Today started out pretty much like any other. We woke up and got ready for another day of work. Today was a little different though, being our last day of work at the site in Biloxi. I was so tired and exhausted from the week I didn't wake up until 6:30 am (usually I am awake by 6 am). As I woke the others up I realized I was actually really sad to be starting the last day of work here in Mississippi. I have met so many random and amazing people through this trip, I didn't really know how I felt about leaving at all. One person we met through this trip was a USF Alumna! Talk about a small world. EJ apparently graduated way back in the 70's when USF was still a two year college. Apparently back then you could only attend after transferring your junior or senior year. I thought it was so amazing we had this rare opportunity to work with an alumna.
I wish we had gotten a chance to really sit down and talk with her though. It was hard to get to know people because if you weren't working on the site it almost seemed like you were wasting time, not only your own time but the time of the other volunteers and carpenters. I'm glad we at least got to meet her. I think it'll be funny to see if we ever run into her again. Since I'm going to be starting work at an alumni call center at USF I may get a chance to call her for donations to the university. I think that would be pretty amazing and I am sure she'd donate to me after going through this experience with me.
Today we worked with the interior of the home for the first half of the day. Brittney had us doing insulation, which is the most god awful, tedious work I've ever done. Let me just tell you, insulation is the last thing I ever want to do again. If I ever decide to work with Habitat for Humanity again I am going to request not to ever do insulation. I really wish Brittney had warned us the day before because that fiber glass definitely sucks to work with. After the first couple of hours I just felt itchy and uncomfortable. I don't know how people do this for a living, that can't be good to work with for a long period of time.
After the lunch break we decided to ditch Brittney and work with Mike on the roof. Yes, I decided I was going to climb a roof. Initially I just made the commitment to shingle the roof on the scaffolds. When I first got on the scaffolds I was freaking out really badly. Every time the scaffold shook just a little I started to hyperventilate. After a little while though I was alright. I just had to breathe and not look down. I did a great job nailing in the shingles and not look down. That's the key, don't look down. After doing a few rows of shingles I was almost forced to get on top of the roof. At first I was hesitant and I tried as much as I could to nail in the shingles without going on the roof but finally I gave in. Yes, yours truly sat on the roof. I actually stood up on it for a little while too!
I was on the roof for a good hour or so shingling and nailing. I was very impressed with myself. I felt so liberated, the fear had vanished. At least until I had to get down. It was hard for me to figure out how to even get down at first. But once I did I owned that too. I feel like this experience has really helped me grow as a person. I have done so many things I never thought I would ever do in my life.
I don't think even if I started volunteering with Habitat in Tampa I would get so much done. I don't think I would be able to get on the roof or climb on scaffolds or any of the other numerous things I've accomplished on this trip. I think this group really helped me too. It was interesting, at one of the breaks Emma mentioned something about how this ASB trip didn't really meet the expectations she had initially. This kind of upset me because I thought the trip was going really well. I thought we were bonding, getting through the initial conflicts we had. I guess my perspective wasn't really being shared by the group. I guess I can't really judge her though, this trip was a lot different than I thought it would be, but for me it was all positive differences. I experienced a lot more, changed a great deal, and got a lot out of this trip, a lot more than I ever expected.
When we got back we took a little break and Antoine and I decided to finish the mural we started. It turned out really nicely. I am happy we decided to do it in the end, I feel like it really allowed me and Antoine to bond after all the stuff that's been going on. Tomorrow morning before we leave we area all going to sign our mural, leave our mark on Camp Victor. After we finished the mural we waited in line for dinner. I noticed that the chef puts together some really interesting menus. While most nights I am slightly disappointed with the food selection, tonight's dessert was amazing! It was a not so crispy apple crisp, but it was delicious!
For the reflection tonight we did the Spiderweb of Friendship. Everyone passed a ball of yarn to another member of the group and discussed the positive aspects they saw in the other person. At the end some of us talked about the positive aspects of everyone. I decided to take the opportunity to express how much the trip and the group meant to me. I really do feel like the group is an amazing group. Even with the crazy dynamic we have, we come together when we have to. When shit hits the fan we really get things done and get to work. For example when we were putting up the wall or when we were all together on the roof I really felt like we were working together as a team for the same goal. My heart was really filled with joy as an advisor to see that.
After our reflection we headed to Biloxi to go to the Hard Rock Casino. We ate dinner at the cafe, which was good although I was already full so I probably just wasted money. Oh well, I'm on vacation. We met up with some of Cristina's friends, who were pretty cool. We were trying to talk the group into going to New Orleans but it didn't really work out since it's such a long drive and we're trying to wake up early to drive back to Tampa tomorrow.
