Appalachia 6 - Wrap up

Reflecting back on the questions I intended to answer during the trip, I confirmed some of my preconceived notions, but was also surprised by some of my experiences.

In term of the Appalachian people’s relationship to the land, I was not surprised to find that in general, they were more concerned with using the land to its fullest potential, instead of preserving it in a completely natural state.  The people are just as aware of how beautiful their land is as visitors are, but they also understand that their survival depends upon their use of the land.  “Papa Joe,” the old coal miner with whom our group spoke demonstrated the balance that is required between preserving and utilizing.  He described to us his many years as a coal miner, but also pointed out how the mountains had been affected by the industry.  He understood that the region’s natural resources need to be mined to support communities, but that it should be done in such a way that the impact on the landscape is minimized.

I was a bit surprised to find that the Appalachian people were not terribly different from me.  They certainly had slightly different values from me, but nothing that made me uncomfortable.  Culturally, the region was especially similar to my own experience; we ate a local pizza joint, listened to the local Top 40 Hits station, and saw a surprising number of Catholic Churches.   That being said, I did have two experiences that demonstrated a definitive gap between my culture and theirs and even a bit of a bias.  On the trip down, our group got incredibly lost in central West Virginia.  At a rest stop, a trucker saw us intently reading a wall map, and asked where we were heading.  After hearing our explanation and seeing our printed directions, he simply started laughing.  He advised us never to trust “them internet types of directions” and we better change our direction fairly soon.  To students who practically live and die by the internet, meeting someone who flat out did not trust it was a bit of a culture shock.  In another instance, Papa Joe asked what he looked like to us.  We were initially puzzled, but he clarified that he wanted to know if he looked like the typical hillbilly to us, “swinging from a tree with overalls.”  He was obviously aware of the stereotype about the Appalachian people, but we did our best to befriend who and show that we thought otherwise.

My third question about simplicity I did not really answer.  I went a couple of days without showering, but that is not a habit I want to start back at school.  I did survive quite easily without electronics, so perhaps I will be more willing to turn them off in the future.  Additionally, I found great enjoyment in the beauty of nature, which I can also bring back with me to school.

Finally, I wanted to compare urban poverty with rural poverty.  The most obvious difference that I noticed was in terms of possessions.  The urban poor own very little, since many own only what they carry or can move quickly between apartments.  The rural poor have much more stable housing, and can even be considered to own some luxuries like an ATV.  However, their situations can be just as precarious if one’s health becomes an issue or employment is lost.  Additionally, they do not have all of the resources available in an urban setting, making it more difficult to get the help that is needed. 

I mentioned earlier that I thought the mentality of the urban and rural poor were different, but I think my mind has since changed.  Saying that a certain temperament is predominant in one group is too much of a generalization; individuals in both regions have a very large variance, with some people desiring privacy and some wanting to tell their stories.  If I were to generalize, I would say that both the region and the people of Appalachia are fascinating.

Appalachia 5 - Serivce

Our last night in Appalachia, we all sat around the campfire and held a wrap up session.  Our site leader Ian recommended that we follow the format of one of his favorite radio shows, which would review events by saying the best part, the worst part, and what was learned.  When the turn came for one of the girls in our group to speak, she talked about the hornet’s nest that she had had to spray on the house we were painting.  As she sprayed the nest, she watched in shock as a hornet flew away from the nest, only to enter the house through a hole in a nearby window.  Many houses have bee and even hornet problem on their exteriors, but what kind of condition is the house in when the hornets are on the inside.  She admitted that the moment had been disheartening for her, since she realized that the paint we were putting on the house, despite making the house look much nicer, was only covering up the house’s more pressing problems.

            I was able to empathize with how my classmate felt.  I was aware that our group’s abilities and resources were severely limited so we could not do much about broken windows or rotting wood beams, but, at the same time, it hurt to realize I was powerless to do something about problems like hornets flying inside the house.  I had come to Appalachia at least partially to make a difference in someone’s living condition, yet the most glaring deficiencies were impossible for me to attack.

            Luckily, I had experienced this feeling before.  At my SSLP this summer, I had gone through a period in which I had felt useless, and even a hindrance to really improving the lives of the homeless who came through the organization’s doors.  However, over time, my perception began to change.  While I had initially seen my lack of experience as a limiting factor, I realized inexperience gave me a fresh outlook on the work and gave the community an infusion of energy.  Most importantly, I realized that even if I only had a small effect on those I encountered, it was an effect nonetheless. Having this experience enabled me to avoid the same paralyzing frustration in Appalachia.

No, the houses on which I had worked were not perfect, but they were slightly more habitable, and much prettier.  This was an improvement that would not have been made if our group had not driven down.  This point was driven home to me at one of the houses when we volunteered to take some junk off of the house’s porch.  The wife was appreciative beyond measure of a job that took ten minutes and left the majority of the porch still dirty.  But it was an improvement, and that was all that mattered to her.

Appalachia 4 - Development

Today we went to see an inactive coal mine that provides tours.  The route to the mine was along roads carved into the side of mountains through forests of trees with their leaves afire with color.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.  I was driving, so I could not take too much time to admire the autumn colors.  Instead, I had to focus on staying on the twisty, guardrail-free road.  As beautiful as the road is now, I could not help but think how difficult the drive would be in the winter.  A drive in a snowstorm would be borderline suicidal, meaning people who lived along the road could be stuck at home for days at a time in the winter.

            The difficulty of winter travel is just one of the many obvious negatives to living in Appalachia.  Life here is generally difficult, yet, despite the mass exodus from the region, people do choose to stay or even move in.  For example, Nathan who works at the organization The Community Crossing with which we worked, is from Ohio, but chose to move his family down to West Virginia.  Now his sons are able to live an idyllic, carefree childhood in the mountains that has become romantically nostalgic for most Americans.  As one of my fellow trip members said, there are many good reasons to live here.

