Thursday we got a ton done at the site. It was the five of us UMass kids, around 5 kids from Kansas University, and a bunch of the local volunteers who were there on Tuesday. It was nice because although not everyone knows each other's names (you get introduced to a LOT of people down here) everyone was enjoying each other's company and working hard on the house, laughing and joking around with each other. Because this particular house is going to have 2 floors, the big task of the day was going to be putting the supports up that would hold up the 2nd floor. These were massive, awkwardly-shaped, 25 feet long, and had to be lifted up by a group of people passing it along up ladders across the house until it was even. Then, it had to be nailed in by hand across the entire length of the house. Repeat this a bunch of times, and it would create a sturdy base for the 2nd floor.
Now, I'm talking about it although I helped with this project. Unfortunately, I am pretty weak and would have tripped multiple times and only brought down everyone else trying to carry the beam. In fact, none of us helped carry the beams except Mike. Now, Mike was the favorite person of EVERYONE we encountered this week, so although this is obviously good he was always the first person people ran to to ask for help. Mike's a good sport and would do almost anything asked of him. So, props to Mike! He had to sit on the very first ladder and essentially guide the beams across the house to the waiting hands of everyone; so he probably had the hardest job all day.
While Mike was busy being awesome, the girls, myself, and 2 boys from KU, Danny and Zach, were busy constructing a shed on the side of the house. We had to nail in the walls, make sure they were level, and fix the multiple mistakes we made in measuring (nothing serious - just needed the sledgehammer to make sure the walls were tight against each other). This might sound like a simple project but I assure you, it was not. It was really hot out, but we were all so engrossed in getting this little shed no one really noticed.
After work, we rushed back to the church to shower and get ready for dinner. We went to Susan's church for a community dinner, and got to sit down again with people of the community. At first, things are always pretty awkward but once you get talking to people it's fairly easy to make conversation. Melissa, Faith and I sat at a table where I ended up talking to an older couple who moved here last year from Florida. They talked to me about their grand kids and how they liked Maryville so far. They also told me they were very happy to hear of students going and doing a service trip over their spring break - they emphasized that they seem to only hear of bad kids, and hearing of a few good ones really made them happy. Melissa had a long conversation with another women who sat alone at our table - her name was Clara, and apparently she had owned the land that the new Habitat houses were being built on. She was pretty old, and told Melissa some really interesting stories about herself and her family. The one thing that they had in common that was great was that they both love dancing :P
After dinner everyone went back to the church and hung out. We did a run to Target to get snacks because we WENT TO THE HUNGER GAMES PREMIER! It was so much fun going to a crowded theatre on opening night. We got there early and hung out and talked, and saw a bunch of the KU kids too. What was really funny was that one of the trivia questions before the previews had UMass Amherst in it!! We cheered when we saw it, and a few of the KU kids yelled as well. Although we got home really late, the movie was so much fun :)
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday March 21, 2012
Wednesday the 5 of us went to Habitat's ReStore and helped out there for the day. The ReStore is similar to a Salvation Army or Goodwill Store - it is run strictly on donations, and almost all of the profits go towards Habitat builds. There is a really, really small full-time staff, and a few part-time workers, but a majority of the people who help out in the ReStore are regular volunteers. They sell almost anything they think will sell, from clothes to furniture, to stuffed animals and books. One man's trash is another man's treasure!
The first thing we did when we got there was to help sort through clothes. There are piles upon piles of clothes in the back of the warehouse that hosts the ReStore - I'm not joking when I say its a mountain. The massive amount of garments goes from floor to ceiling, and precariously tips if you grab a bag too close to the base. Our job was simple; we had to open up bags of clothes and see what we thought would sell and what wouldn't. Proceed to separate them into piles, and continually empty the bin that housed the clothes we didn't think would sell. All of the excess clothes would be sent to another organization which uses them for something else, so nothing goes to waste! The 5 of us were wholly entertained while going through bags because I honestly don't think any of us could have imagined some of the outfits that we came across. Mike put on a BEAUTIFUL girl's shirt, complete with a sparkly butterfly. Faith, Melissa, and I all sported suit jackets over jeans (quite the fashion statement) and Melissa found a full-length blue dress, that was made almost completely out of velvet. Although we decided to toss some of our fashion statements, it was really fun :)
After sorting clothes we went out to the back patio where we proceeded to spend the rest of the day power washing a donated fence. The fence's condition is fine - it was just a little green and dirty from being outside. Power washing was fun not only because you get sprayed with a cool mist (it was REALLY hot out) but you also got to see the immediate difference in the fence. We had a BBQ lunch with Fred, the manager of the ReStore. He talked to us about the ReStore, Habitat, and just the area in general. As I have said before, it's really nice to just connect with people.