I keep thinking to myself that this week was really long and fun but I realize it's almost over. In fact tomorrow it will be over and this makes me really sad! I don't want to leave and go back to the real world. I want to stay in Mississippi and work on houses, give my time to the community and spend time with people I enjoy being around. It's funny when you find that sense of friendship in people you've only known for a few days, but I really feel like I've found a good group of people and I honestly hope we all continue this friendship after this trip for more than a week. Tomorrow is going to be pretty sad, even if I will be happy to be leaving Jesus Camp!
I wish we had gotten a chance to really sit down and talk with her though. It was hard to get to know people because if you weren't working on the site it almost seemed like you were wasting time, not only your own time but the time of the other volunteers and carpenters. I'm glad we at least got to meet her. I think it'll be funny to see if we ever run into her again. Since I'm going to be starting work at an alumni call center at USF I may get a chance to call her for donations to the university. I think that would be pretty amazing and I am sure she'd donate to me after going through this experience with me. 
Today we worked with the interior of the home for the first half of the day. Brittney had us doing insulation, which is the most god awful, tedious work I've ever done. Let me just tell you, insulation is the last thing I ever want to do again. If I ever decide to work with Habitat for Humanity again I am going to request not to ever do insulation. I really wish Brittney had warned us the day before because that fiber glass definitely sucks to work with. After the first couple of hours I just felt itchy and uncomfortable. I don't know how people do this for a living, that can't be good to work with for a long period of time. 
After the lunch break we decided to ditch Brittney and work with Mike on the roof. Yes, I decided I was going to climb a roof. Initially I just made the commitment to shingle the roof on the scaffolds. When I first got on the scaffolds I was freaking out really badly. Every time the scaffold shook just a little I started to hyperventilate. After a little while though I was alright. I just had to breathe and not look down. I did a great job nailing in the shingles and not look down. That's the key, don't look down. After doing a few rows of shingles I was almost forced to get on top of the roof. At first I was hesitant and I tried as much as I could to nail in the shingles without going on the roof but finally I gave in. Yes, yours truly sat on the roof. I actually stood up on it for a little while too! 
I was on the roof for a good hour or so shingling and nailing. I was very impressed with myself. I felt so liberated, the fear had vanished. At least until I had to get down. It was hard for me to figure out how to even get down at first. But once I did I owned that too. I feel like this experience has really helped me grow as a person. I have done so many things I never thought I would ever do in my life. 
I don't think even if I started volunteering with Habitat in Tampa I would get so much done. I don't think I would be able to get on the roof or climb on scaffolds or any of the other numerous things I've accomplished on this trip. I think this group really helped me too. It was interesting, at one of the breaks Emma mentioned something about how this ASB trip didn't really meet the expectations she had initially. This kind of upset me because I thought the trip was going really well. I thought we were bonding, getting through the initial conflicts we had. I guess my perspective wasn't really being shared by the group. I guess I can't really judge her though, this trip was a lot different than I thought it would be, but for me it was all positive differences. I experienced a lot more, changed a great deal, and got a lot out of this trip, a lot more than I ever expected. 
When we got back we took a little break and Antoine and I decided to finish the mural we started. It turned out really nicely. I am happy we decided to do it in the end, I feel like it really allowed me and Antoine to bond after all the stuff that's been going on. Tomorrow morning before we leave we area all going to sign our mural, leave our mark on Camp Victor. After we finished the mural we waited in line for dinner. I noticed that the chef puts together some really interesting menus. While most nights I am slightly disappointed with the food selection, tonight's dessert was amazing! It was a not so crispy apple crisp, but it was delicious! 
For the reflection tonight we did the Spiderweb of Friendship. Everyone passed a ball of yarn to another member of the group and discussed the positive aspects they saw in the other person. At the end some of us talked about the positive aspects of everyone. I decided to take the opportunity to express how much the trip and the group meant to me. I really do feel like the group is an amazing group. Even with the crazy dynamic we have, we come together when we have to. When shit hits the fan we really get things done and get to work. For example when we were putting up the wall or when we were all together on the roof I really felt like we were working together as a team for the same goal. My heart was really filled with joy as an advisor to see that. 
After our reflection we headed to Biloxi to go to the Hard Rock Casino. We ate dinner at the cafe, which was good although I was already full so I probably just wasted money. Oh well, I'm on vacation. We met up with some of Cristina's friends, who were pretty cool. We were trying to talk the group into going to New Orleans but it didn't really work out since it's such a long drive and we're trying to wake up early to drive back to Tampa tomorrow. 
I keep thinking to myself that this week was really long and fun but I realize it's almost over. In fact tomorrow it will be over and this makes me really sad! I don't want to leave and go back to the real world. I want to stay in Mississippi and work on houses, give my time to the community and spend time with people I enjoy being around. It's funny when you find that sense of friendship in people you've only known for a few days, but I really feel like I've found a good group of people and I honestly hope we all continue this friendship after this trip for more than a week. Tomorrow is going to be pretty sad, even if I will be happy to be leaving Jesus Camp!
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