Discovering Appa Love

I'm going to be honest - for most of my college career, I have made fun of Appalachia Volunteers. For the past three years now, I've seen all the away messages once they get back from break exclaiming "Appa Love! [Place Name] 2004/5/6! [Insert inside joke here]!"

A roommate and I would always roll our eyes and make fun of people for saying "Appa Love," commenting how in a month or two these people wouldn't be all about the love anymore and life would go back to normal, the only difference is having a few new people to say hi to on campus.

But for reasons I won't go into, I decided to sign up for my very last spring break in college. Needless to say, going into the week, I was very skeptical and hesitant. As a senior volunteering with Appalachia for the first time, I feel like I went in with a unique perspective.

At first I was apprehensive because I knew the trip consisted mostly of sophomores and freshmen. I had done similar weeklong events, so I knew how close people could get, but I also knew how quickly the friendships could fade - because really, how much can you have in common with 19 other people that you're randomly thrown together with?

It turned out that going on Appalachia was probably the best thing I could have done at this time of my life. Our reflections helped me to begin to come to terms with many issues and problems in my life right now.

With all my anxieties about leaving BC growing, I finally had time to sit down and just think about them instead of pushing them away as I had so expertly been doing for months. The trip reminded me of why I volunteered in the first place. Even though I was only helping to build one house for one family, I was helping to give that family the first home that it would ever have.

Ultimately, my great experience comes down to Appa Love - it's something that you can't explain. You can't explain this incredible bond you get with these people. You can't explain the feeling of joy you get when you bump into them on campus, when they stalk you in the computer lab, or when you all get together for dinner. That random mix of 19 undergraduates at Boston College undeniably and unforgettably changed me and my way of thinking. And for that, I am grateful.

Thank you, Hattiesburg 2007. Insert inside joke here.

This article was taken from Christy Dunn's blog, "They're Making Us Do What in May?." For the complete version, check out blogs.bcheights.com/seniors.