DAY TWO at the worksite! It was a gorgeous day today; the sun was shining all afternoon, with the temperature lingering somewhere above 80 degrees for the majority of our workday. I spent both yesterday and today at a worksite with two houses situated right next to each other, painting the interior of each home. Today was a bit of a treat though, for we were able to get into some “dirty work” so to speak, hammering in windowsills and getting down with the power saws (yeah yeah!) Yesterday we finished painting the first house, and today we managed to paint just about all of the second house, in addition to cutting and installing all of the windowsills. Needless to say, today felt like an accomplishment.
After working, we all came back to the church, got cleaned up and ready for the evening, and headed out to get some dinner with the community! We were provided dinner at this castle-like church in Maryville, where we chit-chatted with local community members. Michaela Rice and I chose to join a table of six elderly women, whose charming personalities and unique stories made for an unforgettable meal.
At the community dinner in Maryville
After dinner, we got a taste of real Tennessee fun as we line-danced our way around Cotton Eyed Joes! Nothing like some real southern culture, right?
Spending my spring break here, doing what we’re doing, is giving me a life experience that is unlike that of any experience I’ve had, as it’s allowing me to realize the innumerable blessings I have been given in my life. Simply leaving home, leaving everything that is familiar and comfortable is enough, in a sense, to start to change the way we think and perceive things, for we no longer rely on what we know, but rather have to trust the knowledge of others, and learn to adapt to something new. The conversations Michaela and I had tonight with two women in particular at dinner led me to think about what it is I truly value in my life, two of those things being family and love, which they each touched on. The “Southern Hospitality” we have been receiving here almost puts “Minnesota Nice” to shame.
I feel honored to be contributing to something so significant in someone else’s life, and to experience the culture of Tennessee, as well as the people here surrounding us every day. Today was full of new experiences, new people, and thus—pardon the almost-cliché—a slightly altered perspective. It was a blast.
Jessie Erickson, ‘15