Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Indianapolis, IN
We have not only accomplished our goal of arriving on time, but we exceeded it by showing up to our site ten minutes early this morning! After a brief lesson in hammering and using circular saws, we got to work building the floor systems for three separate homes. We started out raking the foundation (consisting of rocks and concrete), constructing foundation walls, and waterproofing the foundation seams. After all of this prep work was completed, we constructed the center beams for two of the homes. Because each beam consisted of about 100+ nails, it's safe to say we're basically pros at hammering now. After a quick break for lunch, we soon got back to work on putting joists together- crossbeams that basically hold up the entire house. As difficult as all this manual labor was, the melting snow really didn't make it any easier. Some of us got our shoes completely submerged in mud while others slid down the mud mountain. Overall it was a great experience and all of us agreed that we learned a lot about construction and can't wait to return tomorrow!
After reflecting on our day, we have all discovered a new- found appreciation for the homes we live in and the people who put so much work into them. What's more amazing is that the majority of the Habitat for Humanity community are volunteers who work full time for free. The people who work on these homes have such a big heart for the human race, work tirelessly, and expect nothing in return. They are more than volunteers- without them there would be several families without a home. The Habitat members, the AmeriCorps volunteers, and the Tigers (retired workforce members who lead Habitat projects) are in a way, heroes.
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