Last Day and Reorientation

March 30, 2012

Final product at the end of the week

We concluded our last day at site by finishing up the trusses for the house. It was an amazing transformation to see how the house progressed throughout the week. Together of the volunteers including our WM Branch Out team finished the backyard shed, nailed in hurricane straps, built lattices, put up the trusses and started the front and back porches. We also had a barbeque for lunch that day with all the long-term volunteers I had a great time and it was the perfect conclusion to our trip. On the drive home, we caught up on sleep, sang along to all our favorite theme songs of the week, and discussed future reunions with our Branch Out team.

Group photo with our amazing AmeriCorp volunteers and Habitat  shirts

A week after we got back to the ‘Burg a few members of our team participated in a Reorientation Day of service through which we continued working towards our social issue of affordable housing. We partnered with Habitat again but this time we worked at a Restore in Williamsburg. We went with another Habitat alternative break group that went to the Nicaragua and a student group from the WM Law School. Most of our group worked on finishing touches for construction, but I was working on cleaning donated appliances for resale and was paired with two law students and two women working toward their Habitat house.  At first, I was frustrated that I wasn’t doing “real construction”, but I was really glad I got to hang out with the two women. They were pretty funny and we had a really great time chatting about life and one woman was actually busy planning for her June wedding!  I truly feel that the Reorientation program was extremely valuable to my Branch Out experience because it was opportunity for me to connect my experiences in Charleston to my local Williamsburg community in the same capacity. I was able to partner with the same organization doing similar work and I can continue to work with them in the future. The Restore provides an inexpensive alternative to home improvement and furniture stores when homeowners struggle to furnish and maintain their house, which is an additional aspect of the affordable housing issue.  Furthermore, I greatly appreciated the human connections I made speaking with the two women while volunteering about their experiences with the Habitat program. I gained a whole new perspective on affordable housing both through my Branch Out trip to South Carolina and my Reorientation trip down Jamestown road, and I can’t wait for my next opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity.

Leaving our mark on the house!

Wearing our Hard Hats Proudly!

Thursday March 8, 2012

We had the day off yesterday and took advantage of the beautiful 70^o spring weather to explore the city of Charleston. We wandered around Market Street looking at the local artisan crafts and then headed down East Bay Street toward the Battery and White Point Gardens. I had a wonderful time walking around the park, eating gelato, and gazing at the water in the direction of Fort Sumter.

Exploring  the Charleston City Market 

Hanging out at the White Point Gardens in Charleston!

Today, we went back to the site, working through the rainy morning. I was working on finishing up the lattices around the house with some other William and Mary folks. In the afternoon we got started on building the roof, more specifically lifting 200lb. trusses up to the top of the house and nailing it in place. It was heavy lifting and hard labor, but we had a great group dynamic going for lifting the trusses, which required about 8 to 10 volunteers to carry each one. We had to coordinate and communicate together to make prevent injuries and damage to the house.   We also worked closely with long-term volunteers, which consisted mainly of retired men, who enjoyed devoting time to working with Habitat for Humanity. All of them were very understanding and helpful whenever we made mistakes or struggled with a task.

                             First half of the trusses go up!

Tonight in reflection, we each went around and stated our “high” and “low” of the day. For me, my low was working in the humid, rainy weather in the morning, while struggling to finish the last of the lattices. It was frustrating to kneel in the mud with gnats flying in my face and still not be able to successfully nail in the lattices or correctly measure a few of the pieces of wood. My high for the day was definitely working on the trusses and seeing an astonishing difference in the house after only two hours of work. I realized that even though we did have to work on some projects that time consuming and exhausting, it is completely worth it once you see the fruits of your labor and feel a sense of satisfaction and pride in the piece of the project that you contributed. 

Just Another Day on the Job

Our daily schedule for the week looked something like this:

8:00am – 12:00pm           Morning Habitat construction work

1:00pm – 3:30/4:00pm   Afternoon Habitat construction work

4:00pm – 6:00pm             Showering/Dinner prep

6:00pm – 7:00pm             Group reflection

7:00pm – 11:00pm           Group bonding/Beach trips/Games

We got up early, stretched our sore muscles, and began the early day with Habitat. In the morning, I worked with a girl from NC State on the lattices on the foundation of the house. We had to measure the pieces of wood and use power drills to screw the lattices in place. It was pretty thrilling to finally use power tools!  In the afternoon, the group worked on covering the outer walls with Styrofoam sheets and plastic covering to act as a protectorate from water damage. Today, I also go to get to know our two Habitat leaders a little better. The volunteer coordinator, Jacqueline, and construction manager, Kate, were both young women fresh out of AmeriCorp who just couldn’t bear to leave East Cooper Habitat, and decided to stay on full-time. They were both extremely motivating and encouraging and seemed to give off the most positive attitudes.

Lunchtime on the Job - We packed lunch everyday and ate on the site.

When we had group discussion tonight, we discussed how a house and a neighborhood can bring so much more than shelter for a family. It provides security, investment, and stability. Just thinking about the support Habitat provides to families, it is simply remarkable. We discussed the role of Habitat within the issue of affordable housing. It supplies houses for qualified families with a willingness to dedicate time to Habitat to earn their house and pass their rigorous selection process. It is for families that have a stable income, but are just getting by. Sustainability is a huge aspect of Habitat because they are not merely giving homes away, but rather training people in homeownership, savings and investment. We also discussed the drawbacks of Habitat. Someone mentioned that despite the good work the organization does, they cannot end the issue of affordable housing by simply building everyone a house. The only way to truly end this problem is to tackle it legally. By forming some sort of lobbying or legal research aspect to Habitat, maybe they can end the lack of affordable housing. 

Part of the team cutting out the hole for the window

Oyster Roast and Hurricane Straps

Monday March 5, 2012

                We arrived in Mount Pleasant, South Caroline yesterday evening after a long 8 hour journey. Although, the drive down provided some great initial bonding among our team, we were exhausted. We got to the church where we were staying, dropped off our things, and turned on our heels and headed out the door to an oyster roast sponsored by the William and Mary Charleston alumni chapter.  We had a great time mingling and socializing with local alumni. They also helped us out a great deal during the week, from reserving our lodging to providing amazing Southern cooking that rivals that of Paula Dean. After stuffing ourselves with oysters and chili, we headed back and went straight to bed, in hopes for a full night’s rest as we anticipated a hard day’s work in the morning.

 Oyster Roast with Alumni and Branch Out Team!

                The next morning (today!) we got a very early start, and arrived at the Habitat site by 8am sharp. We received an orientation to learn more about East Cooper Habitat for Humanity group. We discovered that all the homes in cul-de-sac were Habitat houses, and we would be working on the final house. By building all the houses next to each, this created a stronger community and support system for the families that moved in. We were told that the children often played together and families would help babysit for each other, essentially establishing this tight-knit network. 

                                                              Habitat house on Day 1

I was excited to start the “real” work especially after being spoiled the night before with the oyster roast.  In the morning I worked with a few team members on nailing in hurricane straps on the lower half of the framework of the house. These straps provided additional support so that the walls of the house would not tear apart and blow away during strong winds. Although these straps seemed like a minimal addition to the house, it actually took all morning. My hand was cramping up by the end and I’m fairly certain my right arm got its most intense workout ever.  By the afternoon, I was eager to start work on something that did not involve nailing. I ended up working with some guys from NC State, also on a Habitat spring break trip, on building plank “bridges” across the top of the house framework so that when we put up the trusses for the roof, workers would be able to walk around up there. This unfortunately still involved nailing and some measuring, but it wasn’t as bad as the hurricane straps,  and I had good company to make up for it!