Time to let go

My initial encounter and interaction with the Appalachian culture did not leave me in complete shock. In fact, ignoring a few seemingly obvious differences like geographical location and accent variations in language, the culture seemed very much like my own. For example when meeting someone for the first time we smiled and shook hands, and even engaged in light conversation; all of which was familiar. Once we began work on the homes, I did begin to experience some form of culture shock. Aside from the occasional paint job, I have never done work on my home, let alone construction, which I know very little about. When working on the homes in Appalachia though, it was clear to me, someone who is essentially clueless when it comes to construction that these homes were in severe disrepair. Sometimes they were so damaged that it seemed time would be better spent and it would have made more sense to demolish and rebuild.
Just because I happen to think rebuilding would be a better strategy is a null point, not to mention the fact that the residents of these homes need a place to live before, during, and after the repairs. Despite damage or disrepair, these homes were not just homes; they belonged to someone and are valued just as much as anyone values a home. Who am I to determine what is valuable and worth fixing? At this point my understanding of my own culture was not allowing me to understand or relate to the Appalachian culture.