NC State University

Today was the first time the Alternative Service Break (ASB) Gulf Coast team for 2011, consisting of 13 students, the student leader, and two co-advisors, spent a significant amount of time together, and it was a great team-building day in advance of our trip from March 5-13, 2011 to New Orleans to do post-Katrina Habitat for Humanity work.

It was cold out—26^°F—this morning and after signing in at Habitat for Humanity of Wake County‘s Braemar site in Zebulon, NC where four houses were in progress, we stepped into one of them for the safety briefing. Most of us didn’t know portable heaters could be as powerful as the 85,000 BTU one going inside that house, and we were grateful for it.

All four houses being worked on at the Braemar site were in the later stages of development. The one with the most work yet to do on it was completely framed, but had no interior walls in it yet. It needed to be ready for its electrical inspection on Monday.

A good portion of the team spent the first couple of hours in the morning working outside cleaning up the site around that house to complete its readiness for Monday. We picked up all kinds of debris in the yard, such as cans, bottles, litter, scrapped shingles, pieces of wood, and we neatly stacked a pile of carelessly strewn boards. Because of how cold outside it was, some debris was stuck in puddles that had turned into ice.

Upon completion of that task, folks took on other tasks, some already in progress by team members who had started them while the others were cleaning up the site. At the end of the day, a survey of our team revealed the diverse tasks contributed to by our team throughout our full day there:

• Amanda: “I cleaned up the site, did some interior painting, and installed some starter stripping.”
• Andrea: “I mainly cleaned up work sites, then moved and painted the columns that are going to be on the porches of all four houses.”
• Branson: “I painted, did some trim work, and cleaned up.”
• Blair: “I cleaned up the site, did some interior painting, installed some starter stripping, and cut corner pieces to attach siding.”
• Caitlin: “I did some interior painting and cleaning up the site.”
• Isaac: “I cleaned up the site, did some interior painting, did some chalk boxing, and installed some starter stripping.”
• John: “I cleaned up the site, poured paint, took notes for our blog, and caulked.”
• Miriam: “I painted a room, including the walls and ceilings, and helped with clean up.”
• Tracy: “I cleaned and picked up a lot of debris and other random scraps, lifted and painted columns, built a bonfire, and retrieved lunch for the team.”

Another thing that happens in a typical Habitat volunteer day is that volunteers get to work with a variety of team members, and today was no exception for our team:

• 2 team members reported working with 3 other team members during the day,
• 3 team members reported working with 5 other team members during the day, and
• and 6 members reported working with 6 or more other team members throughout the day.

Two other teams from NC State’s ASB program were at the site with us, and several team members made a concerted effort to work with a member, or members, of the El Salvador team or the West Virginia team as well.

In addition to learning about tasks involved in building a house, a day at Habitat invariably introduces volunteers to tools, such as reciprocating saws (a.k.a. “Sawzall”) and chalk boxes, that they never knew existed, or at least didn’t know the name of.

Most of us had a delicious lunch of Smithfield BBQ & Chicken, while others had various vegetarian and other selections, after which we celebrated our co-advisor, Joyce’s, birthday with a heart-shaped cake that our leader, Tracy, had made.

As is a part of everything in the ASB program, we did a reflection exercise after lunch, before returning to work. The reflection exercise went surprisingly well. A lot of times, especially when the team is still really just getting to know each other, it can get very quiet when a thought-provoking question is asked of the team, but our team jumped right in with thoughtful answers, as well as pulling in related articles and books they’d read that pertained to our topic at hand.

We reflected on these two pieces, which the team was asked to read before coming to today’s retreat:

• The Difference He Made
• The Other America

That we had such good discussion bodes well for the trip to come, because we pretty much have a reflection exercise every day of the trip, in which we share how what we experienced that particular day fits into the larger problem of substandard housing and homelessness, which are the themes of our trip and work.

So, all in all, our team members learned a lot of things today, and here are some of the things they noted after reflecting on the tasks they worked on, who they worked with, and our reflection exercise:

• Amanda: “I learned that the small things matter—you never know how your actions can influence others to help.”
• Andrea: “I learned more about Pressly, where she was from and background things.”
• Branson: “I learned how to install starter strips and how to measure and fit the corner pieces for the siding. I also was able to learn more about my team members, and the way Habitat for Humanity works. I had never worked with Habitat before so it was really helpful to work on a project.”
• Blair: “I learned how to install starter strips and how to measure and fit the corner pieces for the siding. I also was able to learn more about my team members, and the way Habitat for Humanity works. I had never worked with Habitat before so it was really helpful to work on a project.”
• Caitlin: “I learned about Habitat For Humanity’s process of applying and requirements for people trying to have a home. I learned that they are required to work, have a certain amount of income to afford the home they are given, and other tasks they must complete to qualify for the program. I also learned about our regional Habitat for Humanity, and was able to meet one of the homeowners whom we were building a house with, who shared her story.”
• Isaac: “I learned a lot today. First it takes a long time to measure and cut the corner side with vinyl and it takes about 30 minutes to remove OSB with a hammer or 5 minutes with a saw-all. Also I learned how to “chalk box” something I have never done before and found it very interesting. In addition I think our group is becoming better acquainted and this leads to better reflection conversations, and I hope it continues into New Orleans. Finally, I learned that paint can and will get everywhere and Smith fields is the best after working outside in the freezing cold. “
• Miriam: “I definitely learned that building a house includes a lot of work and painting an entire room took almost the entire day. Also paying attention to details is really important as well as doing the best job that you can.”
• Tracy: “Today I learned that we have one hell of a team. It was great to see that our team members were the first to volunteer to work outside (despite the 29 degree frigidness) and to never complain about the work or the cold throughout the day—except for the occasional joke, but I think those are what kept us sane in that weather! I also learned not to wear your favorite sweatshirt to a Habitat worksite if you were hoping to keep it clean!”

Thanks for your interest in our trip! Sorry this entry was so long, but it was a long day, and we wanted to take a little time to “introduce” our team to you. We’ll close with some visual memories of our day: