In exactly a week, I’ll be in Almost Heaven, W. Va. Instead of shelling out the usual $350 plane ticket back home, I’ll be spending my Spring Break building houses with Habitat for Humanity as part of the nonprofit organization’s initiative to ‘provide simple and affordable housing in partnership’ to those in need.

It’s a far stretch from the usual itinerary that most college students plan, but I figure it’s now or never. At 19, this is the prime time for me to venture out of my comfort zone and do something worthwhile. Before I know it I’ll be 29, facing the responsibility of having a real job and not being able to travel as freely as I’d like.

I’m not against the heavily advertised idea of spring break, where inhibitions are ignored and daring risks are taken for the thrill of adventure. It’s just that I’ve discovered I’ve had a terrible string of bad luck with these vacations. My trip to Tijuana, Mexico, last year was canceled due to the Mexican drug cartels. My trip to Japan the year before was shadowed by a two-week stomach flu that managed to mysteriously disappear the moment I departed from Osaka, Japan.

The idea of taking an alternative Spring Break was always on the back of my mind. It wasn’t until two of my close friends shared their rewarding experiences of traveling to Louisiana this Winter Break, though, that I began to do the research and convince some of my other friends to dedicate their time this break to helping those in need.

I know I fall victim to being too enveloped with college life. With meetings, exams and papers, Spring Break is the time to finally relax and unwind — without the pressure of piles and piles of work waiting to be completed. It’s that final stretch before summer hits, and if this is to be ‘the best four years’ of my life, I should be doing everything possible to make sure it doesn’t fall anything short of superior.

Alex Rogers, a sophomore graphic design major who will be embarking on his first Habitat trip to Almost Heaven this Spring Break, said that he’s wanted to do a Habitat service trip since participating in small projects during high school.

‘What I’m looking forward to the most is probably just having a totally new experience,’ Rogers said. ‘I’ve never done a service trip and thought that this would be a great way to give back and also come back to the semester refreshed.’

I’ve envisioned my college Spring Breaks to be similar to what I saw in the movies. However, in light of the major catastrophes in Haiti and now Chile, I believe active volunteers are necessary in every corner of the word. It’s commendable that many of us usually donate the scarce amount of our college budget to these natural disasters. However, what people tend to forget is that despite generous amounts of monetary donations, manpower is what’s needed.

Claire Stumbras, a junior policy studies and public relations major, will be taking her fifth alternative break trip with Habitat this spring. She said that other than the great experiences, the people that she meets during each trip also add an everlasting memory to her college experience.

‘I think what’s really cool about these Habitat trips is that you are a part of the community that you are serving for an entire week,’ Stumbras said. ‘That’s something you just don’t get when you donate money.’

With more than 100 million people homeless worldwide and 95 million Americans currently facing housing problems, traveling to West Virginia this Spring Break is the least I can do to lend a helping hand.

But beyond the volunteering, what I’m excited about is immersing myself in a different culture, entering other people’s lives and living a week through their cultural lenses. Taking this trip will soon be another scribble crossed-off my bucket list.

Angela Hu is a sophomore magazine journalism and English and textual studies major. Her column appears weekly, and she can be reached at ajhu01@syr.edu.

Published on March 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm