Day 36: Getting Panoramic Pictures from Michelle
Monday: Michelle (in the white shirt) is one of the YAVs currently serving in Miami. I got to know her pretty well at YAV orientation because we were assigned to the same small group. Since YAV orientation I have only kept in contact with her by reading her blog so it was nice to go on retreat and spend some quality time together and catch up! She is a pretty talented photographer and brought some of her fancy camera equipment including her GoPole which is a pole that attaches to her GoPro camera and is able to take awesome pictures like the ones above! So you get to see not only the amazing group we had all together but the beautiful view we were all fortunate enough to enjoy!
Day 37: The Paradox of Choice
Tuesday: This past Tuesday meeting we watched a Ted Talk by Barry Schwartz entitled "The Paradox of Choice". It raised many interesting questions regarding how having options makes us feel more free (i.e. it equates to freedom) but actually having so many options makes us less satisfied in the end. The best example he uses regards buying jeans. He talks about how their used to be one brand of jean and even though they were stiff and took years and years to break in, he was overall satisfied with his jeans. Now today, there are many different types and brands of jeans which forces us to make a series of choices before arriving at our jean selection. Schwartz mentions that the jeans he bought fit him way better than the stiff jeans of his past but overall he was less satisfied because he wondered if he had made the right choice. Were these really the best jeans for him? What about the second favorite pair? I highly recommend watching it because it really makes you think about all the decisions you make on a consistent basis. If you want to watch the video, click here.
Day 38: Easter Basket in the Mail!
Wednesday: When I grow up I want to be half as thoughtful as my mom. I got a package last Wednesday with Easter Eggs that were filled with candy, silly plastic toys and dollar bills. It had me smiling for days and made it a little less sad to be away from my family on a holiday that we usually spend all together! Also judging by my excitement to open a few plastic eggs, helped me confirm that I am still not too old to receive an Easter basket ;)
Day 39: Habitat for Humanity Restore
Thursday: One of my wonderful roommates Kalyn works at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. The store accepts donations of furniture, lighting, lumber, appliances, and more and then resells them to the public. 92 cents of every dollar goes back into Habitat for Humanity to help with building costs of the houses they build around the city. I helped volunteer this past Thursday and it was wonderful to see all the behind the scenes action of the organization and also getting to see what my lovely roommate does on a daily basis. My contributions consisted of cleaning windows, organizing lumber, locating items that needed to be picked up and talking to customers. I really enjoyed it and I think Habitat is another organization doing great work throughout New Orleans to help get people into their homes.
Day 40: Home Dedication
Friday: We had been trying to coordinate this home dedication for weeks and it finally happened! Homeowner Julia has been living in our house for quite some time now but welcomed us all the same when we came over to officially dedicate her home. She had prepared an amazing spread of food for us all (I'm talking chicken wings, vegetable platter, pulled pork, cheeses, bread, fruit, juice, wine, seltzer, cookies...the whole 9 yards) and let us explore each room of her house as well as her beautiful backyard. Julia's home was an important milestone for Project Homecoming because it was the first home built on NSP2 (Neighborhood Stabilization Project 2) funding. Since her home turned out so beautifully and the work went so smoothly we were able to secure more funding and help build more homes. I always love dedications because it unites every aspect of Project Homecoming - the staff, the homeowners, the volunteers and the physical structures we build.
Day 41: Reunited with my one true love
Saturday: So I might be making this a little bit dramatic but I LOVE fried chicken. It is just a fact of life and after going all of lent without eating Popeyes, I finally got some. I cannot express how good their fried chicken is. I also can order without looking at the menu (2 piece bonafide combo, mild, dark meat, with an extra biscuit... what, what!) I just love fried chicken. Love, love, love it.
Day 42: Red Lipstick Easter
Sunday: I must admit that it was strange spending my first Easter without my family. I am lucky, however, to have made some wonderful friends here in New Orleans that helped make the day special. I went to church with Valentina and her roommate Emily where they had prepared an Easter pancake breakfast prior to a beautiful Easter service. I bought this awesome red lipstick a few days before and it made its debut on Easter Sunday. I've never been one to wear lipstick but after this purchase I just might have been convinced otherwise. I am obsessed :)
Lesson from the Journey: My roommate Kalyn also was lucky enough to get an Easter basket from back home and lovingly shared some of her candy with me. She's not a huge kit kat fan so I offered to take a bunny themed one off her hands. Turns out it is kind of the cutest candy I have ever eaten.
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