I have finally returned from one of the most magical weeks of my life. Spring break. And no, I didn’t go to Cancun or Florida or on a cruise like most people did. I actually went to Alabama for an alternative break. Yup, I spent the past week building houses in Mobile, and it was one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences I’ve ever had.
We arrived Saturday night and spent all day Sunday at the beach. We needed some fun in the sun over break, right? But Monday it was right to work, at a nature reserve. We spent the day with Tom, a marine biologist, who told us how to find, cut, and kill Frag, a type of plant that is bad for the swamp area. So all day we climbed through knee high mud and swamp water cutting plants and injecting them with blue gloop! Even though when the day ended we were all covered in mud and blue gloop, we still felt great! Seeing Tom’s smile when he looked out at all the dead Frag was rewarding in itself.
And now begins the hard stuff. Tuesday through Friday we spent working on two separate houses. The first house, Site #1 was all renovation stuff. Tuesday and Friday was spent pulling up rugs, smashing tile floors, painting, trimming, and putting in all new hardwood and tile flooring. The woman at this site was amazing; she is 56 and was running around all day helping us build. She taught us how to cut tiles, insert hardwood floor, paint behind a toilet, and more importantly, kill massive spiders! At this site we also met the man who lived next door, Dave. He told us about his childhood and how he never dreamed about having a home. Now, Habitat has made it possible for him to own his house as well as provide for his family. How amazing is that!? They made a dream possible that Dave never even imagined possible!!
Site #2 was all building. Yup. We built a house from the ground up. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent framing, roofing, putting in all the safety precautions, and putting up the ceiling. And a lot of hammering. I personally spent both days on the roof, helping the two men there (Mike and Justin) pull up sheets of wood and securing them to the frame. Never did I think I would be comfortable on the roof. But there I was, instructing people what to do, walking back and forth checking on everyone, and standing on just frames alone! This site was unique because we had a woman working with us, Mary, who was a Habitat Home recipient. She had put in the 150 hours needed to receive her Habitat Home, but was now doing the last 150 hours on someone else’s home. We spent the days talking with her and learning about how grateful she was to see so many college students helping out over their break. Mary never thought it possible that college kids would give up their break to, essentially, work! Every day she thanked us left and right, showing us how much she truly appreciated our help.
And the best part of the trip? All the amazing people I met! Students from all over campus and from all backgrounds spent 25 hours (one way!) on a bus together to go help people in need. Over the week, we grew to love each other, through family dinners, games of assassins, and one crazy game of Birdie on a Perch. So next spring, when you’re trying to plan what hot, sunny, sand infested beach you want to go to, think again. Think about doing an alternative break, because it will be 100% worth it. You can go to Cancun with the girls anytime, but how many times can you spend a week with a bunch of awesome college kids helping those in need? The answer seems pretty obvious…