Rebuilding Together:Day 2

Today was the second day working with Rebuilding Together. Today while working it really hit me how much a positive atmosphere affects the quality of your experience in really any situation. Jennifer the site manager is very laid back, patient, (she kept her cool after realizing Hannah I tiled a whole section of the bathroom incorrectly), willing to help, and kind of a badass. Jennifer was an architect in New York before deciding to take a leave of absence to serve a term for AmeriCorps. We also had the opportunity to work with two other AmeriCorps volunteers on the electrical team of Rebuilding Together, Dan and Patrick. Dan was from Connecticut and a recent college graduate. Patrick was Atlanta and was actually the same age as the majority of us (despite looking about 30 years old). Dan and Patrick actually made us a sign to take back to Lawrence and were willing to pose in about 20 some pictures with Mr. Jayhawk.  Both were certainly goofy, yet dedicated to their work. All three had great attitudes with excellent work ethic. This positive environment we have had the opportunity to work in was really necessary and really made the seven hour shift of manual labor more enjoyable. Today we learned how to use a tile saw, something I never thought I would learn to use, and did a lot of wood filling and priming.

                During our lunch break I got to ask Jennifer, Dan, and Patrick about their experiences with AmeriCorps: from the application process, interviews, and financial logistics. Mariah, a member of our group, also served a term in AmeriCorps and so I bugged with more questions at dinner. I am seriously considering serving a term after graduation. All of their dedication to service is admirable. All of them expressed the benefits of volunteering and AmeriCorps and were encouraging all of us to consider serving a term. I also had to opportunity to talk with another volunteer named Dick. Dick is also very inspiring. He is a general contractor located outside of Boulder, Colorado. Every winter when business is slow, he takes of a few months and heads down to New Orleans to volunteer. It is extremely admirable that he , as a working adult, finds the time to dedicate his life towards service, even having a less flexible schedule/lifestyle. Just seeing how many people who were dedicated to volunteering is both inspiring and another reminder that I personally could do more.

               Off site we were staying in a church dormitory. Unfortunately, it was infested with fleas. Matt, our site coordinator, was very generous and found and funded another place for us to stay. Although, it may have been slightly annoying to lug around our luggage from the church, to the hotel, to the church, to another hotel, it was amazing how generous the church was. The church and Matt was very helpful and generous and another reminder on how amazing and generous so many people are.