"Service learning" is a term I've heard so many times that I don't think about the words anymore. But service learning is a strange phrase when you consider it. I didn't understand at first. Learning takes place in school. Service involves no textbooks. The ideas to me were incongruous.
One of the first lessons I was taught in this program is that there is no service without learning. I have never been to a job site and not felt like my perspective changed. Being involved in service has taught me more than I ever could have learned from a book.
One of the first job sites we worked at this year was HOUMA, a Native American reserve. I found myself up on scaffolding, trying to nail ceiling boards back in place. We soon discovered that owls lived in the attic space above us, by the hundreds of bones pouring onto our heads every time a hammer hit. But what I took away from that experience was not the apparent horror of the situation. The two girls up there with me and I wanted to go back up there after a break and were disgruntled to find others on the scaffolding. We had fun. We sincerely enjoyed the work and each other's company. Throughout this week, I've seen the same trend. It taught me to find joy in unexpected circumstances.
I've also learned that my perceived limits are not the true extent of my ability. I never pictured myself on a 24 foot ladder, as I'm terrified of heights. But one literal step at a time, I found myself scraping the paint from a second story window. When I was gutting at Milton Mary's, I paused from my work demolishing walls with a hammer. I realized that my friend and I had created so much rubble that an entire staircase was unusable for an hour. There's something empowering about that.
Service work has given to me so much more than I have given to others and I am so thankful to have gotten involved. I have learned countless lessons and I know I will continue to for the remainder of the trip.
Lisa Clark
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