Spring Break Alternative participants woke up this morning with a roof over their head, a mattress under their body heat to warm them, and a full breakfast waiting to be consumed. For many on Pine Ridge Reservation, this was not the case.

Morning activities were curtailed due to weather conditions, as the snowstorm of yesterday left roads too dangerous for travel this morning. Overnight, a biting wind whipped snow horizontally across the open land, as the temperature plummeted into the teens.

Bunk bed assembly continued through the morning, along with a special project: the building of a new door for the outhouse that had been relocated the day before at a residence in the community of Porcupine. Several students took it upon themselves after the day's work to take meticulous measurements of the opening – and approached the Re-Member staff at the conclusion of the day to inquire on the possibility of building the door, and returning to the site to install it.

Under a crisp blue sky, and a blanket of fresh white snow, the team of Saint Anselm students constructed the door carefully. The workshop was abuzz with the whirr of power sanders and circular saws as others continued the task of assembling the components for beds.

Following lunch, the groups split up to best utilize the afternoon. One van returned to Porcupine to install the door, and finish work inside the house. Others remained at Re-Member, helping staff with an inventory of building supplies and other odd-jobs around the workshop.

Your blogger followed the crew back to the Porcupine house, and watched as they carefully installed the door. Outside for two-plus hours in the cold, the door was carefully hung, and subsequently covered in a coat of fresh white paint.In the center of the door was inscribed a Lakota saying: Mitakuye Oyasin. Translated in English, this phrase means "we are all related."

As darkness settled over the hills, and as the group transitioned into their evening with board games and the opportunity to work on native crafts, a man who introduced himself as Kevin rolled into Re-Member in his wheelchair.

Kevin came to Re-Member to offer his artwork and crafts for sale. As he laid charcoal paintings out onto the tables, he informed the group that he was selling his works for as close to forty dollars as anyone could offer. A few students sat down to talk with him, and learned that he was down and out. His situation was bleak, and it was learned that he had hitchhiked some ten miles in his wheelchair on snow-covered roads to offer his work for sale. Several participants purchased his works, everyone marveled at them.

As Kevin prepared to leave, he was offered a van ride back to his home in the community of North Ridge. Accepting the offer, he asked on the ride home to stop at the only grocery store on the reservation – Lakota Nation in the village proper of Pine Ridge.

The following recounts the experience of bringing Kevin home, as told by the group that accompanied him:

Driving into his community, stray dogs ran loose in the streets. Houses were sprayed with graffiti, many houses appeared dark from the outside. A number of residences were boarded up, abandoned and partially collapsed or in extreme disrepair.

With grocery bags in hand, the front door of Kevin's house was opened. Inside light bulbs flickered with an unsteady flow of electricity. A small heater sat in the middle of the room, responsible for heating the whole first floor of the house. Clothing, dirty dishes and trash littered the countertops, furniture and floors. Seven children were inside the house with their mother.

As the grocery bags were carried in, the kids tore at the plastic to get into the food. With grace, Kevin introduced his family, his wife, and his newborn child.

Kevin came ten-plus miles in the snow and cold to Re-Member with no promise that anyone would purchase his artwork. He engaged the group in conversation for upwards of an hour, and was prepared to hitchhike back to Pine Ridge to buy what he could carry to feed his family.

Last night, Kevin and his family had food in their home — in part — because a group of students from Saint Anselm College came to South Dakota for their spring break, and bought his artwork. The unimaginable was verified yesterday.

In Kevin's home, and in a grocery store that offers meat scraps for sale, and a sparse selection of fruit and vegetables the stark reality of Pine Ridge Reservation became grossly apparent.

Additional photos are available on our Flickr photo sharing site.

Today's experience exceeds the means of written and visual communication.

Participants of the spring break Trip to South Dakota were told before they left that this trip would change their lives. They were told they would see things and do things that were beyond their comprehension…Today, that happened.

No longer was the Lakota life observed from behind the glass of a van passing on the highway. No longer were the statistics and second-hand stories the basis of understanding the challenges of living as Lakota.

Shortly after 9 a.m., four Re-Member vans pulled up to a house in the community of Porcupine. From the outside of this residence, many in the vans noted that this house appeared, at first glance, to be in better condition than many other homes observed along the route we have previously traveled.

A dog house sat in the yard, with three small pups residing inside. In the field to the right, an abandoned car with a collapsing roof and broken windows interrupted the natural landscape. Behind the house, precariously perched on an embankment, sat a small wooden shed, that was soon learned to be the outhouse of the residence.

