Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 24

Q&A

Van life teaches student that less is more
STORY BY NATE HOEKSTRA / PHOTO BY REX LARSEN

When Jake Czerwinski, a mathematics
major, and his roommates decided not to
re-sign the lease on the house they were
renting last spring, he started thinking of
places to live for the summer.
He had just read an article about "mobile
living" - people converting vehicles to
ultra-small, driveable homes. He drafted
plans and did some research, bought a van
and added a heater, solar panels, basic water
service and other improvements.
He built a place to live, and learned some
important life lessons along the way.
Grand Valley Magazine asked him how he
does it, what he learned, and where he's
going from here.
How do you accomplish the
day-to-day tasks that usually
require more space, like
washing, cooking, eating?
It would be a lot more difficult
if I didn't work where I did; I
work as a machinist at a shop in
Walker, and they're letting me
park there. There's a shower and
a small kitchen, so I eat lunch
pretty much every day at work,
and sometimes I just heat up
something in the microwave in
the van. I have friends whose
houses I can stop by if I need to.
I've also got a little sink with a
five-gallon hand-pump so I
can brush my teeth and wash
my hands.
The van is your base of
operations, but it sounds like
you're supplementing that
with some permanent
facilities you need.
I'm never really "home," so to
speak, during the day, I'm either
at work or at class. I do laundry
at the laundromat, I shower at
the YMCA. I don't really eat out

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a lot - and I've found myself
eating a lot less, too. It's not that
I'm not eating enough, I just
only eat when I really need to.
It's actually good. I keep snacks
around like nuts and pretzels
and stuff, plus sandwiches and
cereal stuff in the fridge at work.
Tell me what you do for
electricity in the van.
I started going to college for
mechanical engineering, so
I know enough to get around,
and what I don't know I figure
out. I have a solar panel on top
of the van and it's wired to a big,
deep-cycle battery. It's enough
to run a fan in the summer,
charge my phone and laptop,
and run six outlets. I've got
lights hooked up, all that stuff.
It has plenty of power.
How's it working out?
Are you going to do this for
a lot longer?
It was super cool when the
van was mobile, but the
transmission is having
problems so it's a bit more
boring right now. I do have
another minivan that I use to
commute to Grand Valley, so I
can get where I need to go, I
just don't have a home that's
mobile like I used to. I plan to
live in it through the summer
at least, after that, I'm not sure.
About 18 months total or so.
What did your friends and
family have to say about this?
Did they think it was cool or
did they think you were crazy?
My parents definitely were not
on board to start; they thought
it was a stupid idea. But when
they saw what I was doing and
what I was planning, my dad
got on board and thought it
was cool, but my mom worried
and ended up sending me
suggestions on how to make it
as safe as possible. So they're
not all the way on board but
they've come to terms with it.

"I have learned that we all
think we need more than we
do. ... it just seems like we
could all take a little bit less
and give a little bit more."
JAKE CZERWINSKI

You must have saved some money on
rent throughout this process.
I bought the van for $1,300, and it cost
a few hundred in gas to drive up from
Florida, and I've put about $2,000 into it to
make it livable. I've also had to put some
money in for mechanical repairs, but it's
definitely less than what I would have paid
for 18 months of rent. I've taken the extra
money and put it toward school.
This is a unique experience.
What have you learned from this?
I have learned that we all think we need
more than we do. You see people with such
extravagant houses and cars and toys, and
then you see people who are hurting, it just
seems like we could all take a little bit less
and give a little bit more. I think this really
shows that most of us don't need as much
as we think we might.
One of the most important things that
I realized is that a lot of other people made
this possible for me. I have a lot of people
to thank, my friends and my co-workers
and my family, whether it be advice that
was given, or a couch to sleep on or just
support. That was the cool thing: I could
do a project like this by myself but have so
many other people involved.
Czerwinski graduated in April with
a degree in mathematics, and plans to
apply for officer school in either the Air
Force or the Army. He hopes to pursue
a future in pararescue.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017

West Side story
Knowledge for all
Hopes and dreams for a better future
Fund honors son's memory
Athletics
Q&A
Off the Path
Research
Arts
Campus News Briefs
Alumni Giving
Alumni Profile
Alumni News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 1
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 2
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 3
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - West Side story
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 5
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 6
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 7
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Knowledge for all
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 9
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 10
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 11
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 12
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Hopes and dreams for a better future
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 14
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 15
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Fund honors son's memory
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 17
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 18
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 19
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 20
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 21
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Athletics
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 23
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Q&A
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 25
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Off the Path
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 27
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Research
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 29
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Arts
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 31
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 32
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Campus News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 34
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 35
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 36
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 37
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni Giving
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 39
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni Profile
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 41
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 43
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 44
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 45
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 46
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 47
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 48
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