After work, we went in search of someplace to go swimming. We had heard about a 'beach' along a small river in the Smoky Mountains and decided it would be a good place to spend a lazy afternoon. We accidentally drove by the 'beach' but continued along the road following the river until there was a pull-off, and got out. It was one of the most tranquil places I have ever been. The river's current was strong so there wasn't anyway that we could pass across, but we all found spots on rocks to lay down and hang out.
We stayed there for a few hours. just enjoying the beautiful weather. We finished off the night by treating ourselves to dinner at the Brewery (1/2 priced burgers YUM) and then playing cards in our room til we all fell asleep. It was a great day :)
The first thing we did when we got there was to help sort through clothes. There are piles upon piles of clothes in the back of the warehouse that hosts the ReStore - I'm not joking when I say its a mountain. The massive amount of garments goes from floor to ceiling, and precariously tips if you grab a bag too close to the base. Our job was simple; we had to open up bags of clothes and see what we thought would sell and what wouldn't. Proceed to separate them into piles, and continually empty the bin that housed the clothes we didn't think would sell. All of the excess clothes would be sent to another organization which uses them for something else, so nothing goes to waste! The 5 of us were wholly entertained while going through bags because I honestly don't think any of us could have imagined some of the outfits that we came across. Mike put on a BEAUTIFUL girl's shirt, complete with a sparkly butterfly. Faith, Melissa, and I all sported suit jackets over jeans (quite the fashion statement) and Melissa found a full-length blue dress, that was made almost completely out of velvet. Although we decided to toss some of our fashion statements, it was really fun :)
After sorting clothes we went out to the back patio where we proceeded to spend the rest of the day power washing a donated fence. The fence's condition is fine - it was just a little green and dirty from being outside. Power washing was fun not only because you get sprayed with a cool mist (it was REALLY hot out) but you also got to see the immediate difference in the fence. We had a BBQ lunch with Fred, the manager of the ReStore. He talked to us about the ReStore, Habitat, and just the area in general. As I have said before, it's really nice to just connect with people.
After work, we went in search of someplace to go swimming. We had heard about a 'beach' along a small river in the Smoky Mountains and decided it would be a good place to spend a lazy afternoon. We accidentally drove by the 'beach' but continued along the road following the river until there was a pull-off, and got out. It was one of the most tranquil places I have ever been. The river's current was strong so there wasn't anyway that we could pass across, but we all found spots on rocks to lay down and hang out.
We stayed there for a few hours. just enjoying the beautiful weather. We finished off the night by treating ourselves to dinner at the Brewery (1/2 priced burgers YUM) and then playing cards in our room til we all fell asleep. It was a great day :)
Tuesday March 20, 2012
On Tuesday Melissa and Faith joined Mike, Steph and I at the site we had been working on on Monday. The 5 of us along with a few of the Kansas University kids helped to start to build a shed and help to build and install interior walls. The house we're working on is really coming together - it's only been in progress for a few weeks, but generally Habitat houses are finished between 8 and 12 weeks. There was a lot of extra people at the site today - Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are local volunteer days, so there was a bunch of extra guys at our site. They were all older men who came from the same church, who were sponsoring this particular build. They were all really nice, and would joke around a lot with us and each other.
Although there was a lot to get done on the site, we (the student volunteers) only helped with so much. The experienced guys really got into working, and took complete control. We were helpful, but not critical on the build - but this was good because it allowed more time to talk to others on the site. We were able to have conversations with either other students or the other older volunteers while helping out with the work. That's what I love about things like this spring break - you're able to talk and connect with people you otherwise wouldn't. I got talking to one of the oldest men at my job site and we talked about everything from how he became an engineer to what book he was currently reading. He asked me about my plans after college, and encouraged me to join the Peace Corp saying "you want to see as much of the world as you can!". It's great to talk to people who come from a different background, and even a different generation - you can only continue learning.
