Alternative Spring Break, Decatur: Tuesday Adventures!

Each year during Harvard’s spring break, PBHA’s Alternative Spring Break program sends student volunteers on public service trips across the United States. This spring, 10 students traveled to Decatur, Alabama to work with the local Habitat for Humanity and volunteer in the local elementary school. The students blogged throughout the trip; this is part four of their series. Read part one, part two, and part three here. We woke up to another beautiful day for construction. We finished up the framing and began putting up the trusses for the roof. Justyna and I worked side by side with Greg, the roof guy. We had to watch our footing, get comfortable with heights, and move like a monkey at times. It was really fun being up there, though yes, scary at times. We stayed up there all day because I knew it was work that I wouldn’t be able to experience any other time.That night we had plans to watch the Decatur Youth Orchestra perform. There were kids ranging in all different ages. They played two pieces for us and then we all ate pizza together. By this event we as a group were pretty good at our introductions to others. It’s amazing how many times by Tuesday night that I told people my name was Tanner and I am from outside of Boston and I am a junior and I study history.The kids were really fun to talk with. I enjoyed learning about their lives growing up and what they were learning in school. Many of the young muscians we talked to are home-schooled. It was interesting to learn about their experiences with that.At dinner we met one of the members of Gay’s Rotary Club, the Daybreak chapter. He was very friendly and offered us to use his boat to hang out on for a bit as a group after dinner. We immediately took him up on that offer. It was really cool to have to group time on a really, really nice boat. That night was filled with laughter and fantastic story telling.