Faraway Trips Bring Home New Lessons
While hundreds of miles away from their familiar surroundings in three very diverse locations during 2014 “trip week,” Principia Upper schoolers discovered a new appreciation for the concept of home.
Exploring the life and times of Mary Baker Eddy, the juniors traveled to New England on a program hosted by the Longyear Museum, which restores and maintains many of the residences once occupied by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. They visited six homes, as well as The Mother Church and the branch church in Concord, New Hampshire. The contrast between the cramped (and sometimes drafty) quarters in the towns of Lynn and Swampscott, where the first drafts of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures were penned, with the spacious and well-appointed Chestnut Hill home Eddy occupied in the last years of her life held important lessons for the students. “It’s amazing to see how far she came,” one of them said.
As this video produced by Longyear indicates, the students came to better appreciate Mrs. Eddy’s deep commitment to the truth and her untiring dedication and spiritual perseverance in establishing a worldwide religious movement at a time when women in the U.S. had virtually no economic or property rights and very little means of earning a living. “I never realized there were so many different hardships that she had to overcome,” commented one student.
About 1,500 miles directly south of New England, the sophomores were also appreciating the sense of hope and possibility that even the most modest of dwellings can bring to a family. Armed with drills, hammers, paintbrushes, and enthusiasm, they participated in a volunteer program run by YWAM (Youth With a Mission), building three homes for families in the Dominican Republic. During the workday, neighbors and local visitors stopped by the sites, striking up conversations with the upper schoolers and, occasionally, helping out. By the end of the first day of building, all three sites had four exterior walls, frames for the interior walls, and a roof well underway—pretty impressive for a group of novice builders!
In the words of one student, the entire activity was “proof of how big a difference a small group of teenagers can make.” Being able to connect with the neighborhood children, she added, “gave us a sense of purpose and determination to build the house and to build it well.”
And last, but not least, in New Mexico, while exploring native American culture and the history of the Manhattan project, our freshman students also expanded their views of the possibilities for sustainably built dwellings and sustainable lifestyles. On their visit to the model Earthship community outside Taos, they learned about “biotecture”—architecture that draws inspiration from natural, biological forms, uses recycled materials for construction, and results in homes that are virtually self-sufficient. Built out of materials such as discarded automobile tires, plastic and glass bottles, and aluminum cans, these homes operate “off the grid” in terms of harvesting water, generating power, and treating sewage.
“I fell in love with the design of the houses and how amazing living off the grid could be,” blogged freshman Callie, noting that “living off the grid does not mean you can’t have modern appliances. Residents still have chef’s kitchens, televisions, running water, and even working toilets with seats!”
We think it’s safe to say that, along with the historical, cultural, and natural sights they took in on these three trips, our students also gained a deeper understanding of security, sustainability, comfort, contentment, and the many other attributes that constitute “home.”