For some students, spring break is an opportunity to relax and recuperate from the hustle and bustle of their regular class schedule.
My spring break, however, was full of nights spent sleeping in a cold wooden shack and days spent carrying rocks and railroad ties in the pouring rain. As unpleasant as that sounds, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I would jump at the chance to do it again.
Austin Maas
Argonaut
I chose to attend an Alternative Service Break (ASB) to Tillamook, Oregon, where eight other people and I spent our spring break doing service work. Though the trip required a lot of difficult work and led to discomfort at times, it was unimaginably valuable in so many surprising ways.
One of the goals of our ASB trip was to create safe ways for visitors to enjoy the beautiful scenery of western Oregon while reducing their environmental impact. To do this, we spent the first half of our trip camping near the Wilson River, where we built stairs that would reduce erosion and increase accessibility for years to come.
For my group, creating a space where we knew memories would be made was incredibly fulfilling, but the trip was also educational. We spent a day potting native plants at a nursery where we learned about the importance of producing local plants to conserve the local gene pool.
Several of the community partners we worked with said that simply by being there we were setting a precedent that could help encourage other universities and organizations to pitch in as well.
Not only did this trip provide opportunities to do important work, it also allowed me to connect with amazing people I never would have met otherwise.
My team included students and faculty from a variety of backgrounds who all cared deeply for the service they were doing. Each of my teammates were unique, funny and thoughtful, and I can honestly say I don”t think I would”ve ever met them had I not attended this trip.
The night we returned to campus it was hard to say goodbye. Living in such close proximity and doing such meaningful work quickly developed the kind of friendship I think ASB trips are known for.
It”s the kind of friendship that had me overwhelmed with nostalgia when I put on my raincoat after returning to Moscow and I could still smell the smoke from our campfires. I even find myself listening to the music from the road trip to rekindle the feelings of contentment I felt while traveling with such fast friends.
Often, students return from spring break feeling drained and exasperated by the thought of returning to their classes. While I”m not exactly thrilled to return to reality, I feel that going on an ASB trip has provided a new perspective on the work I”m doing. I”m incredibly inspired by the people I”ve met and feel privileged to have worked with them.
Prior to my ASB trip, when I”d ask people about their ASB experiences, one thing was echoed by all of them. These trips are life-changing. At the time I didn”t understand what that meant, but now, after my trip, I couldn”t agree more.
Austin Maas can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @austindmaas