On our way to bruised thumbs…
This post was written by undergraduate student Mike Smith ’12, currently traveling on Babson’s Habitat for Humanity Winter Break trip
Hey Ya’ll! Greetings from Thibodaux, Louisiana! Today is our third day working in the Bayou area Habitat sites and so far we have worked under a house, on the side of a house, inside a house, and on the roof of a house! We have sided, insulated, painted, tiled, and shingled a couple of houses that are now in their final stages of construction. Throughout the trip we have been learning all the tricks of the construction trade and have also taken in the southern culture. Just the other night we ate at Bubba’s Restaurant and our group tried everything from catfish and crawfish to alligator and gumbo.
The weather has been unusually cold for this area and that has sparked some interesting stories from those not used to temperatures in the 20’s and 30’s– one of the staff members could not find an ice scrapper to get the frost off of his car at any of the Thibodaux stores so he resorted to a spatchula! Despite the colder than usual temperatures at the beginning of the trip, all of us volunteers remained in warm spirits and as the week progressed, it has gotten a little warmer everyday!
Although the trip is not over yet, I can already tell that it has had a profound effect on me and will be nothing short of a life-changing experience. I came down here to help ease the devastations that are still being felt by the victims of Hurricane Katrina, but in the process of helping others, I have really helped myself. Before this trip, I would sometimes take for granted the many blessings of my own life (the great people I am constantly surrounded by, the amazing school I am able to attend, the roof over my head every night, and the food that I have available to eat every time I’m hungry); however, I now see how truly fortunate I am and appreciate it all. So for me, this trip has been about, in large part, perspective. The people that came on this trip with me (other Babson students and staff) have really inspired me to be a better person. We’ve shared countless laughs and have really enjoyed each other’s company. Our volunteer house could be considered close quarters but we like to call it “cozy”—our word of the week. During reflection time the other night, we got to delve deeper into our feelings and we got into discussing the needs that are present everywhere in the world. We traveled thousands of miles to get here and there certainly is need all around us. There is a lot of need for help overseas and in other countries also; yet, there is need even in our own backyards too. We realized that although it has been great to travel and experience a different culture, it is really just another blessing for us. Next semester I will assume a role on the Habitat executive board as Senator for the club, and I am grateful for the opportunity. When I return home, I look forward to working on many local builds, especially in the Dorchester area.
If I could sum up this experience so far I would have to use a quote written on the wall of our volunteer house: here in Thibodaux, “many hands come together as one for a common good”. The quote is surrounded by the handprints of past and present volunteers, and I am more proud than I could ever say to add my hand print to the mural today. Also written on the wall is: “If you leave here with a bruised thumb, you know you had a good trip”, and I can definitely say that we are all on our way to having bruised thumbs, and that the trip has already exceeded all my expectations. Thank you to everyone that made this trip possible, and a great thank you to Babson for sponsoring us!