Spring break presents itself as an escape from the harsh Boston climate and the stress of midterms. We take advantage of this weeklong bliss to head home for mom’s cooking, to visit friends at other schools, or to tan on the beach. Under the radar – and nonexistent on MTV specials – is another option: Alternative Spring Break (ASB).
Advertised on the Center for Community Service’s website as a “weeklong immersive living and volunteering experience,” ASB brought 180 student volunteers to 15 destinations this year. Clocking thousands of hours altogether, students on these trips addressed real-life issues such as affordable housing, disaster relief, youth education and community development.
One of the greatest lessons I took away from my own ASB in Guatemala is that we take a lot for granted. Clean water. Health care. Minimum wage. Security. The list goes on.
Sure, we’ll complain that getting up for our 8 a.m. is tough. It’s rough. We’ll call home begging for some extra money for that concert at the House of Blues. The Green Line skipped the Northeastern University stop – again.
These things seem so trivial when you witness poverty firsthand. Children go to school for only a few hours, so they can work the rest of the day. Coffee pickers make less than $10 per day after lugging 100 pounds of coffee beans a couple of miles. The most reliable form of transportation can be hitchhiking.
I know that not everyone can afford to spend $1,200 and jet off to Latin America every spring break, but that doesn’t mean those lessons can’t travel back home. Handpicking coffee beans made me appreciate the cup of coffee I have every morning. Painting a gray K-6 school made me appreciate the colorful, whimsical classrooms of my elementary school days. Brushing my teeth with bottled water made me appreciate the clean drinking water that seems so normal, so natural here in the US.
It would be a disservice to the ASB program if I did not spread the word about what I learned. The well being and survival of people like those I encountered in Guatemala depend on people like us: college students.
We’re young, educated and probably confused about our future or our ‘calling.’ Take the chance and jump into some community service. Donate clothing to the Salvation Army. Send money to great organizations like Bridge Builders and Eco Filtro. Consider going on an ASB next year.
You’ll be glad you did.
– Eileen Ann is a senior journalism major.
