EOT 422: Finding Meaning in Five Days

You are listening to Eye on the Triangle, WKNC's weekly public affairs program from the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Any views and opinions expressed during Eye of Triangle do not represent NC State or student media. Hello, everyone. I'm Shradha Bhatia. I'm the public affairs director here at WKNC Eye on the Triangle.

So this episode is all about how everyone else spent their fall break catching up on sleep or studying, and I ended up in a van full of people heading five hours away to Rutherford, North Carolina for an NC State's Alternative Service Break program. So we were going there to do some community service with the Rutherford Housing Partnership, which helps repairs homes for people who need it. And I recorded bits along the way, talked to a few people, and well, here's what the trip really felt like. So firstly, the ride there. We started around five in the evening, so by the time we actually got on the road, the sun was, like, already setting.

The traffic was so bad, like, really, really bad. We were supposed to stop for groceries, but we scrapped the plan. We were like, you know what? We're running late. It's fine.

So and that and and there was a moment with the incident response truck. Not a crash. Okay. Not a crash. But, like, close enough that everyone in the van, like, woke up.

Everyone was dead silent, and then we started back again. And in between, I was taking a nap. It was around, like, eight, I guess. I was, like, taking a nap in the van. And suddenly, I woke up to people talking about conspiracy theories.

I was like, you know what? No. This is a real group of people because, like, we were talking about every single thing and then realized that and somehow we came to the conclusion that every conspiracy theory ends up as some kind of insurance fraud. We're not getting deep into that, but, like, yeah. Sure.

And then here's some clips from the van.

Positive. Yes. Okay. When I first got I didn't turn it on all the way. I thought I did.

Anyway and then I put it in drive, and it started rolling backwards. I had to roll a truck, but it didn't do anything. You you hit it? Yeah.

So ignore our laughs because, like, it was a very chaotic car ride there. Okay? So then we finally reached around, like, 11PM. Everyone was so tired. So when we finally reached there, we were supposed to stay at the First Baptist Church at in Rutherford NC, and we were gonna stay in the church basement.

Everyone was so skeptical about it because, like, church basement, are we serious? And then, but when we went inside, it was so warm and cozy. It had fairy lights and everything. It was so warm. Like, we were like, you know what?

We're just gonna stay here forever because, like, it was so cute. So cut to the morning, we were all tired still because we slept on air mattresses, half deflated air mattresses. Anyways, so we were everyday, we were supposed to get there by, like, 7AM sharp, but, like, we got there by we got at the church by, like, eleven. So we were like, you know what? We're gonna go, like, around eight.

So we went there by eight, and we met the person in charge for the Housing Partnership. His name was Seth, the most sweetest person I've ever met. Okay? And then he was telling us about the mission of Rutherford Housing Partnership. And their mission is to eliminate substandard housing and make sure every resident in Rutherford County has access to safe and affordable homes.

They run programs like Housing Matters, where people can even donate their homes to be renovated and provided to families in need, literally transforming lives and neighborhoods. We helped with, the repair and maintenance work, the kind of stuff that small that seems small in the moment, but, like, really helps and makes a huge difference for someone's everyday comfort. And during the whole process, I interviewed Seth, and here's what he had to say.

Well, my name is Seth. I'm with the organization Rutherford Housing Partnership here in Forest City, North Carolina. And today, we're working on a section eight home that we're rehabbing and reroofing to have available for the market. Today, all the students will be working on demoing and tearing off the roof and getting prepped for tomorrow to do a little structural work. Also, they've been inside pulling up old flooring and tearing down old ceiling and pulling out cabinets and general cleanup on the property.

And then as we continue the next four days, we will be reroofing the whole house and finish the cleanup. If we have time, we'll get in a little detail, maybe do a little painting too. And that'll probably be about all we'll get into on

this project.

I got it. That's fine. Thank you.

You're welcome. One

of my favorite parts wasn't even the work even though I got to use, like, power tools for the first time and, like, chain like, learned how to use a hammer, like, properly. I've never done this before, and it was such a good experience for me. But it wasn't about the work. It was about the people who went with me. And I talked to a few other students about why they joined the trip, and some said to make an impact, and others said to step out of their comfort zone.

And by the second night, everyone was just comfortable with everyone. And we would sit around after dinner, talk, laugh, share stories, and there was this calm sense of purpose. Like, yeah, we were tired, but it felt good to be tired for something real because we were actually making an impact. And here's what one of those students who volunteered had to say about it.

My name is Bradley Huff. I'm a third year in civil engineering. Right now, I am on the ASB trip to Rutherford, North Carolina. I joined ASB because I had heard so many great things about all the different ASB trips, and I figured, like, now is the best time to spring into action. I think that this ASB trip has been really cool, and I think that the reason why people should join is just because of the bonds that are formed.

I feel like I've met so many different people that come from so many different majors, so many different opportunities. And so while doing this service project, I've performed these great connections.

Yeah.

So here's I also talked to one of the team leads, and this is what he had to say.

Hey, guys. This is Bobby. I'm one of the co leaders out here, me and Lily, and we're up on the roof right now. I'm with Strato Strato. Yeah.

We're making really good progress. We've already got basically all the stuff off the roof. This year, we brought a team that's about twice as large as we normally bring, so we're making really fast progress on the roof. So, hopefully, we'll get this done before the end of week. But yeah.

So first day.

Let's go. And I met this incredible 77 year old lady. She was super sweet, and she's been working with RHP, and here's what she said. Yeah.

Hi. My name is Janet Jolley, and I'm a 77 year old grounds person for the women roofers of Rutherford County. And we're so glad to have these people from state here to well, they're doing more than just roofs. They're working on the inside of a house too. And we hope they get a chance to ride up to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock and see what a hurricane does to the mountains.

Well, thank you for coming.

Thank you. Then I also talked to another volunteer, and then she was telling me about how she's been working for many years with RHP, and then now she brought in her daughter. And they both work together, and I just think that's so wholesome and sweet. And you know what? The best part about all of this is that every morning, we'd wake up at six, and then we'd make sandwiches for lunch.

And somewhere along the day, we would go, like, while we're working, we're gonna eat the sandwiches. And we all had this inside joke going on that a lot of we would say, you know what? Let's go. Let's go on a bathroom break, and which secretly meant, let's go to McDonald's, McDonald's run, and it was a ritual now. Like, everybody knew about it.

And, like, for the full five days, we would go to McDonald's every single day. And on the last day, so it was our it was Seth's birthday, so we made him a cookie cake, and we thanked Andrew for that. He was the GOAT for making that. And he did that. And then we went to a restaurant to celebrate his birthday, which is super sweet.

So, yeah. And somewhere in between all that, the early mornings and everything and the mini naps on the roof, because, like, of course, you have to nap on the roof. Like, it's so peak. And, yeah, and the McDonald's run. I had to study for my Cal three midterm because it was the day after we get back, And so I was pulling all nighters while also nonstop working, like, hello.

But, yeah, it was super fun. And at the end of the day, it was worth it. And, honestly, I wouldn't change any of that because those days felt unreal, and it felt like I truly mattered. Like, I was helping out the community, which gave me a sense of purpose. So that's all for this episode, and huge thanks to the Rutherford Housing Partnership and NC State's alternative service break program for making this trip possible.

And if you ever get a chance, go on one of these trips because it's not just about the service. It's about perspective. And thanks for listening. I'm your host, Shraddha. Thank you.

This has been eye on the triangle from WKNC eighty eight point one FM HD one raleigh. Our theme song is Krakatoa by Noah Stark. Licensed under Creative Commons. To relisten to this or any other episode, visit wtnc.org/podcast or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for listening.