First thing first at the job site, we are introduced to Bill. Bill is a kind, round-belleyed southerner in every sense of the word. We learn the difference between our pronunciation of “Maryville” and the right way which sounds a bit like “merrrvil”. We also tried to convince Bill that it snows all 12 months of the year in Minnesota…
After he explained the logistics, we split into three groups. One group went to the Habitat ReStore where they prepared materials to be used at one of the several Habitat houses in the area. Another group went to a different site that was nearly finished to do some interior painting. Five other volunteers and I stayed at the house where we met Bill.
Within the first twenty minutes, the six of us constructed and raised an entire wall. Can we say instant gratification? The rest of our projects were smaller and involved taping up high on 20-foot ladders, redoing the nails that had been improperly driven, and basking in the hot Tennessee sun.
Throughout the day we also got a good sense of the neighborhood where we were working. There was a mix of small-ish houses as well as a few larger ones that had actually been built by Bill other Habitat for Humanity workers in past years. People sat on front porches laughing and bickering while cars constantly came and went. We had the opportunity to meet Miss Betty, the soon-to-be owner of the house that was being painted by our other group. The sweet old lady came and ate the pizza that was provided to us by the Smoky Mountain brewery.
Overall, the day was full of hard work, laughs, and grounding experiences. We were all astounded by the simplicity of all the different tasks of home-building, and the amazing gratification that can be felt after hundreds of these little tasks come together as a finished product.
Day 2 of Habitat for Humanity at Maryville: success.