            In this light, the economic development may not be what is best for the region.  To clarify, I am not saying the residents should be prevented from escaping abject poverty in order to pastoral retreat for the rest of America.  They should be given every economic opportunity provided to every American.  However, I feel that Appalachians do not want condominiums built into the sides of their mountains.  They probably do not want the region to be overrun by money, such that development overtakes the region’s natural beauty.  I lived in Phoenix this summer and was struck by the way that even the sides of mountains were developed into neighborhoods, causing the land even in parks to lose its wild feel.  Appalachia should remain “Wild and Wonderful” as West Virginia advertises itself, but ultimately the residents are those who should have the final say.

Appalachia 3 - Coal

A volunteer named Eric is staying with us at the “Club House.”  He has been coming down to Appalachia for about a decade to help countless families with housing repair.  When I asked about his experiences, he described one instance in which he drove back to a family’s house in the father’s pickup truck to help them unload furniture.  The man pointed out some of the best hunting spots along the dirt road as they approached the house.  Upon arrival at the two room structure, Eric realized that the man was hunting for sustenance not sport.  He found out that the venison he brought in was supplemented by fish caught in a nearby creek and vegetables grown in the family garden.

            This anecdote depicts and extreme version of the Appalachian lifestyle.  The people are certainly not well off, but they are content to share a deep connection with the land.  Relying directly off of the land’s resources is a defining characteristic of the people.  While game is an obvious example of this reliance, coal is another example of a facet of the land that people depend upon for sustenance.  My guess is that the Appalachian people do not see the coal industry and the environment as diametrically opposed.  Instead, the responsible mining of coal is living off of the land and therefore part of the people’s identities.

            I had gotten the sense that the coal industry was secretive before coming, but now I see how relatively open the industry is.  A mining operation located just down the road from us is easily visible from our front porch.  The mine is a sign of jobs, not exploitation.  The people generally embrace it as they have in previous generations.  The industry has never been perfect, but it always has, and will continue to be needed.

Appalachia 2 - Community

In the “Club House” where are staying there is a clipping of a newspaper article from a 2003 edition of the Boston Globe entitle “Losing Hope in Appalachia”.  The article was part of a series that the Globe produced on preventable deaths throughout the world.  Evidently, the series had previously focused on health issues in the third world, so the fact that a part of the United States was featured in the series was probably surprising to the readers.  Interestingly, the article did not focus exclusively on the health concerns caused by the residual effects of the coal industry.  Instead, the focus was on how the health of the region had declined along with the region’s economy.  In a sense, the loss of hope of a better future may contribute to the region’s health problems.

            After my first day in West Virginia, I can understand why the people of the region have little hope.  The towns we drove through featured many archetypical American main streets, but with seventy-five percent of the stores boarded up.  Walking back from our house project, we met the oldest current resident of the town who related how the town had changed.  He criticized the coal companies not for health problems, but for bringing in outsiders to work in the mines.  Health is a concern, but job opportunities are paramount. In spite of the region’s difficulties, the man to whom we talked was the epitome of warmth that is emblematic of the Appalachian people.  I realized that as welcoming as this disposition is, it could actually be a disadvantage in Appalachia’s current state.  As communities shrink, the relationships upon which individuals depend disappear, possibly creating a permanent state of loneliness. Perhaps the Appalachian people are so open to visitors because the visitors temporarily eliminate the loneliness.

            Wanting to be with people is the greatest difference I have seen so far between the urban and rural poor.  The homeless in the city rarely have time to themselves and most crave privacy.  The openness of the Appalachian people is a big adjustment from the inward focus of the urban poor.  Obviously, these generalizations do not apply to everyone, as I have yet to meet the family on whose house I worked today.  

Appalachia Journal 1 - 10/16

I have been to Appalachia twice before, having hiked in parks and whitewater rafted, but I have never performed service in the region.  Many friends, both from high school and here at Notre Dame, have traveled to Appalachia for service work and immerse themselves in the region’s culture.  Their experiences are what inspired me to travel to McDowell County West Virginia this fall.

            Even having been to Appalachia, I know very little about the people with whom I will be working.  I do know I will experience a substantial educational difference: I will possess a far more advanced traditional educational difference, but I will most likely work with individuals who possess expertise in a variety of fields.  This reality was present when I was whitewater rafting, in that our guides never graduated college, but were masters of the river.

            I have heard from friends that the Appalachian people are extremely personable and friendly.  They do not put up a façade, but remain genuine and down to Earth.  At the same time I wonder how they feel about being on the receiving end of so much aid.  I would imagine that they could become fairly defensive.

            Overall, I know very little about the people of Appalachia, so increasing my understanding of them and their way of life will be my primary goal on the trip.  Specifically, I have four questions I want to examine:

1. What is the Appalachian people’s relationship to their land?  In the preparation classes, I learned about the benefits of both economic and environmental development.  Where does the average Appalachian stand on the issue?  Is it a contentious issue or is there a general consensus?
2. How do Appalachians view us or other Americans?  I am curious if biases go two ways, or if there really is that much of a difference.
3. What can I learn from the Appalachian way of life?  One of the most appealing aspects of my friends’ trips was the simplicity of their lifestyles.  While I will inevitably return to my routine after the trip, what can I eliminate from my life to improve it?
4. How is rural poverty similar to or different from urban poverty?  I have worked extensively with the urban poor, so I am curious how this experience will translate to Appalachia.

Four days is nowhere near long enough to reach comprehensive answers to these questions.  However, even simplistic answers will increase my understanding of a different part of the country.