This is my first impressions and post about my Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip. It is sponsored by the UT Dallas Student Volunteerism Office and I am in Elm Mott, TX for the week. Yeah, I’ll give you a minute to look that up. It’s about 20 minutes north of Waco,TX.

I’m placed in the Sustainability group, here to learn about alleviating World Hunger. Here’s the org that is housing us.

Cool place with a cool mission, not sure how I’m going to make an impact yet though. Not sure how I’ll be able to survive this week as well.

Prepping for this trip

There were a couple things that I bought for specially for this trip:

• Sleeping Bag: This was a first. The place said they had cots (more on my accommodation later). Anyways, I was going to get a really crappy one, but then there was this really soft one. So I deliberated, but bought the soft one anyways. Turns out the place we’re sleeping has no floor (dirt), no heater, no electricity. Best investment ever.

• Head Lamp: So Wal-Mart had these sick $1 headlamps. It was only a $1, so I got it. Worst-case, I could use it on my bike as a night light. Turns out this place doesn’t have electricity, so that came in handy.

• Toothbrush Cover: I’ve always wanted one of these when traveling. I hate putting my toothbrush on counters and stuff. Turns out this comes in really handy when holding your brush.

Day 1

Ok Ok. So here I am in Elm Mott,TX. I drove because I signed up as the driver. We had lunch at Scholotzyk’s (killed that name) and we went to the farm to get a grand tour.

It’s really cold today at 40 degrees and we’re standing outside. The lady, who is probably British, is telling us about our accommodation. The entire time, I didn’t understand why she couldn’t do this inside. I mean, it’s freezing! I also caught a glimpse of the bathrooms, labeled as the Squatty Potty - the outhouses.

Of course, being myself (half clueless, half aware) walked with the entire group back to a row of boots. I was too lazy to grab a pair of boots, and we trekked our way through some nasty mud and ankle-deep water to a house on a hill.

The guide told us it was a South African House. The house was just a room with a dirt floor and a metal roof as a rack. There was an outside area in the back for showers. She explains how the windows didn’t have insect screens, and the design helps it stay cool. But I was still unsure why she was giving such a grand tour in the freezing cold. I mean, where were we going to stay for the week?

Our Humble Abode

South African House was our place for the week. I was in complete dismay. No lights, no electricity and no floor! It’s freezing. I mean, the entire time the guide was talking, I was just waiting for her to say, “wait, just kidding, you guys get to stay in the house over there”. I mean here were a few of the living conditions:

• Dirt Floors : The actual home itself was barren. I mean, literally, this is a house with concrete bricks and a roof made up of sheet metal.There are a few wooden beams as well. We had a tarp to cover the floor, but that doesn’t help with the uneven floor and rocks in the ground. We’ll just have to make the best of it. Sleeping will not be easy.

• No Actual Shower or Bathroom : So there is no bathroom. Yup. The only bathrooms we have to use are the ones in for the outhouses. I have this habit of drinking a lot of water before bed, but answering nature’s call in the middle of the night and trekking to bathroom doesn’t seem worth at all. I’ll just dehydrate myself before bed I guess.

• No Hot Water : She told us to go back inside to fetch hot water. I’m pretty stunned at this point. I’m going to die of hypothermia. Of course, no lights or electricity.

• Wet Grass : So our house is placed on a hilltop. The grass isn’t mowed like your typical home. It’s a crazy backyard everywhere. I was planning on grabbing a couple of rocks to build a path leading to the place.

Wrapping the day up

Of course, the weather was cloudy. Showering was not an option. We did make a Wal-Mart run, and I picked up some rain boots!

Do I have a feeling where I just wanna run back home to my cozy bed? Yes!

My roommate was right, why would I give up my time to live on this farm?