Inside the home, single-pane windows were covered in plastic from the outside, with sheets, towels, and blankets providing an extra buffer from within. One electrical outlet behind the living room couch featured exposed wiring that reportedly smoked from time to time. On the kitchen counter, and in a back hallway, dozens of water jugs sat on the floor.

The house had no functional plumbing.

Work commenced: drop cloths were laid out on the floor, spackle was apportioned, and the volunteers were given a crash course in drywall repair.

Outside, others collected shovels, and began to dig a new pit upon which the outhouse would be relocated. A light rain that had been falling transitioned to snow.

For the next three hours, work continued at an incredible pace. Re-Member staff tended to electrical concerns while volunteers spackled and painted in unison. Large holes were tended to with great care, with a team of students tackling the job of cutting new drywall to fill one particuarly large gap.

Outside, the pit became deeper than SBA'ers could handle from the surface. In the developing mud, they jumped down into the hole to dig further. When the time came to relocate the outhouse from its original position to the new hole, the entire Saint Anselm crew came outside and into the snow to lend a hand.

Overcoming an unbearable stench and the visual of a pit full of refuse, the crew orchestrated the movement of the structure some fifty feet. As rotting lumber fell away from the footings, and the snow whipped nearly horizontally, the outhouse was lowered onto the new pit.

The young daughter of the homeowner appeared outside as the crew began to troubleshoot how to rebuild the floor. With a smile on her face, and a gas station slurpie cup in her hand, she picked up a shovel and helped place dirt around the perimeter of the structure.

As departure time neared, and cleanup began inside the house, a final touch was added to the outside facility. A scrap of carpet was placed onto the muddied floor at the base of the wooden seat.

It was this touch of home that inspired the homeowner to speak with the Re-Member staff who were on site, her words: who are these people, and where are they from – how can I repay them for coming here?

The answer provided by Theresa High Horse, one of the Re-Member staff: they are college students, they are from all over, and they have come all this way to help you.

The group would later learn that the homeowner is the daughter of Theresa.

On the schedule for Wednesday: Continued service work in the communities of Porcupine and Kyle.

Additional photos are available on our Flickr photo sharing site.

 Waking at 6 a.m. Monday, the sun was just cresting the horizon with the fiery colors offsetting the bleak and dreary surroundings of the pre-spring terrain. Inside Re-Member, the group rose and was seated for breakfast. Shortly thereafter, work groups formed and headed into the workshop to work on one of Re-Member's signature programs: building bunk beds.

Following an "orientation to power tools" seminar, the workshop literally began to buzz with activity. Lumber was measured and cut, following well-tested specifications. Re-Member has assembled and delivered some 2,500 beds to the Lakota people since forming. With a backdrop of rolling hills set against a deep blue sky, many participants focused on sanding down the wood. Laughter permeated the constant buzz of power tools, and in short time, a number of frames had been completed.

Following lunch, the group loaded into Re-Member's bus for the 45 minute ride to Badlands National Park. For many participants, this was the first real view of the reservation – as they had arrived under the cover of darkness on Saturday night.

During the initial drive, many commented on the overwhelming darkness of the area. Baring a smattering of streetlights illuminating the yards of some houses, it seemed there was certainly nothing else to be seen.

With the veil of darkness removed, reality became apparent. No more than 25 feet off the roadway were abandoned vehicles, stripped of all reusable materials. A child-sized bicycle was left on its side, next to a deceased dog. Houses, many with boarded up windows, and front yards full of refuse, and unserviceable vehicles dotted the landscape.

Upon arrival at the Badlands, the group piled out of the bus and moved into the barren landscape. Massive geological formations rose high above as they walked about on the porous clay. After scaling a small ridge, the group was treated to a view that provided an overwhelming panoramic view, a perfect opportunity for several group photos.

Taking time for personal reflection, the group fell silent while in a natural basin. Where only the sound of the wind whipping through the landscape could be heard. Following a streambed back to the barbed wire fence through which the group had entered, cameras snapped a few final photos.  Several individuals took time to break away from the group, enjoying a private moment to process their surroundings.

On Tuesday's schedule: The group will travel to worksites on the reservation. Extensive remedial work is planned on existing structures for the full workday.

Follow Spring Break Alternative -an introduction to our student reporter

Additional photos are available on our Flickr photo sharing site.