After we got off work, we rushed back to the church to beat the Kansas University group to the showers. After we had cleaned up, the girls headed off to find the movie theater that is down the street from our church. The Hunger Games movie premiers on Thursday night at midnight, and the KU group all decided to buy tickets - so we decided to too :) Melissa read the Hunger Games on the 16 hour drive down, and Faith, Steph, and I have all read the books. Mike is currently being forced to read as much as he can before the movie, and so far he likes it! After we bought our tickets, it was time for dinner back at the church.
Every Tuesday, the church that we're staying at hosts a dinner. Volunteers prepare the food and set up the gym to serve up to 250 people - and it's not simply tables and chairs but tablecloths, centerpieces, and silverware on every table. At 5pm they open the doors to the community and anyone who wants a hot meal is welcome. Faith, Melissa, and I sat with a group of 4 older regulars to the Tuesday night dinners. One women in particular was hilarious - she kept telling us how if we wanted to keep any of our fried chicken 'for a snack later' we could just go back to the kitchen and grab sandwich bags. We just talked about our trip and asked questions about how everyone had settled into Maryville, because not everyone was originally from Tennessee. Following dinner all of the volunteers helped to clean up the gym by wiping down tables, stacking chairs, and rolling up the tablecloths. It was fun to be around different people, and to see the community coming together as a whole. We'll be attending another dinner at a different church on Thursday night.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday March 19, 2012
Monday was our first day put to work on the construction sites! We woke up early, ate a quick breakfast, and headed off to a job site about 2 miles away from where we're staying. Once there, the three groups were split up - so Mike, Steph, and I went with one of the contractors, Bill, to a site a few miles away from the two main sites. We were with 5 kids from Kansas University and a few of the boys from the Randolph High School.
At our site we got a lot of work done. When we arrived, there were 2 walls already finished by volunteers last week, so our first project was to ready the two other walls to be put up. We had to nail along the supporting 2 by 4's, and cut out two windows in the sides. We also had to cut out a door frame, and once all of that was finished everyone consolidated to help raise the side walls. That was my favorite part of the entire day - everyone who was working at the site had to grab hold of the wall and slowly walk it forward until it was perpendicular to the ground, and then some kids would go around and secure it with nails. Once we put up the two walls, what we were working on finally started to look like a real house!
It was really cool to interact with other kids from different parts of the country too. Our group of five had talked about accents and how each area of the country was different, so we ended up talking to a few kids from Kansas about accents and what they thought. We all traveled back to the two main sites and met with Melissa and Faith had been working, and everyone ate the lunch that was provided by Habitat. Yum!
After work, we all decided to go hiking in the Smoky Mountains :) They are so beautiful! Where we're staying is a bit away from the mountains - probably a 45 minute drive, but SO worth it. Actually, on our drive to the mountains we had to drive through what we think is "Dollyville". It was a complete strip of neon lights and mini amusement parks overwhelming a small valley in between the mountains. It was weird to see such a tourist trap nestled in between the mountains. There was a restaurant that was shaped like the Titanic (ice berg and all) and an upside-down mansion. Very weird!
Once we got to the Smoky Mountain's National Park, we headed into the visitors center to inquire about a nice, leisurely hike. A ranger told us about a short hike around 3/4 of a mile that ended in a waterfall, so we decided to pack up our sandwiches and head in that direction. The woods were BEAUTIFUL; right now it's springtime, so things are just starting to come alive. We did a much longer hike than we had intended, but the woods were gorgeous, and the waterfall was too. When we got back to the church, we all showered and hung out for the night. It was a great first day :)
At our site we got a lot of work done. When we arrived, there were 2 walls already finished by volunteers last week, so our first project was to ready the two other walls to be put up. We had to nail along the supporting 2 by 4's, and cut out two windows in the sides. We also had to cut out a door frame, and once all of that was finished everyone consolidated to help raise the side walls. That was my favorite part of the entire day - everyone who was working at the site had to grab hold of the wall and slowly walk it forward until it was perpendicular to the ground, and then some kids would go around and secure it with nails. Once we put up the two walls, what we were working on finally started to look like a real house!
