Significance of Service

After five life-changing days working together to finish two very special houses for two families in need, the Cherry Hill East Habitat for Humanity Spring Break group formed a circle in the basement of a church in Alabama to discuss the powerfulness of the week's events. This talk was prompted by questions such as, what did you learn about yourself this week and what was your favorite part of the week. This talk really put things into perspective. We came to the consensus that the best part of the week was seeing the pure joy and sense of achievement on the faces of the new home-owners as they received the keys to their Habitat home. I have done many Habitat builds over the past two years, but this was the first time I ever had the privilege to give a house away and watch the dedication. Both families consisted of a mother and a young daughter. During the talk we agreed that watching the homes we worked on for the past few days get handed over to the crying mother and the sassy little girl who loves Princess and the Frog, who we just spent an hour dancing with on her new driveway was the most meaningful experience of many of our young lives. At this point we felt grateful to give up our spring breaks at the beach relaxing with our families to help these families accomplish their dreams of home-ownership. This talk allowed everyone to share their feelings on how the trip had both affected and changed them for the better. At the end of the talk everyone came in the center for a group hug of 50 teachers and students and concluded the talk with the chant of "ROLLTIDE". Talks like this are very important to step back and reflect over the significance of your service and share memories that will last lifetimes. 

Full Emergence

Throughout my travels i have discovered that the most important thing to do in order to completely emerge yourself into a different culture is to leave your past behind. Turn your phone off, say good-bye to your friends and family, leave your favorite foods and your designer shoes at home. Shop in the markets, bargain with the store owners, wear the clothes of the local people, eat their food, use their showers. During my travels I left behind the two things that i believe connect me most to my world at home; my cell phone and my twin sister. My cell phone is very important to me because it keeps me connected to my friends and family and keeps me updated on whats going on in my community, but it also allows me to tell others what is going on in my life. My twin sister is a second half of myself. The two of us do everything together and we share the same friends. Leaving those two important things behind allowed me to shave off two layers of my home life and allowed me to completely emerge in the communities in which i stayed. I was able to spend time talking with the people and learning about their everyday lives in these communities and then experience it for myself. Once i learned enough about these people and experience first hand how they live i was able to work side by side with them to better their community, through teaching them English or building them bunk-beds to sleep in. Fully emerging yourself in the culture makes it easier and 100% more rewarding when you do service because you can understand what the people truly need and give them what they want to better their communities and simplify their lives.