This past weekend the team went to New Orleans because Anna had to fly out Saturday afternoon to North Dakota, and Joe flew out Sunday morning. Erin had some points of some kind and was able to get a free room at the Sheraton, so we split the cost of another room and stayed there, which was pretty nice. The only thing that wasn't nice, was almost getting trapped in an elevator that would go up a few inches, then slam...then go up a few inches, then slam. So when we finally got the doors open we had to step down about 6 inches to the floor. I was very close to living one of my worst fears...being stuck in a small elevator with 9 other people. We spent Saturday walking around the French quarter, the French Market, and Frenchman street....all things French. We went to dinner on Frenchman, met up with some other Americorps people who are working in New Orleans, and went up to Bourbon street, where we drank a lot of alcohol and ran around collecting beads and doing other crazy things. On Sunday we spent the morning in Audobon (sp?) park eating a picnic breakfast and listening to the extremely loud and annoying songs blaring from the "celebration of the young child" festival happening there...songs about how safety is fun and so is cleaning. Yeah! After that we explored Magazine Street, then called it a day. When we got back from New Orleans, we saw one of our windows was off the frame, and thought someone had broken in. We ran in to check if our laptops were there, and everything was accounted for. I noticed also that the freezer door was open, which I thought was weird, but thought maybe one of us hadn't closed it all the way when we left. Later that evening, one of the girls in the neighborhood told us that some kids had broken into our house and stolen lollipops and eaten all of our ice cream. The lollipops and most of the ice cream were indeed gone, which accounts for the freezer being open. This is the second time we've been broken into; the time before this a kid was steeling granola bars. Weird.
On Monday, Erin and I went with Lyh, one of the Habitat Americorps guys, to Galliano to work on a house there. Lyh's dad is in town, who is a very cute older Chinese man with a great sense of humor, so he came along too. We spent the day installing cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom. To install a cabinet, you first have to center it wherever it's going, then put shims under it until it's level, then cut out holes in the back for any piping that needs to go through it (if it's a sink cabinet), then screw it in. Whenever we were putting shims under the cabinets, Erin and I couldn't stop ourselves from singing "shim shimminy shim shimminy shim shim sharoo". On the way home from Galliano, I saw an alligator! I couldn't believe it. It was one of my goals for this project : ) We got home around 4:30 and played basketball 3v3 for PT. Then I made dinner, we ate it, and now here I am!
That's all I've got for now. More adventures on the bayou to come...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
on the bayou
We've had some interesting adventures the past couple of days. On Monday evening we went to an "informal cajun jam session", which turned out to be a bunch of people on a stage playing music...informally. One woman sang "when the saints go marching in" while the musicians all played, and the woman on the washboard came down into the audience and marched our team through the seats, onto and off of the stage, and all around the auditorium. At one point they were asking where we were from (we are very clearly not from around "here", pretty much everywhere we go) and they asked if anyone on our team sang/played. We pointed Anna out, and they invited her up on stage, where the guy who was singing the songs at that moment proceeded to call her Loretta Lynn for the next half hour she was up there. She did a great job. I came down to Louisiana with the intention of buying and learning how to play a harmonica. One of the guys in the informal band inspired me to do that even more, so I went ahead and bought one this week and am working on my harmonica skills, mostly while sitting on our front porch.
We've been having some pretty great food for dinner. Because of the weather, we can grill so we did that one night. One night we had catfish soaked in hot sauce and breaded and fried...that was delicious. Erin and I made some pretty good stir fry one night (if I do say so myself). Our lunches are provided every day also, but Habitat via local food establishments that donate.
Work has been a little slow, because there are so many college volunteers here, so the boss people mostly focus on keeping them busy while we do some side jobs. One cool thing though, is that we've learned how to measure, cut, and install base trim inside the house. While it doesn't seem like it would be very difficult, it has proved to be pretty challenging. Depending on the location of the corner, you have to cut the pieces of trim at one of four different angles (a butt, a cope, a 45, or a 31.6). Then you have to cut the other piece at another one of those 4 angles to fit in with that one. After you cut the trim at an angle, you have to use a coping saw or a jig saw to carve out the angle from the wood so it will fit into the other piece. Even a 16th of an inch off means they won't fit together, which is okay if you made it a 16th of an inch too long, but not ok if you made it a 16th of an inch too short. We've gotten pretty good at it though, and it's cool to know that our team alone has done the trim in two houses so far.
