My first week is done!

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So my first week in Waveland, MS is over and boy has it been a long week. Not that it was all too challenging but I just alreayd kinda feel like I have been here for a long time!
The ride wasn't too bad at all... it was long but I managed to sleep a good portion of it. I also did get to drive for a couple hours which was quite a relaxing time although the van was pretty heavy and a bit scary to drive. The hotel we stayed at in Knoxville, TN was kinda scetchy our room was pretty beat up but it was crazy being able to watch TV. I had forgotten it has been so long... in the getting close to two months I have been in AmeriCorps I have watched probably a total of 1 hour of TV!
We arrived in Pearlington and i must say I was a bit surprised at how "rustic" the conditions were. The bunk house is ok, now that it's been a week it seems a lot more homey than it first did but its basically like a big shed, about the size of a trailer, the floors are wood covered in a lot of sand... we don't have indoor plumbing, our restrooms are porta potties. We shower in trailers and all the water out here is sulfur water so it smells like rotten eggs basucally. The bunk house has forced us to really start getting to know each other since all 11 of us on my team are living in it. It isn't too bad except i sleep near the door so when people come in and out in the early mornings it makes lots of noise and also on weekendsits hard to sleep in because all of the light floods in when the door is open. Really though it's not all that bad I don't mind it too much it isnt in a bad area or anything almost in sort of the woods so you can get away if you need to. I sorta like roughing it, it really makes you appreciate what you have. I think the worst part about it though has been the masquitos! They freaking LOVE me apparently because when many of the people on my team have gotten NO bites I have about 40 now, I woke up one morning with 15 on one arm alone so i look sorta diseased but whatever... what can you do?
Probably the only real crappy part abot living here is the food... it pretty much sucks and sometimes with all the other volunteers living here they eat it all before we can even get to it! So here now is my shameless plug telling you all how much I would LOVE LOVE LOVE care packages or mail or anything sent here... seriously snacks are always great!!!! SO if you want to send me a package and I swear I will love you FOREVER seriously make my day! Nana already sent me and AMAZING one! Here is the address!
Victoria Felt
AmeriCorps NCCC (that part is very important)
6098 1st Ave
Pearlington, MS 39572

I have really been enjoying the project we have been working on. We have been doing some building with Habitat for Humanity. This week we mostly built the deck if you want to call it that the house will be built on. With houses down in the gulf these days you have to build them on stilts so we built what the house will sit on. There sometime sthough isn't a lot of work to do with all of the people that are down here helping with spring break.
Tomorrow morning I am going to be speaking to two senior classes at an all girls catholic school about NCCC, im pretty excited but also really nervous! This week is going to be a short but exciting one! I have that tomorrow for the first half of the work day and then after work I think we may hang out with the housing sponsors who are AMAZING. They are awesome and live near the camp, I may even go bike riding with the wife Beth tomorrow. Then Tuesday is Samantha on my teams birthday, I think we are going to get her a cake to eat at lunch and then that night we are going to Biloxi, MS to learn about housing in the Gulf and awterwards are going to take her to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Then Wednesday we are going to have people cook crawfish at the housing and then later that evening play cabbage ball which i hear is sorta liek softball. Then Thirsday is are last day of work for the week and then starts our SPRING BREAK! We only get Friday and Monday off but I bet you can't guess where I am going... NEW ORLEANS!!! I am very very excited about it too a bunch of people from my team are going to be there and probably a ton from AmeriCorps in general! Don't worry I'll behave...
That's basically all that has been going on, I have added more photo albumns so heres the link, if you have a problem with it just let me know, all you need to do is opy and paste it though!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2463&l=e3e91&id=1045590041

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345&l=0a082&id=1045590041

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2344&l=3f352&id=1045590041

Those are the 3rd 4th and 5th albumsn of mine the other two links are posted in a different one!

Oh and send me mail! If it's just letters you can also use the perry point mailing address i had previously posted!
Thanks for reading!

Love,
Victoria

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Comments

[John Syler]

VICK!!!!
Hello Victoria, sounds like you're having some adventures and even some small challenges. But, it sounds like you're doing OK. Please take care of yourself, cause I really do miss you and if you're in bad shape then it makes it so much harder. Things are going good here, I'll get you off a care package, but sorry no booze or cigs. Take care and remember I love you. Love John

[Mommy]

Hi Sweetie!
Happy Easter! Just thinking of you. Cat is here with a friend from LA. They are going to SF tomorrow and pick up more friends flying in from?? and staying all week in a Hostel. I don't think Cat had met this girl before she went to LA to get her on Friday, but she has known her online for more than a year. Crazy. Alex is keeping her grades up to go to Europe. She has spent her weekend in Scott's Valley (near Santa Cruz) with two of her friends. She isn't back yet. I will send you out a package soon. Hope you are well. I know that you are seeing some of America that I have always wanted to see. I love you and I am very proud of you. We missed you at Calvary's Easter service today. Have fun in New Orleans! Mommy