Just want to let the GodSquad members know how proud we are of your efforts. It is difficult to find God when there is no hope. You are building hope daily.
Great Job!!!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Reflections
So far this week has gone by really fast. Working with a bunch of people you enjoy being around makes it that way. Today especially went by really fast. Putting in floors in an airconditioned center listening to Bay Area rap (and other stuff) will do that to you. The real fun starts tonight though. Our hard work this week is rewarded with a nice Texas BBQ. The BBQ is kicking off a weekend of fun which includes lots of chill time, going to church and seeing minor league baseball. As much fun as that sounds, there is still a bunch of work that needs to be done here in Galveston. My group has only worked on two houses so far (and in a church and temple center) that were greatly affected by the huricanes. I wish more volunteers could come down and put in a week of work because this city really needs. It is a wonderfull community full of really nice people that need a lot of help. I hope to return here in the next couple of years.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Tale.................of Sir Calvin
Texas is great, because everything about it is big. It's state is big, it's trucks are big, it's people are big, even spiders, humidity etc. (The list is endless). So far in Texas, I have enjoyed quite a multitude of wonderful experiences here in the Lone Star State (where even cockroaches drive large trucks and think hybrids are kind of silly).
So far this week, the days have passed by in a similar, yet quite enjoyable manner. My work team (named 'The MacGyver's after some dude in the 80's who I don't know but that's ok) drives to the home where we work at about 9:00 in the morning and then we get to work. So far, we have been tiling and putting down grout (which, until a little while ago, I thought 'grout' was a small woodland mammal), or at least, we have been putting off that impression. For a few days, Gabby, Marshall, Sam and myself just scraped mortar between tiles, which is a VERY rewarding experience (if, by 'rewarding' you mean 'mind-numbing') I tried to become a tiler, but very soon I realized that this job required a special something I didn't have (namely, an ability to do something productive) and my team leader Andy, sent me back to kneel on the floor and scrub the cracks again. Fortunately, I was the only person with a camera so this enabled me to get up and wander around at any point in the work to photograph and videotape Marshall's humerous episodes of working with the hose (among other things).Still, this is a VERY essential step that we must take before we can work with grout.
Throughout the work upon the site, we have made steady progress upon the tiling the floor and grouting in between in several rooms; I credit this to Joe Crisp standing in front of the fan until it puffs up his shirt and Nick Morehouse covering Michela (also known as Michala on this blog) in mortar, for both activities are very efficient and quite entertaining to watch. As for myself, I have been upgraded to grout spreading, which allows me to spread the brown, gluish-like substance that look alarmingly similar to dog feces on the floor, inbetween the tiles so that it holds them together in the same spot, then Sam and Gabby come by and clean the tiles so the only goop I have spread is in the cracks and not on the tiles.This job is ideal because it allows me to make a mess and then has others cleaning up after me, which has been my dream job since about 2 years old. Today, I have finished two bedrooms and have started another so I do have some work under my belt.
Now, in fact, Stephen and the others are now doing the medieval torture that is scraping the grout lines, so I can't do too much work, otherwise I won't have time to watch them for giggles.
Other than this though, I have learned many things. Academically, Gabe has taught me how to properly pronounce 'versatile' (say Ver-sa-tile!).Socially, I have met our wonderful team leader, Andy, who is the Straight man to our team's Marx Brothers. Furthermore, I have bonded well with the whole group. From Marshall the Marshmellow is a one rad dude who looks like Alfred E. Newman, to Michaela who has the best singing voice ever (Imagine Bonnie Tyler on steroids!)
I have failed miserably at keeping this blog short, but when confronted with such a cornucopia of material, what is a crazy Episcopalian who has been mistaken for Shaggy Rogers from Scooby-Doo to do? In any event, I want to help spread the message........
MacGyver Love To all!
So far this week, the days have passed by in a similar, yet quite enjoyable manner. My work team (named 'The MacGyver's after some dude in the 80's who I don't know but that's ok) drives to the home where we work at about 9:00 in the morning and then we get to work. So far, we have been tiling and putting down grout (which, until a little while ago, I thought 'grout' was a small woodland mammal), or at least, we have been putting off that impression. For a few days, Gabby, Marshall, Sam and myself just scraped mortar between tiles, which is a VERY rewarding experience (if, by 'rewarding' you mean 'mind-numbing') I tried to become a tiler, but very soon I realized that this job required a special something I didn't have (namely, an ability to do something productive) and my team leader Andy, sent me back to kneel on the floor and scrub the cracks again. Fortunately, I was the only person with a camera so this enabled me to get up and wander around at any point in the work to photograph and videotape Marshall's humerous episodes of working with the hose (among other things).Still, this is a VERY essential step that we must take before we can work with grout.
Throughout the work upon the site, we have made steady progress upon the tiling the floor and grouting in between in several rooms; I credit this to Joe Crisp standing in front of the fan until it puffs up his shirt and Nick Morehouse covering Michela (also known as Michala on this blog) in mortar, for both activities are very efficient and quite entertaining to watch. As for myself, I have been upgraded to grout spreading, which allows me to spread the brown, gluish-like substance that look alarmingly similar to dog feces on the floor, inbetween the tiles so that it holds them together in the same spot, then Sam and Gabby come by and clean the tiles so the only goop I have spread is in the cracks and not on the tiles.This job is ideal because it allows me to make a mess and then has others cleaning up after me, which has been my dream job since about 2 years old. Today, I have finished two bedrooms and have started another so I do have some work under my belt.
