Who needs Cancun when you can have fun in D.C.?

In the past 6 days, I’ve probably only had 25 hours of sleep and so at 11:15 on a Saturday night, it’s actually considered late and I’m exhausted! (I can’t stand it! :) In the comfort of my own room, I’m in a completely different setting from what the past few days were like down in D.C. with the ASB GANG!!! I find myself wishing I was back down south, and if given the chance, I would definitely hop back on the train in no time! The trip was awesome; I’ve learned so many new and interesting skills, made some awesome friendships and got to help out individuals who I will probably never get the chance to meet, but are so deserving!
The trip itself was incredible! Rather than heading off to Cancun for spring break, a group of 18 kids including myself and 2 chaperones left on the Amtrak for the nation's capital to build a house with Habitat for Humanity. Eight hours later, after all the laughter, sightseeing, coloring and trips to the car of the train with food (we tried to keep those visits to a minimum on the first Amtrak ride…), we entered D.C.’s rush hour clutching to our bags, attempting to stick together and spent the night playing Uno and eating pizza in the “hostile.” Tuesday finally came and we made it to the site!!! I worked with Emily and Joey with the ICP Styrofoam blocks to set the house’s foundation and that night we all went to the Capital City brewery for some much needed chow then booked it down to the actual capital to snap some pics of the big dome. Wednesday was pretty similar and luckily we made it to the site on time after leaving our home away from home at the crack of dawn again…such a challenge!! I switched things up on this day and worked along the side and the roof of the house on the scaffold, but not for too long! That night was great, we went to the city and it was beautiful, the Memorials were awesome, especially with an expert tour guide like Joey!!!! I learned so much, like how the Lincoln Memorial was built by Egyptian slaves; and who knew, the White House had to be demolished in 1492 when Christopher Columbus came!!:) Thursday night was spent going around the shops in Georgetown; it was so pretty and reminded me of Northampton, MA, back towards home. During the day however, I spent time learning to drywall with Kendra, Julie, Beth, Emily and Rachel! This was definitely the trickiest task handed out; it’s super tedious and requires tremendous attention to detail! All week, even before we got to Habitat, I really wanted to paint, and Friday I finally got the chance to with Angel, Stephen and Joey! We spent most of the day singing our lungs out to whatever songs popped into our heads, massaging each other (only on breaks I swear!) and dabbling in some paint. Leaving the site was a little emotional, we had done all we could and put so much effort into the 6 houses, and yet they still weren’t finished. The process of building a house, now that I’ve been given this opportunity, has definitely been put into perspective; it is not something to be taken for granted. I remember being on site and contemplating the effort that was put into my own house, from setting the foundation to painting the ceilings! On a lighter note, after getting up from one last group picture at the site, the group and I left the HFH sign on the fence and rode the metro down to the national mall again, where we split up. While some went to the Museum of Natural History, I hit up the Museum of Art, ironically, after a long day of painting. After leaving the museums, we then went to the Hard Rock Café in D.C. to celebrate Angel’s birthday and there we learned it was possible for a group of 3 to scarf down an entire plate of nachos in less than 2 minutes!!:)
The trip was awesome. I think it was most successful because of the ease at which everyone got along! We shared so many hilarious and memorable moments that can only happen while living with the same 20 people 6 days straight. Whether it was watching someone fall asleep at the work site, writing down our secrets within the pages of a “Post Secret” novel in Urban Outfitters, receiving a new pair of shades off the street.... or just crying-laughing your eyes out at the organized/disorganized chaos and countless jokes, the Alternative Spring Break is something that none of us will forget and I’m so happy to be part of this group! It was wonderful! I can't wait for Spring Break 2011!! Thank you sponsors!!!!
-Lauren