Day 2: A Tale of Two Sites
Day 2 for Babson’s Habitat for Humanity Winter Break trip
“Work like a champion today”
Today was the second day of work at the Habitat for Humanity Bayou site on Babson’s Katrina Relief Alternative Break Trip. Our team was split up into two groups today; Emma, Cathy, Andrew, and Mike remained on Bon Jovi Blvd. to paint, while the rest of the team went to the house to continue our previous day’s work. On Bon Jovi Blvd, the four aforementioned went with a couple of Americorps members to clean out an entire house – then, they painted. It was a lot more work than it sounds like. During the day, all the Americorps members entertained us with stories from their previous experiences, further inspiring us to do more for the world around us. We had a great time getting to know our neighbors on the street.
At the house, the remaining workers were split up into two main tasks, installing insulation underneath the house and installing different pieces of siding. Today was about getting into a rhythm and quite a bit of work was accomplished today as a result. Since everyone learned about the different tasks we were assigned yesterday, we all worked much more smoothly and efficiently. It was certainly a messy day for everyone. Everyone who was working on the insulation became quite intimate with the sand and dirt underneath the house. We were also treated to some Southern hospitality in the form of a wonderful, wholesome lunch made by a wonderful grandmother. The real star of the show were the coconut, chocolate chip bars she made. Delicious. She even made us almond cocoa and cappuccino as a welcome surprise towards the end of the day. She praised all of us for a great job and reminded us that we are doing something great for a family in need. That was the best part of all.