Today I got to go with one of the site supervisors and a couple other guys to a town called Galliano, which is about an hour southeast of where we are now. They're working on some houses down there. Today, Joe and I built a 5 foot high platform for an air conditioner to sit on. I know it sounds easy (when our supervisor told me in the car on the way there, I was like "yeah no problem") but it took us all day. It was also at least 90 degrees, and very humid, which made for a lovely working environment. We had to measure and cut 16 2x4's to make this thing, and then use a crazy big nail gun to put everything together. This nail gun was the size of my arm, and when you push the safety in, it fires nails rapid fire until you pull it back out. It was intense. Neither Joe or I are expert carpenters, so it took us quite a while to figure out the best way to do things on our own. We were also building this platform on a very uneven and slanted slab of concrete next to the house, so each leg ultimately had to be a different length so that the top of the platform would be level. That was the hardest part for sure. In the last 10 minutes of the day though, we actually got it to where everything was level, and it made the whole day totally worth it. It felt good to work and sweat all day : )
Two or more Americorps members from every team are getting sent on disaster to North Dakota to help with the flooding. On every team, each team member is ranked for disaster and usually the top two are sent. Joe and Anna are heading to North Dakota on Saturday morning for three weeks or more, which is pretty exciting for them. I'm going to miss Joe a lot.
Well I think that's all my news for now...as always, I'll write again when something exciting happens.
We've been having some pretty great food for dinner. Because of the weather, we can grill so we did that one night. One night we had catfish soaked in hot sauce and breaded and fried...that was delicious. Erin and I made some pretty good stir fry one night (if I do say so myself). Our lunches are provided every day also, but Habitat via local food establishments that donate.
Work has been a little slow, because there are so many college volunteers here, so the boss people mostly focus on keeping them busy while we do some side jobs. One cool thing though, is that we've learned how to measure, cut, and install base trim inside the house. While it doesn't seem like it would be very difficult, it has proved to be pretty challenging. Depending on the location of the corner, you have to cut the pieces of trim at one of four different angles (a butt, a cope, a 45, or a 31.6). Then you have to cut the other piece at another one of those 4 angles to fit in with that one. After you cut the trim at an angle, you have to use a coping saw or a jig saw to carve out the angle from the wood so it will fit into the other piece. Even a 16th of an inch off means they won't fit together, which is okay if you made it a 16th of an inch too long, but not ok if you made it a 16th of an inch too short. We've gotten pretty good at it though, and it's cool to know that our team alone has done the trim in two houses so far.
Today I got to go with one of the site supervisors and a couple other guys to a town called Galliano, which is about an hour southeast of where we are now. They're working on some houses down there. Today, Joe and I built a 5 foot high platform for an air conditioner to sit on. I know it sounds easy (when our supervisor told me in the car on the way there, I was like "yeah no problem") but it took us all day. It was also at least 90 degrees, and very humid, which made for a lovely working environment. We had to measure and cut 16 2x4's to make this thing, and then use a crazy big nail gun to put everything together. This nail gun was the size of my arm, and when you push the safety in, it fires nails rapid fire until you pull it back out. It was intense. Neither Joe or I are expert carpenters, so it took us quite a while to figure out the best way to do things on our own. We were also building this platform on a very uneven and slanted slab of concrete next to the house, so each leg ultimately had to be a different length so that the top of the platform would be level. That was the hardest part for sure. In the last 10 minutes of the day though, we actually got it to where everything was level, and it made the whole day totally worth it. It felt good to work and sweat all day : )
Two or more Americorps members from every team are getting sent on disaster to North Dakota to help with the flooding. On every team, each team member is ranked for disaster and usually the top two are sent. Joe and Anna are heading to North Dakota on Saturday morning for three weeks or more, which is pretty exciting for them. I'm going to miss Joe a lot.
