Hello All. :)
I have survived our FIVE day road trip! We left Sacramento, CA exactly one week ago. We traveled from Sacramento down to the Palm Springs area, then headed through Arizona and into Deming, New Mexico. The third night we stayed in Junction, Texas and the final night we stayed in a little city in Louisiana. The trip was long; however, it was mildly enjoyable. It was really nice to see the landscape change from trees to desert and from hills to flat land. I discovered that the state of Texas really is GIANT! On our road trip, we didn't have any time to stop and see any particular attractions are do anything too interesting, but we were able to stop in Austin and have lunch. It was really nice to walk around the city of Austin. I liked it a lot :)
We arrived to our housing site in Biloxi, MS on Friday evening. We are staying at Yankie Stadium. The stadium is a volunteer housing center. Our team will be the last team of volunteers to stay at this housing site, because they are moving all volunteers to a new location called Camp Victor. The current Yankie Stadium will be turned into a community center. The stadium was purchased four days before hurricane Katrina with the intent to build a community center. Then Katrina hit and three years later, the stadium will finally be turned into the community center.
We are staying in cabins, one for the guys and one for the girls, and we have a nice big common center for all of us to hang out. There are lots of snacks and plenty of tea and hot chocolate :) We have some puzzles and games and even a few computers. We also have the big field and track in order to do our PT in the mornings. Its a really nice facility and we are enjoying it. There isn't much in walking distance, but with the help of the 15p (our van) we have been able to bum around the city a bit. We went to a really awesome bbq joint called "the Shed" one night and it was great.
The beach is within walking distance and that is AWESOME! Although, due to remains and debris, swimming is not advised; however, the white sand shore line is really nice. Yesterday we went out and laid on the beach for awhile and read. The weather is really great. A bit chilly (60's) today, but yesterday was in the low 70's and was really nice. I'm enjoying missing the freezing cold!
Our work here is with Habitat for Humanity. The Gulf Coast affiliate aims to complete 28 houses by Feb., 18 of which must be completed before December 17th! We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the work is really rewarding and although hard, enjoyable. We have only had one full day on the job so far, and alllll day long we hammered and pounded nails out of walls! (There are some walls that were built, and then in order to make the houses greener, the plans were changed and the walls no longer fit, so we are taking them apart.) I was incredibly sore after our day of work, and will have one giant arm and one weak arm if all this hammering business keeps up!
I found a really nice church to go to here and I am enjoying that very much. The congregation has many great welcoming families that offered to give me a ride to church on Sundays (major help- considering our team has one van for 15 people with 15 agendas!).
So far, I am really liking Biloxi. I miss home (WI and TX!) a lot. I miss all of you :)
While I am away on Spike, please continue to send mail to the address provided in my previous post.. I'll post an updated address if we ever get one.
Have a fabulous week!
xoxoxooxox
PICTURES:
http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Biloxi Bound!
Hello All! :)
Tomorrow I am heading out on a five day road trip to Biloxi, MS. My team (Green Seven- or "Sweven" as we call it) is going to Biloxi to work with Habitat for Humanity. We will be staying at Yankie Statium (volunteer housing) and we will be serving there until January 24.
I am VERY excited about the project. I think it will be a really great experience. I am really looking forward to working with Habitat for Humanity. I am also looking forward to seeing the Gulf. I have never been to Mississippi and am excited to get to spend some time there.
While in Biloxi we are also hoping to be able to take a side trip to New Orleans.
My team and I will be taking our lovely 15 passenger van for the ride. I think the ride will be LONG but potentially even fun. We will be making a few stops along the way and who knows what we will see. We are definately stopping in Austin, TX one day, and I'm pretty pumped about that because I've never been to Austin.
Speaking of side trips, just yesterday, a few friends and I rented a car and drove to San Francisco. It was soooo much fun. Even though it rained ALL day, we were able to go to a farmers market (and buy fresh strawberries), check out Chinatown (I was able to find a few of my Hong Kong favorites!), see the lovely Golden Gate Bridge, go shopping (and buy new, DRY shoes), and finally walk around and eat down by Fisherman's Wharf. It was an awesome little day trip.
Today I have spent the day cleaning, packing, and preparing for our trek.
I will probably be able to jump online and post again shortly after I get there... until then- Have a fabulous week!!
