Introduction

In past summers, I have spent one week in the mountainous Central Appalachian region of the United States, where Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia join, repairing homes for people who cannot afford to make the necessary repairs to their homes. The weather in this region of the United States is so severe that homes are damaged. Some of the people inhabiting the region generally do not have the economic ability to make repairs to their homes, let alone properly equip them for the severe weather conditions they experience. I initially chose to engage in this culture because I figured that I was young, able, and would definitely learn something new and probably have fun as a result. I engaged in this mission with a group, so in a sense my cultural engagement was often, but not always, limited to the group, however my experiences were always new, illuminating, and valuable. Essentially, my cultural engagement is different than someone who engaged in this culture alone.
I have lived in the northeast of the United States my entire life. I have been fortunate enough and have had the opportunity to travel both in and outside the United States on a number of occasions and the culture I encountered in Appalachia is markedly different from my own culture. One of the most obvious differences between my culture and the culture of Appalachia is the economic means of each. I chose this cross-cultural encounter because I am interested in learning how something, which is seemingly arbitrary, like money, affects people and their culture.

Appalachia Service Project. Electronic document, http://asphome.org/index.html, accessed October 27, 2007.