It's strange that I've gotten so used to waking up early. It's 7:45am and here I am, wide awake in the nearly empty, dark Camp Victor lounge, writing this!
Yesterday was probably my favorite day here. The 11 of us have really gotten to know each other over the last 6 days, but last night I feel we really bonded. I don't know, who knows, it's just how I feel!
At the jobsite yesterday, things were a little chaotic. We put up all the plywood around the house, so everybody had a hammer, and some people were up on ladders, things began to fall, so hard hats were worn (Which say Habitat for Humanity AND we get to keep, by the way.) It was HOT outside and I could feel myself getting sunburnt. What's strange about Mississippi heat is it seems to get reaaaaalllly hot from 9am-12pm and then cool off until about 3pm, then get raging hot again. Carol, our adopted "Wall Mom", and her beau David left around 2, and it was really sad to say goodbye! I loved meeting them and working with them. We worked until about 3:45pm and said our goodbyes...we had already given Miles and Spikes their cards (which they seemed to love!) and of course, we took a million group pictures and pics of our house. It really looked like a house, sans roof and siding. I'm so glad we got to start from the bottom up. Of course, if our project was toput in insulation and siding and stuff, it would still be fun but I'm glad we were here the week we were.
After we were dropped off at Camp Victor, I took my last shower, bid farewell to my shower shoes as I threw them in the trash, and bought a Habitat for Humanity sweatshirt. A few of us got them...they are cute and also the proceeds went to an amazing cause.
Then we had dinner with 2 partner families. I talked briefly with a few women, and one told me how she stayed in her house with her husband when Katrina hit. There was 6 feet of water in her house while they ran to the attic. Thankfully that was all, and she said she was blessed enough to have a group of people help restore her first floor after the storm. Her sister's house, however, was destroyed in Biloxi and is currently being rebuilt by a group that was staying here with us.
This trip has truly made me appreciate what I have. I cannot take anything or anyone in my life for granted. I feel like I really made a difference while being here. No matter how sore I am, how sick I feel, how sunburnt my arms are or how much my blisters may hurt, I would never trade this experience for anything.
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