My deepest apologies for not updating my blog within an hour
of my return. I was doing things and stuff. My week of service with Appalachia
was honestly the best week my college experience so far. I didn't think that
thirteen (13) random BC students would become so close in such a short period
of time. But it happened. And here are some main events.
Sunday was a travel day. Our group leaders Sam and Connor
had plans to leave BC in vans at 9:30 AM sharp whether or not everyone was
there. We left at 10:00 AM and had a nice drive. We found a hidden Burger King,
slept sporadically, and switched between the 'Top 40' and the country stations
for jams. We arrived safely and were pleasantly surprised by a quaint ministry
house with carpeting (to sleep on). We played Mafia and solved riddles from
Samuel and Matthew.
Monday was a slow day, because our work with Habitat for
Humanity actually began on Tuesday. We got up around 9:00 AM, ate, and went to
the Harrisburg capital building. It is an impressive feat of architecture, and
the tour guides are very knowledgeable and cultured. We went to the mall for
lunch before going to the Bethesda Mission Soup Kitchen to help set up, serve
food, and wash dishes. That was a good time. The hurt on the guests' faces was
tough to ignore, but their smiles helped push some of that atmosphere aside. I
remember one of the main guys organizing it all quoted Monty Python when he
rudely claimed, "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of
elderberries!". Which brings me to my next point, Shabu. She is a
freshman, she is from Korea/Long Island, and she murdered a sweet little
hamster in a microwave when she was seven (7). Enough on that.
Tuesday we got up at 7:00 AM for our first day with Habitat
folks. Our first impression was that the headquarters needs work and the staff
needs more members and more organization. Nonetheless, I was kept busy along
with half of the group by organizing hundreds of sheets of house paneling,
breaking down the wooden storage apparatus, and then loading those organized
sheets of house paneling back onto the new apparatus. It was satisfying to
finish all that, and the backyard of the headquarters was looking mucho mejor
that afternoon. That night we played the Game of Things and Pictionary on paper
and white boards, respectively.
Wednesday we got up at 7:00 AM for our second day with
Habitat folks. We loaded up the pick-up trucks and drove uptown to the triplex,
a housing unit for three families, hopefully to be finished by September. We
worked on foam insulation (cutting pieces, nailing them in snugly). Lunch every
day was PB&J with a banana, granola bars, and a banana. That afternoon Sam,
Matt, Connor, Nick, and myself went running around scenic northeast Harrisburg.
Afterwards (it was really nice outside) we chilled and had a really good idea
for a prank. Every night we had 'reflection' where we reflected on the day by
sharing our highs and lows, then doing another activity involving looking
inwardly and so on and so forth. No mirrors were involved; this was a symbolic
reflection.
Thursday we got up at 7:00 AM for our third day with Habitat
folks. These folks include Dave, Craig, Dick, and Lapidus. This day we
accomplished many more insulation across the front of the house and around the
sides, up to about eight (8) feet. Dinner was delicious; a guy named Eric
cooked a whole bunch of food for the volunteers in the Church next to the
ministry house we were staying at. And Thursday late at night we executed the
prank to perfection, which basically involved me putting on a white altar boy
cloak and standing outside in lit pavilion with Matt for company while two
other guys pretended to go 'missing', and the rest of the pranksters in the
house played with the fear and drama of a creepy guy in white approaching the house.
We did, of course, feel bad for scaring some of the ladies. But the caliber of
the prank overcame those emotions, and everyone was laughing about it the next
evening.
Friday we got up at 7:00 AM for our fourth and final day
with Habitat folks. We got to the triplex and discovered that someone had
broken into the locked and boarded up room of supplies to steal a heater, a
propane tank, and a first aid kit. That put a damper in our spirits, I think.
The fact that someone would steal from people trying to help their own
community is depressing. But we nonetheless put up paneling and made framework
and hammered things and had a good time while working hard on the site. Friday
afternoon we went to the Amish fresh market. The Amish can prepare food very
well. Especially pretzels, milkshakes, sandwiches, and smoothies.
Saturday we got up at 7:30 AM and drove home. We stopped at
the Amish market again to pick up lunch for later. That was a good idea. Arjun,
Sam, Matt, and myself played 'Abstract I Spy' where you spy things like
"monotony" or "restlessness" instead of "radios"
or "windshields". A brilliant invention, that game is. We got back at
BC around 5:15 PM, everyone unpacked and showered and such, and then reconvened
in Sam's (female leader) room at 7:30 PM for our last reflection. It was a good
end to the week and a good start to the rest of the year.
Today I ran 18 miles with Matt, then went to lunch with him
and Sam (male), then went home to Newton, saw some amigos, said "how was
your break?" and "mine was awesome!" a lot, then ordered
flatbread pizza with (edited) and her friends, then did a lab report, then did
more homework, and now I bid all of you goodnight.
Expect photos.
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