I've been MIA for a month.
What's happened in that month seemed less significant to me than building a home for a single homeowner from beginning to end. I just didn't think it would be all that interesting to read for you folks, nor as interesting to write.
I regret it now.
So, the main scoop is that I've been without a homeowner. I put a large emphasis on wanting to work at Ms. Teresa Ross' house, and had been thrown some hints from the office that they were trying to make that happen. But, Ms. Ross' house needs a lot of work. And there have been several set-backs. From a potentially dangerous dog, to an infestation of fleas, to problems with the actual construction...all these issues have to be resolved and the house must be ready for volunteers to come insulate the walls before they'll pull me to supervise.
So in the meantime, I'm learning, I'm building, I'm embracing the change of pace.
Flooring has been my least favorite stage of construction. I struggled a lot with it, and unfortunately it has shown in some of the work. It's hard to lead volunteers who haven't laid flooring before, if you, yourself, aren't very comfortable with it either. So, I've spent a lot of time laying flooring at different houses over the past month. Some have been with our opportunity houses, while others have been at our current construction homes for different homeowners. I've finally got it. I think that my confidence has really strengthened in that area - and i'm grateful to have been given the time and opportunity to improve that skill-set. I've also been taught how to use some of the professional mudding equipment, and have been able to help several site sups finish their houses. Learn, learn, learn!
I've also spent a lot more time with my fellow site supervisors, getting to know many of them on a much more personal level, and also having the opportunity to learn from them. They each have their specialty - i.e. Megan is great at flooring, Andrew is a great mudder, and Jen just rocks at everything. I'm loving my co-workers now more than ever, and getting to know them better has been an awesome gift. And i've really established some great relationships from it - especially with Dave K, a fellow Pittsburgher, who is interested in bicycles like myself and has taken me under his wing to help me rebuild a bike to ride around the city. He was in the October influx of AmeriCorps peeps, and so I never had the opportunity to really know him until this past month.
So, my fingers are crossed that i'll begin supervising at Ms. Ross' house, potentially, hopefully, next week. We're expecting 250+ volunteers every day for the next 6-8 weeks, so having the house ready soon is fairly important.
Just spent the past 4-5 days celebrating Mardi Gras! It was CRAZY but I loved it!
