As a continuation to her monthly blog series, our Communications Intern Ashley Ng reflects upon her time representing Habitat for Humanity at Love Your Home 2025. The annual exhibition is an opportunity for organisations to interact with visitors looking for inspiration, advice, and solutions for their own homes. Over the course of two days at the exhibition, Ashley comes to an important realisation regarding her personal growth in her role at Habitat. Read on to learn more.
I don't think I knew what to expect at Love Your Home. I went into the first day with quiet apprehension because words could only do so much to prepare me. Knowing beforehand is different than living it. Who knows what could happen? By the end of my experience, I left the venue buzzing with energy, despite the hours spent on my feet.
The Love Your Home show takes place in early March, so this put me at two months' worth of experience with Habitat under my belt. Therefore, when I was plucked from my desk to support Love Your Home, my first thought was that two months is not nearly enough time. I could not trust myself to represent Habitat for Humanity. Not at all. But the funny thing about being busy is that I barely had the time to entertain that line of thinking.
I was involved from the start with setting up the day before. It was a two-person job, yet I would be the one present the next day at the event. This was the chance I had to learn everything I could beforehand. Transporting and organising the supplies meant I had a clear picture of our inventory. Arranging pamphlets, graphics, and the photos on the wall meant I had a clear idea of the information being shared. Prepping the materials and samples meant I knew every step of the repurposing activities. This would all come in handy on the days of the event, when volunteers looked to me for guidance.
The event itself was incredibly busy and as a result, there was always something to do. I wore a lot of hats in those two days. I handed leaflets out. I guided people through the repurposing activities. I convinced individuals to sign our petition regarding the Invisible Billion. I took photos and videos on the side for social media. But most importantly, I spoke with people, listened to their stories, and answered their questions. And that's when the realisation hits.
Forget my sentiment earlier about not being prepared, I am in the perfect position to succeed. Love Your Home is a test of sorts, of how well I can synthesise my learnings from my role in communications, social media, and ReStore. I am not the expert on Habitat for Humanity and I cannot expect to be in just two months. In the back of my mind, I was waiting for the 'gotcha' moment, where someone would jump out from behind me, point an accusing finger, and shout 'aha' the moment I slipped up. But that moment never came.
I knew more than I was willing to give myself credit for. My work in communications and social media spans across Habitat's numerous programmes and initiatives. I've spent time navigating and contributing to the website. What I do on social media is aimed to spread awareness and increase engagement. Then, there's the front-facing nature of my role in ReStore. My interactions with customers reinforces that storytelling is a powerful tool for illustrating the impact of our work and establishing a human connection. My Fridays spent in ReStore serve to keep my ear close to the ground. I am well-connected and well-prepared in a way that not many people can claim, especially with only two months of experience behind me.
Speaking of human connection, there is a story I'd like to share. I've had people in the office ask me how the event went and my go-to response is to joke about how much money I spent on the Love Your Food show next door. It's dangerous to go shopping when hungry. I ate to my heart's content and more, while filling my bag with even more food to take home. I kept telling myself that this was part of the cultural immersion and that I would not have this opportunity again. That story is easy to tell and even easier to understand.
But what truly made Love Your Home special to me was an interaction I had with a small family. A repurposing activity drew the attention of an older lady and a young couple followed with their son. I welcomed them and began to explain the materials available. But then I cut myself off.
The mother had leaned over to (who I assume to be) the grandmother's ear and translated my words in Cantonese, a dialect of Chinese that happens to be my first language. I don't feel homesick often, knowing that I'll get to go home at the end of my six months. But homesickness is the best reason I can come up with to explain why I switched languages and picked up where I left off.
I will admit, I am no longer as fluent as I used to be and it's a small miracle the grandmother understood my words. We chatted away, and by the time they moved on to the next repurposing activity, I followed them. This activity was more for their son, so we got to continue our conversation as we kept an eye on him.
After a few minutes, the conversation pauses as we notice their son struggling to uncap a paint marker. I offer to help and the mother bends down to talk into her son's ear. She tells him to let me uncap the marker in Cantonese, but it's the way she refers to me that stuns me. She calls me 'older sister' instead of the more conventional 'young lady' I was expecting. After all, we were strangers ten minutes ago.
Our interactions leading up to this point required a specific set of circumstances. If I wanted to be poetic, I'd call it serendipity. Regardless, this story is the one that sticks with me whenever I think back to Love Your Home. Representing Habitat for Humanity at the Love Your Home show gave me a chance to see the bigger picture and helped reinforce just how impactful human connection can be.
Check for my next blog in a month, where I share more volunteer experiences from my time at Habitat Ireland.
