All in a Day’s Work
This post was written by undergraduate students Jennifer Kearney ’11 and Cathy Bao ’12 as they participate in Babson’s Habitat for Humanity Winter Break trip
“Work hard – it all comes back to you.”
It was our first day on the Habitat for Humanity (Bayou/Louisiana) job, and it was pretty amazing. The weather surprised us – it was definitely a lot colder than we anticipated (23 degrees when we woke up!) – but we had a lot of fun despite the strange weather. Thankfully, it warmed up as we got to work, and the warm Louisiana sun kept us from thinking of cold New England.
Our work site was about 10 miles away from our house on Bon Jovi Blvd in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The house is still a work-in-progress, so what our tasks were for the day involved insulation and siding. Some of us were able to use power tools (like: Paul and his saw, Jen/Matt/Ryan and their drills) while the rest worked on siding and scaffolding. All of us enjoyed chili for lunch, delivered to the worksite by Aimee, the Bayou Habitat moderator. We worked alongside Americorps volunteers for the day, who were extremely helpful in teaching us the ropes (and Jen how to use a drill).
Today is Monday, and it’s the second day we’ve been living in 175 Bon Jovi Blvd (our volunteer home). The minute we walked in yesterday, we weren’t greeted by former volunteers in person, but by the names and memories they left – all over the walls. There is artwork everywhere – whether it’s advice on where to eat, or an uplifting quote, or a hilarious memory from a previous trip – it’s easy to see that we’re all in for a life-changing experience.