Well I think that's all my news for now...as always, I'll write again when something exciting happens.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
An awesome weekend
On Friday after work, a few of us went out to explore the bars of Thibodaux. We didn't find much. The first place we went to was called "The Red Goose". We walked in to an empty room except for the people sitting at the bar who proceeded to stare at us the entire time we were there. We stood at the bar for a while before the bartender came over. This was the conversation that ensued:
me: "hi, do you have any specials tonight?"
bartender: "no"
me: "do you have any beers on tap?"
bartender: "no"
me: "do you take credit cards?"
bartender: "no"
So, we each had a drink and continued our bar hopping. The next place we went to was much more lively, took credit cards, had beer on tap, etc. It was pretty fun. We were all pretty exhausted from work though so we left around 10 (before the bar we were originally going to go to even opened), and went back to the house and went to bed.
On Saturday the plan was to go to the beach as a team. We had to go grocery shopping in the morning though, which took much longer than expected, so by the time we got back it was already 12:45. We decided to go to the beach anyway, until we found out it was 2 hours away instead of 1, so we decided to go Sunday instead. We ended up just laying around outside and in the house Saturday afternoon. Around 4pm, I walked over to a couple who has their RV parked at the end of the street, and asked them if I could borrow one of their bikes they had outside of the RV. They let me use it, so I got to ride 3 or 4 miles outside of our neighborhood and explore. The land out here is really pretty, and I love and miss riding my bike, so it was a great time. When I got back, a kid in our neighborhood was throwing a barbecue, so I went to that. This kid is in 7th grade, but looks like he could be 16 or 17. He's really sweet. Apparently he wanted to throw a bbq for the volunteers, so he bought all the hot dogs himself, and other people pitched in hamburgers, baked beans, chips, and s'more stuff. It was a really great time. It was about 6 adults from the neighborhood, and the nine of us, and then about 8 neighborhood kids all sitting around a fire and eating and talking. We hung out there until it was dark, and then headed back (10 yards) to our house. Around 9 the whole team went out to a Cajun bar and "lounge" that Joe found in the paper saying it had live music. We walked in to a shotty looking cover band and an empty dance floor with a lot of older people sitting around. I was kind of nervous at first, but it turned out to be a really awesome night. The dance floor and bar filled up pretty quickly, and the band picked up and played some really great covers. We spent the night dancing and laughing and had a genuinely great time. We left the bar around 12:30 and sang at the top of our lungs the whole way home. A few times, as everyone was singing and dancing in the car, I just broke out into a huge smile because instead of all fighting and yelling (which is what happened on my old team anytime we were in the van), everyone was happy and singing, and it was the perfect ending to a great night. Actually, an even better ending was that Erin made us all quesadillas when we got home.
In the morning, we headed to the beach. It took about 2 hours to get there, but we drove through the very southern parts of Louisiana where it is mostly water and fishing boats, so that was really cool to see. We got to the beach around 12:30. The water was warm and very shallow and the sand was really fine and felt good on my toes (maybe a first in my life). The only thing was, it was extremely windy so when I laid out on my towel, I constantly had sand in my eyes and in my teeth if I opened my mouth. We had a good time though. Mike and Joe dug a hole (because, as they explained to me, that's what boys do), and i took a long walk on the beach and found some cool shells. We left the beach around 3:30 and drove home, showered, and ate dinner. Tomorrow it's back to work, but I don't even mind after such a wonderful weekend : )
here is a link to the pictures I put up from this weekend:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029557&id=10300564&l=12b42fd1cc
here is a link to the pictures I took on the way down to Thibodaux:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029508&id=10300564&l=ea5c5b86f2
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thibodaux, no Gray, Louisiana
So it turns out we are actually staying in a town called Gray, which is right next to Thibodaux. We pulled up to our house on Bon Jovi Blvd yesterday afternoon. We are living in a neighborhood of all Habitat houses, and we're staying in a couple houses designated to volunteers. The issue right now is that there are all these college kids down here on spring break, so instead of sharing a 4 bedroom house with 9 people, we're sharing it with 18 people. I am currently sleeping on a mat on a concrete floor, which made me feel like I had been beaten last night when I woke up this morning. I think people are starting to leave tonight and Friday though, so hopefully we'll all be in beds in the next couple of days.
