mikainthemiss-blog

[mikainthemiss-blog]

1 year ago today my flight was cancelled and it took me 20 hours to get to Vicksburg. Thankfully all these people made it worth it. Can't wait for #Vegas2018!!!

[mikainthemiss-blog]

what a crazy 10 months. even though we didn't win attached at the hip, I'm still glad you were by my side! thank you class 23 🎓 (at AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region (Official))

[mikainthemiss-blog]

8 DAYS LEFT and I’m so excited

We had our last day of actual work yesterday. We laid down some more tile in the kitchen and worked a couple hours overtime to finish it all up, but it was worth it because it was our LAST DAY EVER. I can't believe it’s coming to a close. I’ll be home soon, wondering when I have to go back, but knowing that my journey is coming to an end.

We’re about to leave Monroe and head back to campus for closeout. Graduation is on the 27th, and it’s crazy to think it’s been 10 months.

For some things that have happened- my teammate, Cris, left the program. It was a whole thing. I was also sick last week with a fever and many, MANY other symptoms, but I’m feeling much better now. There was a puppy that wasn’t doing too well next door to one of our worksites and we called Animal Control to come get her to make her better. I hope Baby Stacey is doing ok.

Other than that, I’ll do a final post next week. Or maybe two. There are too many feelings for one.

Thanks.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

We got back from New Orleans two days ago and it was a great time and now we’re back at our trap house with a barely functional shower and only one toilet that works, so let’s just reminisce.

New Orleans was so fun. I went to Bourbon St twice (not my fave, but I loved how nice most people were), and then Frenchmen St once (I liked this one better). We went to Cafe Du Monde and got some beignets and coffee- it was a long wait but definitely an experience. Overall I’m very happy that I got this opportunity considering not every team got to go to this 4 day spike. As for the actual volunteer work I did, I worked with PlayBuild NOLA, which is a nonprofit that strives toward teaching children about architecture and design. I ended up helping build a post for the mailbox and Free Little Library. Other volunteers planted flowers, cleaned out storage or organized the office. I really liked working with these sponsors because they were so determined and passionate about their work.

Now we’re back in Monroe, still working on the same houses. I have only 15 days until I’m back in Vicksburg and only 23 DAYS until I’m home. It’s almost surreal.

It’s felt like 5 days since my first post, but also 5 years. Time is weird.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is haleigh wilson. she is 24 and from winston-salem, north carolina. she worships the ground beyonce walks on, makes weird sounds when hyper, and has an overwhelming love for mac and cheese. will make a CM wait to pee if it means going to a starbucks 15 minutes away.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

Forgot to mention- tomorrow (aka today...its 12:02AM) I will be heading to New Orleans for 5 days! Not quite sure what we're doing, but we'll be with River 5 and Delta 3, so hopefully it'll be fun!

[mikainthemiss-blog]

What an absolute whirlwind it has been living here in Monroe. Let’s start off with the fact that one of our bathrooms doesn’t function properly (we have one full bath and one half bath) and when you try to flush the toilet it usually backs up into the shower...but that’s only the beginning. Needless to say, the shower has also been a problem. Also it doesn’t have a shower curtain.

About a week and a half ago, my roommates and I discovered that there were bees in our room. Look, I know bees are endangered and I am all for saving the bees, but when you find 32 in your bedroom, the sacrifice needs to be made. I killed 32 bees that day. I’m not proud. I’ll keep bees in the future to make up for it, ok.

Next, we got locked out of our room. Haleigh inadvertently locked the door on the way out that morning and after a few minutes of trying to kick the door down, Rumain ended up climbing through the ceiling and dropping down into our room to unlock the door. I love this place.

And just today the front door broke. It’s one of those ones that closes really slow but now that the slow-close-thing broke, the door will stay open if you don’t close it. Listen, I love this place. It is NOT a trap house no matter how much I call it that. This is sarcasm.

As for the actual work, it’s been pretty much the same except now I have paint in my hair probably forever and I found out the dogs we work next to have a tiny baby. Other than that nothing is different! I went to another ISP this weekend. I also slept for a full 12 hours on Sunday. It’s been good. 

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is walter adams. he is 21 and from wilson, north carolina. he believes in the mantra 'ball is life', has an obsessive love for orange juice and somehow thinks the panthers are better than the steelers. will not go one day without telling you that the boys room smells like 'butt juice'.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is amanda timek. she is 22 and from minneapolis, minnesota. she will not watch a movie if it's after 9:30pm or if it has less than a 90% rating on rotten tomatoes, thinks she's addicted to coca cola but drinks less than ben does and has played broken arrows by avicii approximately 3,248 times. once introduced a bartender in meridian to a schnorkel.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is cris mckenzie. he is 21 and from suffolk, virginia. he has an arsenal of anime, regularly uses the phrase "well dang" and 50/50 chance he's gonna summon a wiccan diety. will let you know what's happening in the group chat even though you've already read it.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is joe tate. he is 21 and from woodbridge, virginia. he thinks metal music is cool, can exclusively cook tacos and has not only dropped a fridge on a car, but also hit a sponsor with a sledgehammer. will forget to hit the brake when the car in front of you is stopping.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is adrianna "adi" hicks. she is 22 and from woodstock (chicagoland), illinois. she has a fascination with 'booping the snoot' as she calls it, has only taken one sick day and she says 'salud' when you sneeze. has put many people in their place after hearing a sexist comment.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is tai'meer hunt. she is 19 and from cleveland, ohio. she has a love for chicken, posts more facebook statuses than your mom and is on day 95 of no sexual contact. flatulence has never been so graceful.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is ben hoyt. he is 23 and from haverhill, massachusetts. he is the best dressed on the team, his blood is 95% coca cola and lactose is his mortal enemy. will run across a busy highway for fresh donuts.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is rumain samuels. he's 25 and from ft. lauderdale, florida but is originally from jamaica. he enjoys FIFA, jamaican beef patties and winning any/all competitions. he is a drama queen but won't admit it.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

Posting AGAIN in less than a week. I’m impressive.

I’m currently at a library in Monroe, which is in walking distance from our housing location, and decided to post!

So far this project has been great. We’ve gotten to know our sponsor, been interviewed by two news stations and haven’t had grueling work yet. We live in the parking lot of a KFC and have every fast food place known to man around us. We also live right next to the high school, so we have an open track to workout on. So far I have taken advantage of both the fast food and the track. We also live next to a donut shop that is open from 10pm to 11am. They make really good donuts. 

As for the actual work, we are rebuilding and restoring homes affected by the flooding that happened in March of last year. So far I’ve worked on two homes and learned how to caulk, mud, sand and paint. I really like learning these new skills and keep thinking about how fun/tiring it would be to flip a home. To take a building in disrepair and make it new again would definitely be an adventure, as I am finding out.

I went to see Get Out again with my teammates and I have to say it’s probably my favorite film I’ve seen all year. Go see it! The first time I watched it, I was in a primarily white town (Crossville, TN) and the second time I watched it I was here in Monroe, LA- a primarily black town. It was interesting the differences in reaction.

Other than that I really only have to say that we found a live crawfish in our bathroom once and I’m making dinner tonight- butternut squash soup.

[mikainthemiss-blog]

this is melanie jones-mcmillan. she's 23 and from winona, minnesota. she enjoys a nice morning pcp, cheese in any form and blue moon is her favorite fermented beverage. will cry if you give her a pupper.