Friday, February 17, 2006

As Much as I Can Write About My Life in 20 Minutes (Before it Starts Back Up Again)

So I just got back to Charleston after 6 weeks of living in the Florida Keys. The only bad thing about the Florida Keys, I think, is leaving them. Nothing looks good after you've lived in the Keys, especially not a closed Naval Base next to smelly paper mills in the middle of the North Charleston ghetto.

Things I am glad to see again, include: my truck, my guitar, walls, ice, a mattress, high speed internet access, regular cell phone service, clean clothes, hot food, a bathroom connected to my room, television, and modern civilization in general.

Other than these modern conveniences, I am excited about the following: my sister getting engaged on Valentine's Day! (Congratulations, Lara!!!!); and our next project!

We just found out last week, that we are finally going to utilize our Hepititis vaccinations! That is to say, they are sending us to New Orleans to do some real disaster relief. It feels like it's been ages since Katrina hit the coast, but from what I have heard, there is still an enormous amount of work to be done, and not just in reconstruction. They're still cleaning up debris down there. Mostly, we'll be working on mucking out houses.

Mucking is kindof a nasty job. We did about 2 weeks worth of it in Key West, but it was all outdoors, with fresh air blowing in off the sea. Even with the ventilation, you can't imagine the odor of 5 month old rot. One of my teammates, forgot to breathe through her mouth one morning, and actually threw up from the stench of it.

Anyway, 2% of me is, justifiably, dreading the time we'll spend locked inside houses with mold, mildew, and muck.

The other 98% of me is naively, only extremely happy to finally be getting down to the coast. I'm excited about hearing people's stories, and doing some tangible, and completely necessary work for people who really need it.

And there's my 20 minutes. Sorry I've been neglecting the phone. It's 40% bad service, 50% total lack of free time, and 10% straight up neglect on my part.

Hope everyone is well. --amy

1 comment:

Ruth said...

Ames,
I got your letter. Yay! Not only is it on Wonder Woman stationary but it's written by you!
I'll write you an update soon.

Ruth