Now, in fact, Stephen and the others are now doing the medieval torture that is scraping the grout lines, so I can't do too much work, otherwise I won't have time to watch them for giggles.
Other than this though, I have learned many things. Academically, Gabe has taught me how to properly pronounce 'versatile' (say Ver-sa-tile!).Socially, I have met our wonderful team leader, Andy, who is the Straight man to our team's Marx Brothers. Furthermore, I have bonded well with the whole group. From Marshall the Marshmellow is a one rad dude who looks like Alfred E. Newman, to Michaela who has the best singing voice ever (Imagine Bonnie Tyler on steroids!)
I have failed miserably at keeping this blog short, but when confronted with such a cornucopia of material, what is a crazy Episcopalian who has been mistaken for Shaggy Rogers from Scooby-Doo to do? In any event, I want to help spread the message........
MacGyver Love To all!
Videos from July 30
Bite the Pan Extravaganza
and
Hi Everybody,
It seems to be getting hotter and hotter here in South Texas. Or perhaps we're getting wearier and wearier. We're making good progress at the two separate homes we're helping to restore from hurricane damage. One group is sheetrocking and my group is spending the week tiling an entire house. We're in good spirits, working hard during the day and bonding in the evenings.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
untitled.
So this was the third day of work. We had walked into the house on Monday with half of its walls bearing their two-by-fours and now are proud to say that all the walls are not only up (save for a bathroom and bedroom; the bathroom because we don't have that type of sheet-rock & the room because it has wood paneling which we also lack) but they are nearly ready to be painted... Just give it another couple of days :)
I mention this not just for the sake of a general update on work status but because it reminded me of another trip with similar weather...
Today three women from FEMA came to check in on our homeowners and to make sure that the rebuilding was coming along swiftly so that they can allow [the homeowners] further use of the trailer set up in the front yard. I may not have caught the significance of this had Liz and I not been outside when they came up the walkway (and she mentioned it) ... On the first work day in New Orleans, Liz and I had worked together for an elderly gent who had been trying to rebuild his house on his own for the two years prior to our arrival (two years ago). He had had a court date set a couple days after this work day of ours and had to prove that his rebuilding was going at a decent rate or else his house would be taken by the city (who had plans to buldoze the property).
Of course, this didn't hapen; both Godsquad and the Episcopal Hurricane Relief wouldn't allow it to. i thought about this as the FEMA ladies toured the house, almost shocked to see how much work was done and how much had been done since their last visit which was aparently when there were absolutely no walls.
Just thought I'd share that :)
-Caroline.
I mention this not just for the sake of a general update on work status but because it reminded me of another trip with similar weather...
Today three women from FEMA came to check in on our homeowners and to make sure that the rebuilding was coming along swiftly so that they can allow [the homeowners] further use of the trailer set up in the front yard. I may not have caught the significance of this had Liz and I not been outside when they came up the walkway (and she mentioned it) ... On the first work day in New Orleans, Liz and I had worked together for an elderly gent who had been trying to rebuild his house on his own for the two years prior to our arrival (two years ago). He had had a court date set a couple days after this work day of ours and had to prove that his rebuilding was going at a decent rate or else his house would be taken by the city (who had plans to buldoze the property).
Of course, this didn't hapen; both Godsquad and the Episcopal Hurricane Relief wouldn't allow it to. i thought about this as the FEMA ladies toured the house, almost shocked to see how much work was done and how much had been done since their last visit which was aparently when there were absolutely no walls.
Just thought I'd share that :)
-Caroline.
Finally!!
Today was a very exciting and fun day , we finally got to grout!! The last 2 days my group had been cleaning the mortar between the already ladid tiles and it was boring we spent our entire last 2 days cleaning this mortar, it is very mind numbing. well today we spent our first hour doin the same thin weve done the last 2 days because we had to wait for Josie to come teach us beacuse Andy didnt really know how. Grout feels like sand and it dries out your hands A LOT. Gaby and I were singing songs we knew even though it seemed we were a little off key. After you grout you have to have people wiping the tiles down otherwise the grout thats on top hardeneds or the dust jus stays on like a layer of grim, so if you dont wipe it down someone will have to spray acid wash on the tiles to get rid of all that, plus you have to wear a mask whik doing it and its not fun to do. we got one room down but quite a few more left..
When we got back home we walked into our room but before we could get into our room (we bein gaby, michala, and me) we got a huge whiff of something nasty; THE BOYS ROOM. The boys are staying in a large open space with their doors being a sheet on a rope. They take showers everyday but their space really smells, the girls have a fan facing the door to keep the smell out when we open the door. Nothing is keeping the smell at bay, we (the girls) have sprayed febreeze and oust within 2 minutes the nasty smeel overpowers it . Gaby says the febreeze is like a snuggle teddy bear but the smell is like a monster that ate the teddy bear. I really hope that smell goes away.
When we got back home we walked into our room but before we could get into our room (we bein gaby, michala, and me) we got a huge whiff of something nasty; THE BOYS ROOM. The boys are staying in a large open space with their doors being a sheet on a rope. They take showers everyday but their space really smells, the girls have a fan facing the door to keep the smell out when we open the door. Nothing is keeping the smell at bay, we (the girls) have sprayed febreeze and oust within 2 minutes the nasty smeel overpowers it . Gaby says the febreeze is like a snuggle teddy bear but the smell is like a monster that ate the teddy bear. I really hope that smell goes away.
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