Laura Earle’s Alternative Spring Break with Greening Forward

This article is a post that comes from Greening Forward’s legacy blog. It was originally written on March 11, 2012.

Editor’s Note: This reflective blog post is a part of series of blogs written by students from Grand Valley State University who spent their Spring Break volunteering with Greening Forward in Atlanta, Georgia from March 3–10.

I’ve never done anything exciting over spring break. I’m a senior this year and, despite all the spring breaks I’ve had, I can’t say I’ve ever done anything worth mentioning. Until this year, that is. After hearing about the Alternative Breaks chapter at my school, Grand Valley State University, I jumped at the chance to go out into the world, make a positive impact on our society, and surround myself with others who wish to do the same. So, while everyone else I know packed up their swimsuits and sunblock for Florida, I grabbed my hiking boots, sleeping bag, and work gloves and headed for Rancho Alegre in Dacula, Georgia.

The first two nights at the ranch were a transition. The biggest obstacles with which we were faced were, fortunately, of the predictable variety. There were ten of us sleeping in one big room…and sharing one shower. Said shower had a limited supply of hot water. Although there was no “drama” in any way, shape, or form, I could tell that none of us were used to the lack of personal space. I certainly wasn’t. Nevertheless, we figured out a showering schedule within a couple of days, made an effort to use hot water sparingly, and everything went well from there.

However, something we weren’t expecting was the lack of a regular work schedule at the ranch. Pilar told us on the night of our arrival that farm life “is not structured,” and she was most certainly right. Sometimes, Pilar and her husband needed a few of us to help milk cows or move bales of hay in the morning. Other times, they didn’t need assistance until later in the day. They normally needed only a few extra sets of hands, but all ten of us were able to pitch in on the third day when they decided to do a massive clean-up on the front part of their property. Some of the group picked up litter in the yard around their house and the party house (where we were staying), while others weeded and cleaned up their garden. There was definitely plenty to do around the ranch — things just weren’t as organized as we’d anticipated. But that’s how farming works.

My favorite part of the trip came later in the week, when we climbed back in the van and visited four schools in the Atlanta area. Shovels, topsoil, and potted plants in hand, we were equipped to give the kids a hands-on lesson about gardening. Having never worked with kids before, I honestly did not know what to expect. Being outdoors and getting my hands dirty were two of my favorite pastimes as a child, but what would these kids think? My parents, both biologists, raised me in the country. The children with whom we would be working lived in or near a city populated with over 5 million people, so I wasn’t sure how comfortable they would be at the thought of touching worms, dirt, etc.

Well, they loved it! The ten of us had a great time gardening with the kids. Indeed, a few of them became hilariously squeamish once the first worms were unearthed, but their revulsion was short-lived. Together, we put smiles on their teachers’ faces and made their schools better places to be. I was amazed at how eager the middle-schoolers were to get knee-deep (literally) in something with which they had little to no previous experience. I only hope that I had as positive of an impact on their lives as they did on mine.

I left Georgia with a heavy heart yesterday. This was, undoubtedly, the best spring break I’ve ever had — I didn’t spend it lying on a beach waiting for a tan, nor did I spend it lying on the sofa at home, waiting for someone to call and entertain me. I went somewhere and made a positive difference, met some awesome friends, and created countless good memories.