Hello, world!

Today was our 2nd day at the job site, 4th day of the trip, and past the half-way point of the entire trip. It's definitely been a good one so far. Let me start from the beginning... since I've been lagging on the journal (Sorry, Dan :( )

Sunday morning we arrived at the vans at 3:15 am. Whoa, buddy! So it's a littler early... or late... however you want to look at it. Lucky me, I had only gotten about an hours worth of sleep before that and am usually unable to sleep in vans. And that surely happened for this trip. So I stayed up durring the wee hours of the night as mostly everyone else slept and maybe slept a little during the day. But really, I'm the one benefiting. I get to see the beauty of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Alabama, Alabama, Alabama, Alabama, and Mississippi. And I have to admit, I definitely missed my Backseat Buddies from last year (Tree and Shannon). We arrived at Camp Victor and just hung out for the night (Really, I can't remember. That was a long time ago!).

Monday was "Let's be a tourist!" day as we traveled to New Orleans. We traveled on Route 90 through Billoxi and I was astonished by the damage. The whole strip was basically wiped out. Foundation among foundation with no buildings left. And this went on foreeeeever. They have rebuilt some, but wow, I can't imagine. We walked around the French Quarters, saying "no" to balloonists, eating donuts, and checking out voo-doo stores. I can't imagine what that place would be like on the weekends. Yay for Mondays! We then went on to see what was familiar to those of us who went last year. First stop was at the Musician's Village, in which we worked underneath houses and on top of roofs for the week. It was great to see the progress they had made. It was beginning to look like a little village within the city. It was also good to see some of the clean-up that had been done to the houses around that area that we passed everyday, simple as boarding up windows or removing a pyle of rotted wood. Second stop was at the no longer pink Pink Project by Brad Pitt. Last year there was a place that explained what the process would be and showed examples of the houses they would be building. And here those little 8 inch long models were made into real houses. They are surely distinguishable, with tilted roofs and bright colors. I encourage everyone to read up on the Pink Project and see what's going on.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was our first day on the site. In the morning I learned that we would be roofing and I was pretty stoked. It beats the ever-so-exciting chicken-wiring under houses last year. As we left Camp, we drove through some local neighborhoods (nonpurposely.. perhaps misdirection?) and I was surprised to see the damage in the more hidden areas. The roofs were caved in, doors sideways, trash outside. These neighborhoods are still a mess. The main roads have been cleaned possibly to look better, but when you're traveling where most people don't, you see that some places are still left untouched from the hurricane.

We arrived at the site, had our tutourial, and started working. I began up in the raftors of the attic and just loved it. I like being up high! Unless my safety is an issue... which at this point, was not. There's a retired couple working with us who came down to volunteer with Habitat for the month to get away from winter. I'm impressed by their choice compared to what they could've done. But there's definitely still A LOT of work that needs done down here. As we left for the day, I felt like we actually had a lot of progress, but it could be just because it's more visible this time. Needless to say, eventually this house will be weather free... hopefully. It is me that's doing the roofing after all :)

Back at camp, we watched an hour and a half video about Katrina: what life was like a year before it happened- life was looking up for southerners, how people were warned to get out and some chose not to, how busy the interstates were and traffic was stopped for hours, the people who called 911 when their houses started flooding and they were stuck but emergency vehicles weren't allowed on the roads, pictures of the high wind and flooding, the destruction- oh my the destruction- only pictures can explain how terrible it was, the emotions of all the returning citizens to their houses, seeing nothing left of so many memories, seeing people trying to figure out where to go from there. After seeing all the destruction pictures, it put into perpspective how far the south has in fact come since the hurricane. That was A LOT of cleaning, for miles and miles, among cities, country, oceans, roads, houses, businesses, everywhere. Oh so much. And now it's cleaned, but foundations and vacant buildings are left. This area is the the rebuilding-process. You can make new homes, but you can't rebuild the memories.

Today I worked on the roof again. However, it rained and was wet. Let me tell you- a steep wet roof and muddy shoes doesn't make me feel very safe! So I did what I could on the raftors until the roof dried enough. So then I got on and started nailing away. I really wish I had more friction between me and the roof. I definitely didn't walk without a hand on the roof, ready to catch my fall... which never happened!!!... yet...

It was a fun day. I'm really enjoying the group. It's small, but we all basically just do everything together. It's laid-back, fun, picking-on-eachother, picking-on-Dan-for-not-stopping-at-Krispy-Kremes, and whatever else happens. And that Tasha girl? Yeah, I guess you could say she's pretty cool. Being that she's the only other girl, I'm sure enjoying that it's her. It's been a good trip so far, well, other than the fact that I'm sick. That part REALLY stinks. However, I'm trying not to let it affect the work I'm doing here. I just don't understand why my sickness would come this week out of the past 18 available weeks? But, whatever. It's a good time here and that sickness won't ruin it! So, we're off now... out on the town in Ocean Springs!!! You'll be hearing from me again sometime. So, until then, have a good week!

Kelsey