Habitat for Humanity - Lovin' those car rides!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Maybe you don't identify with this, but, I LOVE CAR RIDES.  Our group left Friday morning; and from the moment I sat in the car, until the moment I laid down to sleep (a time of about 17 hours), I loved my life.  Not that I don't love my life at other times, and in general, but this--this was special.  A group of 11 students and our "mom," Andrea DiSanto, quickly became a little family (with less fights than those I remember with my siblings on family car trips).  We played "Hot Seat" to quickly get to know many random, and personal, things about our car mates.  We each picked 2 songs on the iPod and tried to guess whose music taste fit each song.  We had long sessions of talk time, where conversation ranged from campus life to guy/girl relationships.  We played the "in 10 years game," in which we pretended that we were back together for a reunion and we were telling each other what had happened in the last ten years.  We were graced by Eric and Steven's lovely voices, raised in silly song.  We stopped at Chick-Fil-A (which was a treat in and of itself) where I was the first participant in the altogether unsuccessful saltine cracker eating contest--I can still feel the sodium in my body.  Nearing the end of our journey, we all estimated the time of arrival.  I guessed that it would take 8 more minutes, and others were more ambitious, guessing that it would take 25.  Well, we were all very wrong. 

Right after we guessed the ETA the van in front of us pulled over on the side of the road.  It turns out that Dusty had taken pity on a man who had, unfortunately, run out of gas on the most back road of back roads.  We quickly called the vans behind us in the second shift of the trek to get some gasoline to bless to this halted traveler.  We found out later that the other group drove around, stopping numerous places to ask for directions to an open gas station and when they were finally able to find one, they filled up their empty nalgenes and waterbottles to bring this man some fuel for the remainder of his journey.  I was proud of my team.

When we finally arrived at our destination, an intentional Christian community called Koinonia, there was a bit of confusion as to where we would all be staying, but it all worked out and we ended up splitting up the group with about a fourth staying on the commune (as we have come to call it), and the other three fourths staying in their community center a mile or two down the road.  The average bedtime was about 3am and the average wake-up time was 7:45am.  You do the math.  There were some tired kids, but proving what a stellar group they were, the attitudes were a typical of those who only rested for 5/8 of the suggested sleep time.  And again, I was proud of my team.

We had a bagel breakfast together and then split into 2 Habitat work shifts.  And here is where my story if different from the rest of the team.  Five of us volunteered to work on with Koinonia to clear brush.  So I, along with 4 others, headed back to the commune to move logs, sticks, and trees into monstrous piles for their weekly brush burning (unfortunately that happens on Mondays, not Saturdays).  We rode around on the flat bed trailer of the tractor through some of the most beautiful green grass, trees, and fields I've ever seen.  The weather was optimal, the breeze, soft, and the mood, sublime.  We reluctantly finished our work and headed back to meet the group for lunch.  I sat on the playground as I ate my sandwich, still loving the weather. 

After a short trip to the other work site to see what the majority of our group had been working on, we went back to the community center with the first shift where we enjoyed some chill time together.  In this time I played with a football, a Frisbee,  a kickball, a soccer ball, and a volleyball--that's my idea of a perfect afternoon.  Along with the various leisurely sports activities, my friends Phil and Steven started a little project of their own which I was excited to join in on.  Challenged by Andrew Smith's words to, "leave this place better than we found it," they decided to rake up all the millions of billions of leaves that littered the play yard/back yard of the community center.  I was proud of my team.

Finally the other group arrived back and everyone woke up from the naps they were taking to replenish the missing hours of sleep in order to eat a delicious meal of pasta with meatballs, garlic bread, and salad.  The garlic bread, made by my wing mate, Heather Tyner, was TO DIE FOR.  After dinner we all played around a bit more in the yard and then started shower shifts.  The job of cleaning up the leaves being unfinished, and darkness already descended, we were at a loss for what to do.  However, again, the group rose to the challenge and we had about 12 people outside putting millions of billions of leaves in large black trash bags.  We finished the task while others took their shower shifts.  No one complained. I met a few new faces.  The yard looked GOOD.  I was proud of my team.

At this point, I happen to be the only person not showered, maybe that's why no one is sitting by me right now J.

--Annie Dimond