It was really cool to interact with other kids from different parts of the country too. Our group of five had talked about accents and how each area of the country was different, so we ended up talking to a few kids from Kansas about accents and what they thought. We all traveled back to the two main sites and met with Melissa and Faith had been working, and everyone ate the lunch that was provided by Habitat. Yum!
After work, we all decided to go hiking in the Smoky Mountains :) They are so beautiful! Where we're staying is a bit away from the mountains - probably a 45 minute drive, but SO worth it. Actually, on our drive to the mountains we had to drive through what we think is "Dollyville". It was a complete strip of neon lights and mini amusement parks overwhelming a small valley in between the mountains. It was weird to see such a tourist trap nestled in between the mountains. There was a restaurant that was shaped like the Titanic (ice berg and all) and an upside-down mansion. Very weird!
Once we got to the Smoky Mountain's National Park, we headed into the visitors center to inquire about a nice, leisurely hike. A ranger told us about a short hike around 3/4 of a mile that ended in a waterfall, so we decided to pack up our sandwiches and head in that direction. The woods were BEAUTIFUL; right now it's springtime, so things are just starting to come alive. We did a much longer hike than we had intended, but the woods were gorgeous, and the waterfall was too. When we got back to the church, we all showered and hung out for the night. It was a great first day :)
Sunday, March 18, 2012
We're Here!
WE MADE IT! We arrived in the state of Tennessee around 8:00 last night after a full day in the car. Surprisingly, no one went crazy after the 16 hour day, although Steph came pretty close; if we didn't get to Tennessee when we did I think she might've had a slight breakdown. 7 hours in the car to just drive through Virginia was making her go a little nuts. Mike was an absolute champ and drove the ENTIRE TRIP. Our AIS time Saturday morning (Ass In Seat) was 5am, and we were in our seats at 5:08. Mike was going to drive until we passed New York and New Jersey because neither Steph nor Faith felt comfortable driving where would be a lot of cars. But once we passed through (miraculously without hitting ANY traffic) Mike said he didn't mind continuing to drive. Although we periodically asked him if he wanted a break, he insisted on driving and eventually made it clear that he was going to be the only one driving. Once we were in the vicinity of Maryville, we called our Habitat for Humanity Contact, Susan. We had wandered around for probably 45 minutes attempting to find the church but had only succeeded in driving around in circles and getting frustrated when Susan came to our rescue. Susan has been in contact with our group over the last few months via email and has been answering our many questions. We followed her to the Habitat for Humanity's office, and spent the night on the floor of one of their conference rooms because the church we would be staying out wasn't available to us Saturday night. We woke up, packed up the car, and headed to Knoxville this morning. Knoxville is a small city (probably around the same size as Worcester) that is home to the University of Tennessee. We wandered around the downtown area until we found the Visitors Center. We picked up a map and headed off to the river, where we had a nice lunch outside :) It was almost 80 here today, so although I'm loving the warm weather it's going to be rough at the construction site. We're FINALLY settled into the church we'll be staying at - two other groups are also going to be staying here; one group of 10 high school students with two chaperones, and a group of 19 other colelge students from Kansas. Not really sure how they're going to divvy up the work to the different groups, but I'm excited to find out! Tomorrow we're hopefully going to be going hiking after our workday, so we'll see how tomorrow goes! |
Friday, March 16, 2012
AND WE'RE OFF!
The day has finally come. We are finally going to be on our way Tennessee, leaving Amherst at 5am tomorrow morning. Right now, we are about to sit down to a lovely dinner prepared by Steph and Mike (thanks guys) and start talking about our upcoming adventure! This trip has been in the works since early October, and I would like to thank my WONDERFUL team members, and all of our AMAZING friends and family that donated to help us to fund this trip :)
These past few weeks have been insanely crazy, with a lot of problems that made it seem as though this would not be possible. Issues with renting a van, insurance, money...you name it, and it probably came up. There was a breaking point a few weeks ago where it seemed as though the entire world was determined to stop us from going South, but with hard work by everyone, everything worked out! We had two fundraisers last week - the first being a fundraising night at Bertucci's, where Steph works. All of the money raised at that fundraiser is going to go directly to the Blount County Habitat for Humanity, which is where we'll be working all week. The second fundraiser was Trivia Night at the Harp, an awesome Irish bar down the street from UMass that donates half of the proceeds of their weekly trivia night to a local club or charity. The money raised there is going to strictly go to our gas money...because we know that is going to probably be the most expensive part of getting to and from.