I am currently on my lunch break at my first day of work. So far we've put up some storm doors and measured pipes under a house for insulation. I think after lunch we're going to actually put the insulation on the pipes. The weather is pretty hot and humid, which is definitely a change from Denver, especially the humidity. I think it's actually about the same temperature as it was there, but that moisture in the air makes a big difference. On the bright side, it's much easier to breathe here at sea level than it was up there. Well I'm going to get back to work, but I'll write more when something happens!
I am currently on my lunch break at my first day of work. So far we've put up some storm doors and measured pipes under a house for insulation. I think after lunch we're going to actually put the insulation on the pipes. The weather is pretty hot and humid, which is definitely a change from Denver, especially the humidity. I think it's actually about the same temperature as it was there, but that moisture in the air makes a big difference. On the bright side, it's much easier to breathe here at sea level than it was up there. Well I'm going to get back to work, but I'll write more when something happens!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Tyler, Texas
We started the day off in Amarillo at 8, and got to Tyler around 5pm. The hotel we left this morning had a Texas shaped waffle iron, which was a big hit at breakfast for some members of my team. We drove pretty much all day...stopping for an extremely windy picnic lunch on the side of the road where we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When we got to Tyler, my friend Erin and I went for a run along side of the highway, which was really hot. The hotel we are staying in is absolutely amazing. I think my team leader splurged a little bit. It is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in...really nice beds and bathroom, it is very refreshing compared to the hotels I am used to staying in for Americorps. We went across the parking lot to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, which was really delicious, AND they had free soft serve ice cream on the way out : )
The team is still really great. I realized today that I haven't felt really angry or stressed out since I've been on this team, which is how I feel a lot on my permanent team. I was talking to other people on the team and they are saying the same thing, that this team is such a change from their old teams, and that it's a really good change. I feel really good about this project, I think it's going to be great. We get to our house in Thibodaux tomorrow in the early afternoon. I can't wait to see it!
The team is still really great. I realized today that I haven't felt really angry or stressed out since I've been on this team, which is how I feel a lot on my permanent team. I was talking to other people on the team and they are saying the same thing, that this team is such a change from their old teams, and that it's a really good change. I feel really good about this project, I think it's going to be great. We get to our house in Thibodaux tomorrow in the early afternoon. I can't wait to see it!
Monday, March 16, 2009
back in Amarillo
Here I am, back in Amarillo, a town I never really wanted to see again after driving back and forth to Austin. My team is on our way to Thibodaux, Louisiana, but we won't be there until Wednesday afternoon. Tomorrow we're driving most of the way through Texas and sleeping somewhere near Tyler. This round of projects, all the teams have been shuffled around, so no one is with their normal permanent team, and we will go back to those permanent teams fourth round.
My team is pretty awesome. The majority of us are 21 or over, which is a big change from my permanent team. There is no one on the team so far that is loud or overly attention seeking, which is the biggest change from my permanent team. I was sitting in the van today and noticed that no one was talking...or screaming...and it was so amazing to just hear nothing. I couldn't believe it. I think I am going to like this round, although I will miss some people from my permanent team definitely.
I am really excited for this project and my team I will try to keep up with writing more this round, which might be easier because we are living in a house with wireless internet! Until next time....
My team is pretty awesome. The majority of us are 21 or over, which is a big change from my permanent team. There is no one on the team so far that is loud or overly attention seeking, which is the biggest change from my permanent team. I was sitting in the van today and noticed that no one was talking...or screaming...and it was so amazing to just hear nothing. I couldn't believe it. I think I am going to like this round, although I will miss some people from my permanent team definitely.
I am really excited for this project and my team I will try to keep up with writing more this round, which might be easier because we are living in a house with wireless internet! Until next time....
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