Saturday, March 10, 2007

This was our first full week of work and I am exhausted. We get to our job site about 7:45 each morning and work until 4:30 or later. Then we have to either workout, do volunteer hours or both. Our day is never over. This week we worked with two groups of students on alternative spring break trips. One group was from North Carolina State and the other group was from a small Catholic school in Pennsylvania. All together we had about 60 extra people staying at our camp. While it was nice having their help at work it was difficult having to share one kitchen with all of them. Our first friday of work we moved all the lumber around to set up the framing for the house we were going to build this week. On monday we built and set up walls. Tuesday we set up the trusses on the roof of the house. Wednesdsay and Thursday we roofed and yesterday we put up siding. I'm not sure that I'm cut out for construction work but I'm getting my hands in all of it. If nothing I hope that I'm an expert at hammering by the end of our 6 weeks here. Between our team and the two groups of volunteers we put up all of the framing for two houses this week. We will leave the houses alone for the next to weeks for contractors to come in and do plumbing, electric work etc... Then we go back in and put in doors, windows, paint and put the finishing touches on the inside. I'm hoping we will get to do some inside work. I think that I will be better at that kind of thing. Basically we will have college spring break groups working with us most of the time we are here. The boys on my team are very pleased to have all of the co-eds running around. Robyn my team leader and I went to see the band Moe on Sunday they sounded really good. Then Thursday night a few of our Americorps friends drove over from Biloxi to see Michael Franti play. He was amazing lots of energy!! I'm getting along ok with everyone on my team. It's hard because we are always together. I have hardly any privacy and almost no time alone. I really wish I had my car with me. We are gonna go to New Orleans for St. Patricks Day. I'm hoping I'll get to see some of my friends from Denver while I'm there. I'm going to come home for a few days at the end of the month I am eager for a break.