We have officially loaded up our 12 person van (with the backseats taken out) with our sleeping gear, work boots, and tool boxes! I am looking forward to the 15 hour drive because although I have my CDL license, I can't drive the van because I'm only 20. So: my plan is to keep everyone awake, and wave enthusiastically at people that we pass. I also plan on taking an obscene amount of pictures, because I think the scenery that we pass is going to be phenomenal.
Hopefully I will update ASAP with pictures and stories of our crazy car ride - everyone enjoy St. Patrick's Day, and for those of you who are on break; HAVE FUN with whatever you're doing!
These past few weeks have been insanely crazy, with a lot of problems that made it seem as though this would not be possible. Issues with renting a van, insurance, money...you name it, and it probably came up. There was a breaking point a few weeks ago where it seemed as though the entire world was determined to stop us from going South, but with hard work by everyone, everything worked out! We had two fundraisers last week - the first being a fundraising night at Bertucci's, where Steph works. All of the money raised at that fundraiser is going to go directly to the Blount County Habitat for Humanity, which is where we'll be working all week. The second fundraiser was Trivia Night at the Harp, an awesome Irish bar down the street from UMass that donates half of the proceeds of their weekly trivia night to a local club or charity. The money raised there is going to strictly go to our gas money...because we know that is going to probably be the most expensive part of getting to and from.
We have officially loaded up our 12 person van (with the backseats taken out) with our sleeping gear, work boots, and tool boxes! I am looking forward to the 15 hour drive because although I have my CDL license, I can't drive the van because I'm only 20. So: my plan is to keep everyone awake, and wave enthusiastically at people that we pass. I also plan on taking an obscene amount of pictures, because I think the scenery that we pass is going to be phenomenal.
Hopefully I will update ASAP with pictures and stories of our crazy car ride - everyone enjoy St. Patrick's Day, and for those of you who are on break; HAVE FUN with whatever you're doing!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Here We Go Again!
Well, I decided to start posting before my next trip - to get a head start! :)
There are quite a few differences between my trip to Guatemala and my upcoming trip to Maryville, Tennessee. The trip to Tennessee will be taking place over the course of my week-long Spring Break, from March 17th to March 24th. Unlike my trip to Guatemala which I embarked on alone, I'll be heading to Tennessee with 4 of my friends; Faith, Melissa, Steph, and Mike. I was lucky enough to meet these guys last year on my Alternative Spring Break, which all of us (minus Mike) participated in through UMass.
Last year, Faith, Melissa, Steph, and I all went down to Georgetown, South Carolina to help renovate an older woman's house. We had no idea what to expect! Our friend Danielle (who unfortunately can't join us on our trip this year) and our 'Team Leader' (who will remain unnamed) and the 4 of us ventured down to the South, making the trip over the course of two days. Once there, we were introduced to the church members of the Methodist church that we would be staying in; and welcomed with open arms. We became very close with a few members of the parish, because once we got there it was discovered that the showers that had been arranged for us had broken. We were welcomed everyday into the homes of some wonderful people to let us shower once we were done working. Without them, we would have been a miserable, smelly bunch of college students!
We also made some great relationships with our contractors, Sean and Lee, who helped teach us how to rip up floorboards, use the table saw (Melissa's favorite activity), secure the outside of the house from animals, and many other skills to help improve the house. One very important person we met on our trip was Ms. Rue, who's house we were working on. Ms. Rue was an older, African-American woman who lived on her own in a small house in a poorer neighborhood. All of the houses along her street were very small, and they were all built in the middle of the 20th century to house workers for the giant paper mill that operated close by. Many of the houses had not been updated in a very long time, and clearly showed the wear and tear of time. Ms. Rue's house required a lot of work; we worked Monday to Thursday from around 9am until 3pm until we had finished all of the work that was scheduled to be completed that week. We even bought Ms. Rue paint, and surprised her by painting her living room for her! The trip was eye-opening, which is why we decided to go again this year.
We decided that although we had great experiences going through ASB, we did not want to travel with the program again this year for a few reasons. So we took it into our own hands to find a way to volunteer over our Spring Break, and then we found the Collegiate Challenge through Habitat for Humanity.