XO
Cassie
P.S. While I am in Biloxi, mail can still be sent to:
Cassie Holtz, Class 15, Green 7
3427 Laurel St.
McClellan, CA 95652
They will forward the mail too me :)
Tomorrow I am heading out on a five day road trip to Biloxi, MS. My team (Green Seven- or "Sweven" as we call it) is going to Biloxi to work with Habitat for Humanity. We will be staying at Yankie Statium (volunteer housing) and we will be serving there until January 24.
I am VERY excited about the project. I think it will be a really great experience. I am really looking forward to working with Habitat for Humanity. I am also looking forward to seeing the Gulf. I have never been to Mississippi and am excited to get to spend some time there.
While in Biloxi we are also hoping to be able to take a side trip to New Orleans.
My team and I will be taking our lovely 15 passenger van for the ride. I think the ride will be LONG but potentially even fun. We will be making a few stops along the way and who knows what we will see. We are definately stopping in Austin, TX one day, and I'm pretty pumped about that because I've never been to Austin.
Speaking of side trips, just yesterday, a few friends and I rented a car and drove to San Francisco. It was soooo much fun. Even though it rained ALL day, we were able to go to a farmers market (and buy fresh strawberries), check out Chinatown (I was able to find a few of my Hong Kong favorites!), see the lovely Golden Gate Bridge, go shopping (and buy new, DRY shoes), and finally walk around and eat down by Fisherman's Wharf. It was an awesome little day trip.
Today I have spent the day cleaning, packing, and preparing for our trek.
I will probably be able to jump online and post again shortly after I get there... until then- Have a fabulous week!!
XO
Cassie
P.S. While I am in Biloxi, mail can still be sent to:
Cassie Holtz, Class 15, Green 7
3427 Laurel St.
McClellan, CA 95652
They will forward the mail too me :)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
First Few Weeks
Hello All!!
I arrived in Sacramento on October 6th, and it has been busy busy busy ever since! On October 6th, I checked in and went through "in-processing."
The campus is beautiful! The street entering into the campus is lined with my favorite: PALM TREES! We are on an old airforce base in North Highlands (right outside of Sacramento). There are only a couple dorm buildings and our main building. The main building is where we host a lot of trainings and is where our kitchens are located.
The dorms are really nice. I share a room with a girl, Maddy, from CO. She is really awesome and we share a bathroom with our suite mates. The rooms have beds, dressers, a closet, sink, and small fridge in them.
Right across from campus is a little strip mall and there is an oriental foods store and a Russian food market. Both make me very happy :). There are also a number of local restaurants... everything from Mexican to Vietnamese to Russian to American. It's great! Down the road are a few parks and churches. Right on base there is the Base Exchange (BX) and even a coffee shop.
We were issued uniforms on our first day and I have had to wear a uniform nearly everyday since. Our uniforms are AWESOME (note sarcasm). We get to wear some pretty nice cargo shorts or pants with t-shirts or polos tucked in with our AmeriCorps belt. The uniforms actually aren't that bad, I'm just not used to having to wear a uniform, but its ok. :)
Every day we all get up and have physical training nice and bright and early in the AM: 5:30!! and then we go to breakfast and shower/put on Ameri-tire/clean room (they do room inspections) and then go to meet with our teams. Then we train ALL day and finally finish trainings around 5/5:30. Some nights I help my team cook supper for 60 people, or else we help clean up after 60 people. Usually by 9:00/9:30, I'm exhausted and go to bed and then repeat everything again the next day.
My team is pretty awesome! I'm really enjoying getting to know all of them. We are all going camping on Tuesday at Camp Mendicino. It should be pretty fun, we get to have a camp fire and everything!
So far we have done a couple service projects. One day we helped out with the local art museum. We helped them put projects together for a kids camp that they run. We also helped them file papers and put together a mass mailing. At the end of the work day, they gave us a tour of the Crocker Art Museum. They had and Andy Warhol collection on display. It was A-MAZING! We also spent one day helping at a local animal sanctuary/ zoo. We helped them clean up the walk ways and level out an area to put out picnic tables. It took a lot of pick axing to get through the rough soil and rocks to level out the ground, but we did it! While we are at camp Mendicino, we are helping cut and clean up paths and paint the cabins. (It is a Boys and Girls club camp). It should be a great time. So far I'm enjoying our projects and I look forward to finding out where our first Spike project will be. (In AmeriCorps NCCC we do a series of four 'spike' projects or local projects. We travel to areas in the gulf coast and other areas in the Pacific region to work on community projects).
