Greensboro Alabama

Wow I didn't know it has been two months since my last posting.  A lot of wonderful things have happened to me in the past  few months.  First off Mom and Dad came to Denver and we had a wonderful three days together.  I am sure they filled everyone in with the details.  We took a day long driving tour of the mountains and we had the opportunity to dig for gold.  I had a great time.

I am now in Greensboro Alabama working for a group called HERO (Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization).  There mission is to bring back Greensboro and Hale County.  Hale county is part of the black belt and is slowly decaying.  There are numerous abandoned buildings and homes and the community is very poor.  HERO is helping build homes, helping youths obtain their GED's and helping home owners manage their money.  My job is primarily doing construction.  I helped give a local thrift store a makeover and I also worked on restoring an old historic school.  A lot of the people that work in HERO are architects and I have also had the opportunity to design and build two tables and four benches that now sit behind the office in the courtyard.  I am currently building a kitchen table that I designed and it  will go into one of the HERO houses.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy designing and building things.  So far this is my best project.  

I am also on a new team this round.  The Denver Campus mixes up the teams for third round.  I am on a team of 9 (5 girls and 4 boys).  One of the girls graduated UNH with me last year.  I didn't know her then.  All in all I enjoy this team because there are more guys and older people.  That's all I have for now, I will write soon.  I hope everyone is doing well.

Hello Everyone!!!

My last week in New Orleans was great.  My sponsors took my team out for ice cream and we got to meet the owners of our house.  They invited my team back for Mardi Gras,  apparently they host a huge breakfast on Monday morning because a parade goes right by the house.  I am planning on returning for that.  They also informed us that the house served as a backdrop in The Curious Life Of Benjamin Button, the new Brad Pitt movie.  In the movie Brad moves into the house across the street and there are a couple shots with the house in the background.  They also told us that Angelina Jolie and her kids spent time in the house while the movie was being shot.  I will have to see the movie now.  

My last Saturday in New Orleans was amazing.  I spent the day volunteering at Jean Lafitte National Park.  I went out with a bunch of park rangers to plant trees in the Bayou.  We planted about 20 trees and then set off on a 5 hour Bayou tour.  It was amazing.  I saw about a hundred Alligators and a Bald Eagle.  I learned so much about the critical role the wetlands and bayous play in New Orleans.  I saw my first Mardi Gras parade my last Saturday night in New Orleans.  It was a great experience, everyone down here is so passionate about Mardi Gras, it is a great celebration.

I am currently living in Ocean Springs Mississippi in a Lutheran volunteer camp called Camp Victor.  It finally feels like the Americorps I envisioned.  I am working construction and living with many volunteers from all over.  This past week there were over 200 people here.  Camp Victor is very luxurious compared to other volunteer camps I have been in.  There is plenty of food and warm showers.  I am also a bit spoiled being with Americorps.  There are two main bunk rooms with about a hundred beds in each.  One room is for the women and one room is for the men.  Because we are here for more than a week we have our own bunk room off in the corner.  It is a split room with 4 bunk beds in each room.  Bill and I have an entire side to ourselves where as the 7 girls in my group are crammed into the other side.  It is nice to have a quiet space to retire at night. 

This past week I was given the job of roofing three structures in the outside warehouse.  These structures were used as tents a few years ago and have been sitting outside for years.  Bill and I took on the challenge this project had to offer.  It was very difficult because these structures have been weathered and nothing was square.  Each time Bill or I put up a new piece of wood and old piece would fall off.  However we were able to overcome the obstacles and we managed to put up three roofs .  All that was left for us to do on Friday was shingle them and we were making great progress until the heavens opened up.  Bill and I finished two of the three roofs.  We plan on being done with this project on Monday morning.  I was honored to be given the sole responsibility of this project.  It feels great to work with my hands and power tools.  

On Friday night I found out my next assignment.  I will be on a new team and we will be going to Greensboro, Alabama.  We will be working with Habitat for Humanity.  I am very excited for this project because I will be doing construction and working with new people.  For all you Forrest Gump fans out there, Greensboro is the town forrest grew up in.  Even though it is a fictional movie, it's still a cool fact.

