Best time of my life....

I have to say, Spring Break 2010 was one of the best experiences of my life. I returned to Mississippi to tackle the issues of hurricane Katrina and poverty in the town of Meridian. Jeff (the other leader) and I had the best group of students with us; they were fun, hard working, intelligent, risk takers, and interacted with the community. AND COUNTRY MUSIC WAS PLAYING EVERYWHERE I WENT!

Everyday was a different adventure......
The first three days (Monday-Wednesday) we worked on some finishing touches of a home that was being built for a hurricane Katrina victim. We did the white trim around the home and then painted it a light gray. It really made the house stand out! Another project that students were working on was cutting the wood to build the front fence on the porch. It was very tedious and we had to make sure that every board was the exact same height and in perfect position before we screwed it in.

Thursday and Friday were my favorite two days of the week. The contractor for the Habitat for Humanity homes, Mike Stewart, had been working 6 day weeks in order to finish homes for families. Now it was his turn to get something big in return. We started building his home on Thursday morning. I had never seen how a home was built and we literally started with a pile of wood and some how by the end of the day Friday, we had built the frame for his home. As we were working on his house, we got attached to him and his family. He had a young son Jeb and a wife Phyllis. Him and his family were the highlights of our trip. To know that we were building a home for such a deserving family encouraged us to work harder.

To know that I was apart of a project that would give someone a safe place to live really makes me appreciate what I have. This family had lived in a trailer their whole life and now they would be able to live in a 3 bedroom home with a kitchen, living room and two bathrooms. The smile on that young boy's face affected me in a way that I never expected. This innocent, young boy was happy even though he did not have the best place to live or the most toys. He used his imagination to play army and solider.

I can really say that I experienced that Southern Hospitality! I even got to meet the mayor! She just came up to me right on the street and thanked me for the work I was doing. The church we stayed in was so accommodating and cooked us breakfast every morning. Lunch was either provided for us by Habitat or was donated by a local church or business.

One last thing before I let y'all go, something hit me this break, what am I going to do with my Public Relations degree when I graduate. Do I want to go into business PR, or magazine, or event planning? Sooo I made a decision to go into non-profits with my PR degree when I graduate. I am working on looking for an internship and getting some experience in the Boston area.

Cheers to y'all <3