School Daze: Spring break trip teaches new appreciation for physical labor

Date published: 3/18/2008

TWO WEEKS ago, Mary Washington had its spring break. Generally (according to Hollywood, at least), this college holiday is celebrated by going to Cancun and chugging beer. I, however, took a different path. I was fortunate enough to spend my break working in Joy-Filled Homes, an orphanage for kids with learning disabilities in Chimaltenango, Guatemala.

This trip stirred up a large number of thoughts on a variety of subjects. But I want to focus on a feeling that surprised me with its force (and the fact that I even felt it at all): how great it can feel to do manual labor.

My group's arrival came at exactly the right moment for the orphanage. In recent weeks, they had been told they needed to leave the building they had been renting. They were moving into a house that someone had bought for them, but still needed help moving everything.

The morning after our late-night arrival, we began the formidable task. Moving the orphanage was kind of like moving a family--if the family were made up of around 12 homeschoolers. Bed frames and a swing set were dismantled, desks were moved and every little knick-knack was gathered up. That day, we made six fully laden trips.

Thankfully, the next day required us to move only big-ticket items like refrigerators, washers and dryers. Customs are a little different in Guatemala though. Instead of just taking all their possessions and leaving any additions made over the years, people take every possible piece of wood or metal they've added to the structure that can be reused or sold. What this meant to me was that I got to spend several hours on Sunday almost single-handedly dismantling a wooden shelter they'd built.

Those hours were some of the most fun I've had in quite a while. There was some annoying work, like taking out more screws than I care to remember. What was really great though was that I got to swing a hammer a lot. I even got to knock off plastic pieces of roofing with a large pipe. When I finished, I looked at one of the Guatemalan volunteers and, in a moment of testosterone-filled exuberance, shouted "¡Somos vencedores!" which means "We are victors!" It was glorious.

Date published: 3/18/2008