Next weekend I have 4 days off for Mardi Gras.  I will be returning to the New Orleans area and meeting up with my friends outside city.  I don't plan on going into the city too much, it will be a little too crazy for my liking.  I am excited to experience Madri Gras some more.  

I finally have internet now and I am beginning to look for jobs.  My main focus is a government job, Firefighting, EMS, Park Ranger, and FEMA.  I am looking in the Boston, Denver, Raleigh, Charlotte, Connecticut, and New York area.  I have made a few contacts that have given me some great advice on how to look and apply for a government job.  I don't know where I will end up but it is exciting to think about a career path.  It will be nice to get a paycheck.  I will be in need of a vehicle come August so if anyone hears of any promising leads I am all ears.  I am looking for something cheap but reliable enough to last a few years.  I miss you all and I will write again soon.

New Orleans II

Hey Everyone!

Greetings from New Orleans!  This is my last week and I am going to miss this place. Hopefully I will have the chance to come back here later in the year.  (The majority of Americorps projects are in New Orleans).  

Last weekend I worked and ran in the Mardi Gras Marathon/Half Marathon/5K.  I worked the registration and packet handout and ran the 5K race.  Working at the packet pickup was a lot of fun.  It reminded me of the Boston Marathon.  Everyone was excited for the race very nice.  It was nice to be around runners again.  I ran the 5k on Sunday morning.  My time was 21.30 and I placed 32nd overall.  There were over 2,000 runners.  Not bad for very little training.  That experience has encouraged me to train for a marathon.  That might have to wait until after Americorps.

My team has a new member.  Her name is Shara and she is from New York.  There were issues on her team and she was sent to mine.  Unfortunately, one of my teammates had to go to her team.  Mohua volunteered to go.  It us unfortunate that we all couldn't stay together but that's how life is in AMericorps.  My team will be able to overcome this hurdle.

This is my last weekend in New Orleans and I am going to my first parade.  I'm told there will be a lot of musical floats and I am excited because the music scene down here is excelent. 

Hope all is well at home!  I'll touch base soon from Mississippi.  I will have internet there.

New Orleans (2nd Try)

Hello! Sorry it has been so long.  Greetings from New Orleans!!!  A lot has happened since my last posting.  I completed my first spike trip with FEMA and then I was home for the holidays.  It was so nice to see everyone.  After first round my team elected me Alternate Team Leader (ATL), which puts me in more of a leadership position.  My second spike trip is divided into three projects.  Currently I’m in the first phase of the project, which is in New Orleans.

I’m currently staying in an old Victorian in the Garden District.  You can view the house on google maps.  2200 Napoleon Ave.  It is a very big house and very nice.  It is luxurious accommodations for Americorps and my team loves it.  We even have a Knight in out living room.  I have been here for a week and the weather has been beautiful.

I’m working with Green Light New Orleans and so far it has been a wonderful experience.  Green Light is a nonprofit organization and their mission is to convert the lighting in New Orleans from incandescent light bulbs to more energy efficient CFL light bulbs.  Homeowners can sign up for this free program to receive these CFL bulbs.  My team is split up into three groups.  One group of three stays in the office and schedules appointments and manages volunteers.  The other two groups of three drive to different homes and install the new bulbs.  Yes that’s right I screw in light bulbs.  I was a little bummed when I herd the description of my new job, but I must admit after a week I really enjoy it.  As ATL I’m in charge of one of the groups that install the light bulbs.  I love driving around the city and seeing all it has to offer (good and bad) and I have met some wonderful homeowners.  Green Light is a two-man operation and relies solely on the work of volunteers.  Our sponsors are very grateful for our team’s help and they constantly give us information on where to go and what to see.  It is nice having some inside information on this city.  It really has a lot offer; you just got to be careful in some places.  Lucky for me I’m in a very nice part of New Orleans.   I recommend everyone change their light bulbs to CFL lights.  They are a little more expensive but last 5-8 years and will save you thousands of dollars over the life of the bulb, and there is no difference in lighting.  For more information on the organization you can google green light New Orleans. 

