[media-credit name=’KEEGAN KYLE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]CHICAGO — Shivering outside a locked door on the south side of Chicago last Friday, a dozen University of Wisconsin students expressed a sense of anxiety with their situation.

Part of the group’s concern stemmed from this rough neighborhood known for violent crimes. Barred windows and a small group of nearby transients were hardly inviting at such a late hour.

Another factor in their uneasiness? The group was composed of mostly freshmen who had never met each other before an introductory meeting last week. The students were selected by UW’s Alternative Breaks Program to volunteer in the Chicago community and to explore the city’s downtown attractions.

Although some 150 miles from Madison, their activities and relationships throughout the weekend echoed some challenges new students face entering an unfamiliar environment. The freshmen were brought together by a common interest in volunteering but some felt isolated in the downtime. Several participants said it was hard to develop friendships last weekend, even when forced to spend almost every waking moment together.

"We certainly had several awkward moments," UW freshman Soly Moustafa said. "I noticed we’d talk as we worked, but sitting down at meals or on the couch at the end of the day, it became so obvious that we often had very little to talk about and didn’t know each other so well."

Few people expected to form lasting friendships over the course of one weekend, but the trip provided a vacation from normal social settings. "I had a lot of fun with everyone during the weekend when I was away from my established friends," UW freshman Rachel Podoski said. "But I’m not sure if I’ll hang out with the people I met in the future."

The student volunteers were based in Chicago at a transitional housing residence called "Su Casa." A late night staffer eventually heard the UW group knocking at building’s locked front door Friday and welcomed the students inside.

After a brief tour and orientation, the students were shown a small and drafty room of six bunk beds for sleeping. The building is designed to house three to five families, a small staff and occasionally volunteer groups. The close bunk beds were cozy to some but intrusive to others.

"After staying in a dorm and using a shower where other people’s dirty water runs over your feet, I don’t think any living situation is awkward," UW freshman Erin Blacik said. "I think we were all comfortable enough and had an open mind that the six bunk beds in one small room wasn’t a problem."

Early Saturday morning, the group realized its new setback was not entering a locked building, but instead leaving a gated parking lot. A master key was nowhere to be found and the group’s first service project was delayed a couple hours.

The Alternative Breaks Program — funded by the UW Union Directorate — arranged for the students to help improve one of the city’s west side playgrounds through a local organization called Friends of the Parks. The main project at Eckhart Park required cleaning trash from the playground and spreading a dump truck’s worth of wood chips.

The volunteer work was cut short, disappointing many in the group, as the students planned on exploring downtown attractions, and the city’s overcast weather threatened an evening rainstorm.

"I felt like we did not have enough work because we only worked a few hours at the parks on Saturday, and I think there was a lot more work we could have helped out with," UW freshman Marie Clark said.

After exploring the downtown Saturday night in separate groups, the students slept in Sunday morning and eventually helped orchestrate a community soup kitchen. Some students served the soup kitchen’s guests while others organized bags of expired food from a local grocery store. Most of the food went to the soup kitchen but some bags helped stock the pantry of Su Casa.

"I think the trip acted as a reminder of just how fortunate I am and just how much of an impact something that seems so simple to me may be a huge deal to others," UW freshman Alex Bentzen said.

Most students said they would recommend the Alternative Breaks Trips to other students, acknowledging that longer trips over winter or spring break would provide more time to form friendships.

"I don’t think anyone has any idea how much of an impact volunteers can make and how much help is needed in the U.S. until you get out and see firsthand some of the problems that need to be dealt with," Blacik said. "I now realize that even picking up garbage makes a huge difference to a community."