The Collegiate Challenge is a program specifically for college students; essentially any group of college students can create a team and choose a place to go to volunteer over their break. The catch is; the groups themselves are responsible for all of the finances of the trip. WHOA. Although we realized that we would face many struggles from finding transportation to actually raising the amount of money necessary to make this possible, we decided to go for it. I don't mean to brag; but I will say we are very determined college students. So far, we have cashed in bottles from a friend's party for money, written countless letters to friends and family, sold pizza in the dorm, will be hosting Trivia Night at The Harp, and having a Bertucci's Fundraising night. We have organized transportation (which will be official tomorrow!) and also been in contact with our host in Blount County, Tennessee.
None of this would be possible without the love and support of our family and friends; so this is a shout out to all of you who have encouraged us either with words or donations! Without you guys, our goal of helping to build affordable housing in low-income areas of the United States would not be possible. So THANKS :)
I will continue to update this blog as we get closer to the trip, and while we're on it.
Party Llama, World Traveler says: Tennessee, here we come!
There are quite a few differences between my trip to Guatemala and my upcoming trip to Maryville, Tennessee. The trip to Tennessee will be taking place over the course of my week-long Spring Break, from March 17th to March 24th. Unlike my trip to Guatemala which I embarked on alone, I'll be heading to Tennessee with 4 of my friends; Faith, Melissa, Steph, and Mike. I was lucky enough to meet these guys last year on my Alternative Spring Break, which all of us (minus Mike) participated in through UMass.
Last year, Faith, Melissa, Steph, and I all went down to Georgetown, South Carolina to help renovate an older woman's house. We had no idea what to expect! Our friend Danielle (who unfortunately can't join us on our trip this year) and our 'Team Leader' (who will remain unnamed) and the 4 of us ventured down to the South, making the trip over the course of two days. Once there, we were introduced to the church members of the Methodist church that we would be staying in; and welcomed with open arms. We became very close with a few members of the parish, because once we got there it was discovered that the showers that had been arranged for us had broken. We were welcomed everyday into the homes of some wonderful people to let us shower once we were done working. Without them, we would have been a miserable, smelly bunch of college students!
We also made some great relationships with our contractors, Sean and Lee, who helped teach us how to rip up floorboards, use the table saw (Melissa's favorite activity), secure the outside of the house from animals, and many other skills to help improve the house. One very important person we met on our trip was Ms. Rue, who's house we were working on. Ms. Rue was an older, African-American woman who lived on her own in a small house in a poorer neighborhood. All of the houses along her street were very small, and they were all built in the middle of the 20th century to house workers for the giant paper mill that operated close by. Many of the houses had not been updated in a very long time, and clearly showed the wear and tear of time. Ms. Rue's house required a lot of work; we worked Monday to Thursday from around 9am until 3pm until we had finished all of the work that was scheduled to be completed that week. We even bought Ms. Rue paint, and surprised her by painting her living room for her! The trip was eye-opening, which is why we decided to go again this year.
We decided that although we had great experiences going through ASB, we did not want to travel with the program again this year for a few reasons. So we took it into our own hands to find a way to volunteer over our Spring Break, and then we found the Collegiate Challenge through Habitat for Humanity.
The Collegiate Challenge is a program specifically for college students; essentially any group of college students can create a team and choose a place to go to volunteer over their break. The catch is; the groups themselves are responsible for all of the finances of the trip. WHOA. Although we realized that we would face many struggles from finding transportation to actually raising the amount of money necessary to make this possible, we decided to go for it. I don't mean to brag; but I will say we are very determined college students. So far, we have cashed in bottles from a friend's party for money, written countless letters to friends and family, sold pizza in the dorm, will be hosting Trivia Night at The Harp, and having a Bertucci's Fundraising night. We have organized transportation (which will be official tomorrow!) and also been in contact with our host in Blount County, Tennessee.
None of this would be possible without the love and support of our family and friends; so this is a shout out to all of you who have encouraged us either with words or donations! Without you guys, our goal of helping to build affordable housing in low-income areas of the United States would not be possible. So THANKS :)
I will continue to update this blog as we get closer to the trip, and while we're on it.
Party Llama, World Traveler says: Tennessee, here we come!
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