            I will be doing this project until February 5^th.  After the 5^th I’m. headed to Ocean City Mississippi to construct homes for Katrina Victims.   That project will last about a month.  After that I have a three day project in Waveland Mississippi and I don’t have much information on that yet.  I believe I will be leading volunteers in a clean up project. 

I will try to check in soon.  My house doesn’t have Internet, but I’ll figure something out. 

New Orleans!

Galveston Trip

Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well. Last Friday my team had the opportunity to travel to Galveston, TX, in order to gain a better understanding of the work we are doing with FEMA. I was very excited for this trip. Not only would I gain a better understanding about the work I have been doing, but because last year I wrote a thesis paper on the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. This was a great opportunity for me to see the history I wrote about in my paper.
We left very early Friday morning and arrived in Galveston at 11am. It was a four and a half hour trip. Our first stop was Port Bolivar, the area hardest hit by the storm. Everything in Port Bolivar lay in ruin; roofs were scattered across fields, house pilings were broken in two, cars were scattered through out the landscape, trash was everywhere, and the roads were still covered in sand. We met up with another NCCC and drove down to Crystal Beach, what used to be a tourist hot spot. It was my third time seeing destruction like that but it still took me off guard. We had about a half hour to walk around and see the rubble. I just walked off by myself and took a few pictures; for the most part I just took it all in. I still can’t comprehend how a hurricane can be so powerful.
We took a ferry over to Port Bolivar and on the way over and back there were dolphins in the water. It was my first time seeing on in its natural habitat. It was also the first time my teammate, Leah, road on a boat. That was a fun time for our team.
After Port Bolivar we went to a DRC (Direct Recovery Center). When I worked in PPI this was one of the places we sent people to in order to get some assistance from FEMA. It was nice to see the place where we sent hundreds of people.
We then went to Camp Tarmac. It is a major campsite on a runway in Galveston. Initially after the storm it was used to house refugees and now it is used to house Americorps NCCC members and other volunteers. It was nice to see our friends and it gave my team a greater appreciation for our nice hotel accommodations.
Our last destination was the one I was most looking foreword to. We went to the sea wall. This wall was build after the 1900 storm and I devoted a major section of my paper to it. This wall that was build over 100 years ago stood strong through out the storm and protected the city behind it. (Most of the devastation occurred where there was no wall) We spent about twenty minutes walking the beach and the wall. I was very impressed by it.
Overall the trip was a huge success. Other teams that went to Galveston did not have a good time. Going last gave my team an advantage because we had ample time to plan for it. Also I was able to give a lot of insight on the history of the island because I spent so much time researching the Island. I am hoping that I will have the opportunity to spend more time in Galveston, maybe helping with the rebuilding effort. Only time will tell.
This is our last week of work and things are defiantly winding down. There isn’t much work to do so a lot of our time is spent preparing for our trip home and planning out our last nights in Austin.
I will check in soon. Hopefully before I leave on Dec 17th.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Sorry I missed everyone this holiday but I think I got to talk to most of you.  My team and I had 4 and 1/2 days off for Thanksgiving, a much needed break from FEMA.  We had our team dinner on Wednesday night because some of my teammates weren't going to be around on Thursday.  It was a delicious meal but didn't come close to a home made meal.  On Thanksgiving Day I ran a 5 mile Turkey Trot.  I ran through downtown Austin with 12,000 other runners.  I had such a good time.  My time was 43.44, not bad considering I haven't run/trained much since I've been in Austin (It's hard to go for a run when working 10 hr days).  It was a little unusual not being home for Thanksgiving but talking to everyone made me feel less home sick.  I spent the rest of the weekend exploring Austin.  Yesterday I went to the Austin History Museum.  Let me tell you...Texans are passionate about their self identify as the Lone Star State.  Today I get to watch the Patriots game, and I am excited because I missed last weeks game.  I have been able to watch the BC games and they have been exciting.  I'm hoping for an ACC championship next week.  I will be going to Galveston this Friday for a day trip.  It will be interesting to see all the devastation.  I'll check in soon.