Sacramento is amazing. Last weekend I went to "Second Saturday." Art galleries in Downtown Sacramento stay open late and a few roads are shut down. There are local artists and musicians who come out to the street who set up tables and play music. It's really great. I had a LOT of fun at it last Saturday.
We are busy training 6 days a week, so my only day off is Sunday. It's a busy week, but it's a lot of fun. Although it is very tiring, I think I will learn a lot this year and I will have an amazing experience.
I will try to update this blog as often as possible and I'll try to send out individual emails and call when I get free moments. It is a bit of a challenge due to the minimal amount of time off and the time difference, but I'll do my best. Lately I've taken up writing letters. If any one is interested in writing to me, my mailing address is:
Cassie Holtz
AmeriCorps NCCC, Class XV, Green 7
3427 Laurel St.
McClellan CA, 95652
I promise I'll write back! :)
I arrived in Sacramento on October 6th, and it has been busy busy busy ever since! On October 6th, I checked in and went through "in-processing."
The campus is beautiful! The street entering into the campus is lined with my favorite: PALM TREES! We are on an old airforce base in North Highlands (right outside of Sacramento). There are only a couple dorm buildings and our main building. The main building is where we host a lot of trainings and is where our kitchens are located.
The dorms are really nice. I share a room with a girl, Maddy, from CO. She is really awesome and we share a bathroom with our suite mates. The rooms have beds, dressers, a closet, sink, and small fridge in them.
Right across from campus is a little strip mall and there is an oriental foods store and a Russian food market. Both make me very happy :). There are also a number of local restaurants... everything from Mexican to Vietnamese to Russian to American. It's great! Down the road are a few parks and churches. Right on base there is the Base Exchange (BX) and even a coffee shop.
We were issued uniforms on our first day and I have had to wear a uniform nearly everyday since. Our uniforms are AWESOME (note sarcasm). We get to wear some pretty nice cargo shorts or pants with t-shirts or polos tucked in with our AmeriCorps belt. The uniforms actually aren't that bad, I'm just not used to having to wear a uniform, but its ok. :)
Every day we all get up and have physical training nice and bright and early in the AM: 5:30!! and then we go to breakfast and shower/put on Ameri-tire/clean room (they do room inspections) and then go to meet with our teams. Then we train ALL day and finally finish trainings around 5/5:30. Some nights I help my team cook supper for 60 people, or else we help clean up after 60 people. Usually by 9:00/9:30, I'm exhausted and go to bed and then repeat everything again the next day.
My team is pretty awesome! I'm really enjoying getting to know all of them. We are all going camping on Tuesday at Camp Mendicino. It should be pretty fun, we get to have a camp fire and everything!
So far we have done a couple service projects. One day we helped out with the local art museum. We helped them put projects together for a kids camp that they run. We also helped them file papers and put together a mass mailing. At the end of the work day, they gave us a tour of the Crocker Art Museum. They had and Andy Warhol collection on display. It was A-MAZING! We also spent one day helping at a local animal sanctuary/ zoo. We helped them clean up the walk ways and level out an area to put out picnic tables. It took a lot of pick axing to get through the rough soil and rocks to level out the ground, but we did it! While we are at camp Mendicino, we are helping cut and clean up paths and paint the cabins. (It is a Boys and Girls club camp). It should be a great time. So far I'm enjoying our projects and I look forward to finding out where our first Spike project will be. (In AmeriCorps NCCC we do a series of four 'spike' projects or local projects. We travel to areas in the gulf coast and other areas in the Pacific region to work on community projects).
Sacramento is amazing. Last weekend I went to "Second Saturday." Art galleries in Downtown Sacramento stay open late and a few roads are shut down. There are local artists and musicians who come out to the street who set up tables and play music. It's really great. I had a LOT of fun at it last Saturday.
We are busy training 6 days a week, so my only day off is Sunday. It's a busy week, but it's a lot of fun. Although it is very tiring, I think I will learn a lot this year and I will have an amazing experience.
I will try to update this blog as often as possible and I'll try to send out individual emails and call when I get free moments. It is a bit of a challenge due to the minimal amount of time off and the time difference, but I'll do my best. Lately I've taken up writing letters. If any one is interested in writing to me, my mailing address is:
Cassie Holtz
AmeriCorps NCCC, Class XV, Green 7
3427 Laurel St.
McClellan CA, 95652
I promise I'll write back! :)
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