Y’all come back now, M’kay?

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect before we left. It was probably something along the lines of “What on Earth is in Mobile, Alabama?” I was excited to visit a new place; I had ventured into the South twice before in my life, but had never visited the state. My thoughts were later echoed by our hosts at St. Paul Lutheran Church: “What are y’all from Minneapolis doing in Mobile?” As students, we came to Mobile for a variety of reasons, including the hope of becoming more involved in Campus Ministries and campus activities, the ability to experience a culture very different from that of Minneapolis, the chance to create something tangible that directly benefits a Burundian refugee and his family of 14, and the option of taking a break from daily life at Augsburg. Our week in Alabama and the relaxed dynamic of our group provided the backdrop for pursuing these possibilities.
We began our week on Monday by taking a tour of the bayou and visiting Dauphin Island. From Tuesday through Friday, we spent multiple hours on the roof of, inside of, and underneath a house, getting to know both the other members in our group and the groups from Texas Christian University, Florida State, and Illinois Wesleyan. We also heard the life stories of the leaders for our Habitat for Humanity sites (particularly those of one of our leaders - Gary, whose amazing southern accent we decided perfectly matched Forrest Gump’s). We stayed incredibly busy for nearly the entire week and were able to create memories, stories, and connections with one another that will continue to shape me both as a student and for many years to come.
Angelica

Reflecting on Alabama and the southern experience...

Spending some time in Alabama made me realize that we cannot be as passive as a society as we are about racial, gender and class issues with in our society. Experiencing some of those attitudes first hand was a new eye opening experience in a way to the reality of injustices that exist.

Along with that in environmental issues, we meet two very different families; one that was not environmentally conscious, and one that was. The one that was had to drive an hour away to be able to recycle there cans and bottles. The other did not recycle, shopped at wal*mart for everything, and burned tv’s, trash and leaves. Seeing some of these issues continued to reveal the complexity of American society that I have yet to really experience, because I have spent my life in states with similar goals and beliefs.

I am extremely thankful for this experience and believe that spending time with families allowed for us to get a better sense of the culture and experiences that would not have occurred if we were on a tourist trip, staying at a hotel.

I truly enjoyed this group that went and all the fun and entertainment, relaxation and laughter that we had during this short week. THANK YOU!

No way, Yah way. YAHWAY MINISTRIES!

Peace, Angela

HEY BILLYY!!!

I would just like to say i thought this trip was awesome. I came to this trip pretty much knowing only Lonna and Peter but i left with a whole bunch of new friends and its pretty exciting! I really enjoyed all the deep talks i had with Peter, Kay, and Joe, it was all good stuff. Honestly i don't think there could've been a more perfect group of 14 people that came together and enjoyed each others company. Now i get to go back to being a loser on campus where the girls won't be all over me ;), but i'm fine with that hahaha! Hope everyone has an awesome end of the semester!

Day 5 in Mobile Alabama

Have you ever expereinced being in a space that is aout the height of a fridge box, but the area of a house? Well I have. Today we got switched to a new site. This new site entailed going under the house, what people from Wisconsin call basements, but much shorter in height. I was blessed to spend a total of about 7 hours below the house!! I got to rake dirt, level dirt, dig a hole, keep the foundation from sliding, and make some new friends. This was all done in a place where I was unable to stand straight up. I had trouble doing this at first and was scared at first because well this was below a house that could have had snakes. Now you are asking well how did you dig a hole with a normal size shovel (the ones used to dig holes in a backyard)to dig a hole is a 4 foot height. Well it has to be done very carefully. Meaning watch your head and do not hit it on the banister things. It also means you have to shovel at an angle and sometimes shovel from a sitting position. That was hardwork, but it got done. That was only the beginning of my adventures below a house. During this who process I was with Joe for Texas Christian University. He told me about his college and his life. I also worked with Dave from Illinois Wesleyan. Him and I shared jokes and just talked about the house. OH the friends I made while I busy breaking staple guns and stapling a large piece of plastic to walls. I will always remember this experience by the orangeish, redish, dirt stains on the clothes that I wore today.
This week I have gotten to experience being below the house and above the house. It was a great experience with both, but I would prefer roofing instead of playing in the dirt below the house. Roofing I can see everything that is going on around the house, unlike down below no one notices you unless you scream out the little windows. I may never be able to have these experiences again, so I cherished every moment of it.
Well tomorrow is our last day of working. I have enjoyed it so far, and I am hoping that the roof gets finsihed tomorrow because I want to see a finished roof for a family that I helped make possible.
Peace out,
Amy W

Down in the Dirt

Since everyone at our usual Habitat site is working so hard and gettin the job done, today we experienced the joys of landscaping at an alternative site. We were greeted with a dismal sight: snarled roots, logs, debris, mud, sludge, and slop. Five minutes into our task to "clean up" the area three people had already misstepped and sunk into the quagmire, which required assistance from others to pull their leg out of the grips of the bayou. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to mention the smell. We were working around a drainage pipe and the smell was part sulfur, part flatulence, part damp standing water, and all foul. Needless to say it wasn't the best greeting at 8:00 in the morning! But soon enough the smell no longer was a bother and the area was cleared and ready for clean soil and leveling. I have to mention that the soil we were working with was so cool! It was the mythical "red-dirt" that I had previously only heard about in country songs. You could break up the lumps of soil to reveal elaborate layers of colors and textures. For me it was like finding or breaking open an agate on the north shore up in MN. Work was slower today, so we got to socialize with all the other groups that are also volunteering their time. It is awesome to share experiences with students from around the country, actually getting to know them a little better too. Working side-by-side someone for 8-hours a day definitely allows time to get into some interesting discussions. At the end of the day we were scrambling to finish some work under the house so that it would be completed on schedule and the possibility of funding being effected would be put to rest. We worked to the last minute in the trenches and got the project to the point it needed to be. Another successful day in Mobile.

Peace,

Joey B.

Day 4 in Mobile Alabama

Well it has been four days so far. I have been working at a home in mobile for a refugee family. I have been working on the roof of the home. I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into that roof. We have finished half of the roof and I and others are hoping to get it finished before we leave the worksite on Friday. Other than building the home, we have spent lots of time bonding as a group. We have played spoons and tonight we went bowling. The last game we bowled, we made a deal. The losing team would have to do the dinner dishes that were leftover from dinner. It was a great time by all. The hospitality of Mobile is outstanding. Everyone at the habitat site works as one. We all come from different backgrounds and different schools, but we are all working as hard as we can on this house. The church we are staying at also has amazing hospitality. They have enough food for us and they are willing to help get us whatever we need in order to feel at home. The weather down here is much like a Minnesota summer. It's cold at night and warms up during the day and is hot in the afternoon. Working on the roof makes it even hotter. Well good night everyone. Tomorrow we are off to a different habitat house because ours is way ahead of schedule and this new one is way behind schedule.

Peace Out
Amy W

Dear Mobile, your great, love Emma

Rain rain go away, come again… well later. It worked. Today started off with rain but after an hour or so it let up and by the end of the work day the sun even came out to say “hi”. My favorite part of the workday? Ruthann and I made a new friend “the short skinny guy”  Ruthann and I spent a half hour trying to nail one board onto the wall. When we asked him he came over, put two nails in and was done in under a minute. He then stuck the hammer into the wall and walked away. We of course documented that moment with a picture. Then tonight we went bowling. In a nutshell… I have never had that much fun bowling. It was wonderful! We are all getting to know each other so well, it is amazing. Ok, sleep time so we can go move dirt in the morning.
Goodnight 
Emma