life’s not a paragraph

unfortunately, i really can’t accurately describe my trip down to athens. it’s one of those experiences which you have to experience to fully understand. i can give you some general details though, which will hopefully give you a good idea of what an incredible time i had while i was down there.

i’ll start off with how much i love the south. i discovered my love for the south last year when i went to mississippi, but georgia just renewed my feelings. after the first day, i was ready to pack up my bags and transfer to university of georgia (i know i wasn’t the only one either). athens is the home of the university of georgia, which is a state school of about 30,000 kids. athens-clarke county has the highest concentration of PhD.s because of the university; however, at the same time, athens-clarke county is the poorest county in the country. that’s right– the entire country. poorer than detroit, than the bronx, than three counties in texas that border mexico. 38.8% percent of the population lives below the poverty line. that’s INSANE! and yet, many people who live there don’t even know about the state of there county. one would like to think that if statistics were released nationally, they would also be make everyone aware locally. Spencer, the Habitat coordinator, said that it’s not the case.

to go along with the irony, the poorest part of the city is literally four blocks from downtown. four blocks from quaint shops and restaurants to impoverished, drug dealing neighborhoods. the dichotomy is astounding to say the least. we were working in the poor neighborhood, and to actually see the difference, to watch the changes as you drive, is probably one of the most surreal things i have ever witnessed. it took me a while to process it. i really think i fully understood what i was seeing until after i came back to boston and reflected on my time there.

the habitat crew was amazing. habitat for humanity is an incredible organization, but this team was so wonderful. they made us feel so at home and so welcomed. they do some pretty incredible things too. not only do they build houses for hard working families, they also help out the community by building wheelchair ramps and fixing up old homes for the older community. they have taken some pretty radical steps to help alleviate crime as well. in addition to the homes and the other programs i just mentioned, they purchased an section 8 apartment complex that was a center for crime and drugs. although the tenants had destroyed the place and were usually drunk before 9 am, they told them they could stay but they would have to pay rent. all of them left, which has allowed habitat to clean them out and fix them up. they are going to be used as transitional housing for people who would like to eventually be eligible for a home.
their simple act of fixing up these apartments and welcoming hard working, kind people into them has created a little crime-free bubble around the building. as opposed to 500 police calls in eight months, there have only been two or three. what they are doing is making a visible difference in the community and it was amazing to be a part of.

we worked mostly on their newest development, a cul-de-sac of six or seven houses that will be called carpenter’s circle. we took a small tour of a previously finished development and i cannot wait to see how this one will turn out. there were only two houses half-way built while we were there. but we helped with outdoor stuff. we all got the chance to roof too! i hammered in a row and a half of shingles! we all we were really courageous and conquered our fear of heights. after a half-hour on a roof or a ladder, we got so comfortable, it was a piece of cake. this experience of challenging ourselves and stretching out limits really made us all question what else we can do in our lives. the possibilities are endless. and after seeing what athens area habitat does in their community to make a difference, i know that i can do some incredible things as well! 🙂