Final update

I already talked about the roof, but I will backpedal a little and talk about the building of the walls. Each wall was basically a giant board which we put blueboard on top of. Then, we nailed more wooden boards on top of that. After it was ready, we all stood in a line and lifted the wall all the way up. Then someone came in a put in the metal braces. They are temporary post-like things that nail into the top of the wall and the floor. I'm not sure how the walls will actually be held up in the end, since these braces were still there when we built the roof. Later, someone had to go around with a level -- a metal rod with a chamber of liquid inside -- and make sure the walls were completely vertical.

I think building was the most fulfilling part of my May Project. School teaches you what you can do with your mind, but building teaches you that you can make something with your body. Sure, I've worked out before. But sports, while fun, always felt to me like a waste of energy, like a contribution to the heat death of the universe. But when I'm on the build site, I know that I'm literally making a better life for someone with my hands, and that feels amazing. Even the team building aspect rivals that of sports. This might sound cheesy, but it really doesn't matter what age or religion you are on the build site. You know that the person beside you is there for the same reason as you are -- because they care about people and community.

When I think about my time in the office, I relate to Kamau's experience a little bit. The fundraising, administrative side just isn't quite as sexy. And although I knew intellectually that I was helping out, I couldn't see the impact quite as much. There was a lot of stuff about recognizing volunteers and donors. I'm not saying they shouldn't be recognized, but I would rather volunteer myself.

Not gonna lie, I agree with Rebecca. This whole blogging thing has felt kind of force and like homework. Not sure if I've gotten much out of it, but oh well. But the experience on the whole has been positive and I'm really glad I decided to work for Habitat.