, you might even make a whole bunch of friends on the way. I’m proud to say my new friends didn’t come from the beach or the spring break trip to Disneyworld, but they came from my trip to Georgia with Habitat for Humanity building a home and building hope.