A different type of education

The house we worked on.

This past Saturday, another student and I volunteered at our first Habitat for Humanity construction day. I'm not going to lie- waking up at 6:30AM to try and catch a 7:14AM bus, that we found out was detoured at 7:33AM, and then walking six blocks to catch a 7:45AM bus in order to get to our site 20 minutes late did little to improve my thoughts on the public transportation in this city. But that's a whole other story. . . Actually I think in general, I was nervous about the whole experience. Don't get me wrong: I've done my fair share of wielding hammers, sanding door frames and painting rooms, but I've never really done it for something as important as someone else's home. I'm sure everyone knows that Habitat for Humanity is in the business of building homes for those that can't necessarily afford a home otherwise. But as our construction site leader Patrick told us when we arrived, Habitat sells homes to families for the not-at-all cheap price of $80,000 that must be paid off over 25-30 years. Along with that, future homeowners must also devote something like 250 hours of service: 100 on their own house and 150 hours on other Habitat homes in their future neighborhood. I honestly had no idea that there were such stipulations, but when I think about it, it makes perfect sense. Better yet, Habitat charges no interest on the price of the home AND future homeowners are building a community amongst themselves as they build their own and others' houses. To me, it sounds like an all-around positive-energy organization. Plus the fact that their houses are usually 3 bedroom/2 bathroom, brand-spanking-new gems!

Our post! If you look closely, you can see the
cement that is filling our magnificent hole :)

So my friend (Alex) and I get to the site to find we are volunteering with something like 40 other Tulane students who are there as a part of their business classes. The professors were even there, one fully decked out in his own hardhat, tool belt and flannel :)  As we're being split into groups, Alex and I jump on what sounds like an exciting opportunity to wield a hammer (so as you can tell, that's my real motivation to hang out with Habitat- the tools). It turns out that we are at the back of the house digging a hole 18cm deep. But there's a catch- there are bricks and concrete in the way, and we don't really have many other tools other than this dangerously heavy looking clamping object. Patrick leaves us to it.

Learning to cut wood.

Within five minutes, we both know this is going nowhere fast with this clampy looking object. I mean, we can't even get the dirt out of the hole. So I go off hunting for a shovel and by the time I return, Alex has found a red solo cup that has been reinforced by dried paint so that we can scoop out dirt. Turns out that the red solo cup was the single most important tool we used for that project. After taking turns digging and scooping for an hour, we head back to Patrick. He must have trusted our digging abilities, because he automatically sends us off to go cut our own post, hammer in some nails, and to mix some cement. During this, I'm of course thinking "Wow, we've been promoted!" I have to say, mixing cement and using my hands to throw it into our shady hole may have been the best thing ever. After the two of us have put in our post and patted down the cement, we're sent off to lunch.



Lil' Dizzy's Cafe. Nom

Lunch was awesome by the way. Both of us being foodies, Alex and I decided to wander just outside the 7th ward to find some place with "real southern cooking." We ended up on Decatur at some local hot-spot call Lil' Dizzy's. The restaurant itself seemed to be occupying an old home (as many restaurants around here seem to do), and was filled with the wonderful smells of fried chicken, biscuits and gumbo. Because it was a chilly 55 degrees Fahrenheit that day, I opted for the gumbo, salad and some corn bread. I think real, non-touristy restaurants in New Orleans are the best way to experience exactly how slowly things move down here. We probably spent an hour and twenty minutes before we left, and that was for a quick lunch. But I also think that that's one of the best parts of New Orleans, and one of the ways in which I've changed the most this year- you HAVE to slow down in order to like it down here. I mean, what's the rush anyway? Everyone else is moving at the same exact snail's pace, so just take it easy.


This is one side of the front entrance/staircase. We put in the guard rails between the two large posts.

We finally find our way back to 1335 Annette Street and Patrick sets us up with a completely different task: we are to cut, measure, cut, and nail in the posts that line the stairs at the front of the house. By the time we finish, Patrick is complimenting our work and telling us to call it a day. Feeling like we had accomplished quite a lot, the two of us headed back, and on a much more precisely timed bus.

I really enjoyed volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. It's a completely different experience and, in many ways, is a lot more solitary than what I am used to. It was also a lot more independent and makeshift than I was expecting. There are only so many Habitat and AmeriCorps individuals to answer questions and give guidance, and so most of the small problems that come up have to be handled with flexibility, imagination, and a positive attitude by the volunteers. It gives one a sense of responsibility and ownership, I think.

Seeing everyone working hard at multiple small tasks to put the finishing touches on a house that is going to a family in need puts it all in perspective. A hard day's work, one where you can see what you have accomplished, and can even meet the person for whom you are doing this work, leaves one with a wonderful feeling. I'll definitely be back at Habitat for Humanity in the coming weeks, and I'm excited to keep working on the same, and other houses.