Goodbye Memphis, Hello Mississippi y'all

I am back in Mississippi y'all.  But before I explain transition aka hell week, there still is lingering information about Memphis.

Our last two days of work were Tuesday and Wednesday.  On Tuesday we worked in a community garden.  We were elbow deep in poison ivy, weeds, and trash.  We worked with people who live in this particular part of the community that are trying to be rehabilitated back into the community.  Fun conversation.  I was in charge of weed whacking, or weed eating as the south says, for the day.  I did that until I almost threw the weed whacker across the garden because the string kept falling out of the bottom.  I don't have a temper at all.  But then I did some nice vine removing and enjoyed the day.  We ended our community garden clean up with PT at the local college.  Wednesday was a big day for us.  We did our last day of window installing.  We all know how much I love this project.  Our last day with Marky Mark, sad story.  He loved working with us, so we were sad too.  We successfully installed our 14th window putting the final count of window blocks installed up to 800.  Yes we installed 800 glass blocks using 1,800 pounds of mortar.  I couldn't be more proud of our team for these numbers.  It was a fun project and a new skill that I learned and am really proud of.  Maybe 10 Thomas will get new windows, who knows. 

Thursday was our very last day in Memphis.  We got up early and did some PT.  I decided to have the team run the greenline which we helped clean and make beautiful for the last 6 weeks.  I used this run as a time to look at our hard work and reflect on the last 6 quick weeks in Memphis.  I couldn't believe the work we had done on this site and all of the work sites for that matter.  The run really helped me take in the hard work I have put in with my teammates and all we have gone through to get to the last day in Memphis.  All from having awesome days as a team, losing two teammates, and now adding a new teammate Isiah, having horrible days, laughing together, working as a team, and really enjoying the city of Memphis in general.  After the run we had a lunch with our site supervisors.  This was a great way to recap what we have done with all of the sponsors.  They told us the impact we have made on the community and their lives.  We felt like we really were loved in the city.  Kirbster, that saint, said a nice thank you to us and a goodbye.  He is the cutest older man and I will miss him a lot on our next project.  The rest of Thursday was used to pack, clean the entire hostel, and the van.  We also decided that we were going to start a tradition on the team to have some sort of cooking contest.  This round was a bake off.  I was on a team with Beste, so naturally our team name was the Dream Team of Christine (that is both of our names).  We made unreal almond croissants, and these amazing cookies.  She bakes on a regular basis and I don't so I learned.  I will be baking from now on.  We did not win due to Sam making the all time classic, apple pie.  It was the best pie I've ever had so she deserved it.  The best part was we got the hostel staff involved and they were judges.  They took it so seriously, so serious that they made ballots and used calculators to really keep score.  It was a fun night for our last night in Memphis.  I am going to miss Memphis a lot.  I fell in love with the city and the people in it.  Who knows, maybe life will take me back to Memphis someday, it is that awesome.

Friday we departed at 7am and drove back for 5 hours.  We got back to Mississippi y'all around 1:30 and honestly, we all were so excited.  Everyone was screaming all day seeing their friends, lots of hugs and stories.  Saturday we were grocery shopping and we had a ton of money left over from spike.  Since the budget closed Sunday, we got to each get 25$ to ourselves to buy whatever we wanted.  You would have thought we were told we could buy out Walmart.  Sam and I combined our 25 to make 50 and went to town.  Since our budget is usually $4.75 a day each to eat, we bought BRAND food instead of off brand.  The Americheck we receive goes fast and so does our food money.  We make do, but I'll tell you, Sabra hummus, real bacon, and yogurt has never tasted so good.  Everyone was finally back on Saturday and it is so nice to see the friends I missed for the last 6 weeks.  Saturday was also Rachel's birthday which made the day even more exciting for her to get back so we could celebrate being back and her birthday with Kathy the bartender.  We all did just that, for sure.

This week is pretty much hell for us all.  Constant classes, refreshers, paperwork, clearance, briefing, and debriefing meetings all day, all while trying to catch up with our friends we missed.  However, we got to see pictures of both of our housings for next spike in Lorton Virginia and Hattiesburg Mississippi y'all and they are AMAZING.  In Lorton the pictures I share someday won't do it justice, I know.  The back porch has like 10 rocking chairs with a view of a bay, 2 grills, 4 and 1/2 baths, 7 bedrooms, 2 floors (something different for the Conceison clan so I am excited), it is on the bay, and 10 minutes from work in the state park.  In Hattiesburg, our housing is great, too.  Its a big blue house so it's name is Big Blue.  We stay on the bottom floor and saw pictures of the construction we will be doing on floor 2.  It needs work, but River 10 is ready.  We are very excited to be leaving and blazing a trail in Virginia and doing hard construction on Hattiesburg.  It is going to be hot, sweaty, and tiring.  I. CAN'T. WAIT.

I am really enjoying my time in AmeriCorps and I can say I am genuinely happy.  I have met some of the goals I set for myself in February and I can feel a change in me already.  Some days this program brings you down and you don't want to do a thing, but I can say there are more days where I enjoy the people, activities, and spikes and that makes me happy.  I know now that it was worth the year and a half wait to finally be accepted to serve.  I hope home is good, I miss it sometimes and obviously my Thomas street peeps a lot.  I will post pictures when we get to Lorton next week.  We depart Monday at about 7am for our 17 hour drive to VA.  Should be the definition of F-U-N in a 15p for 17 hours.  We stop in Knoxville, TN for a night in a hotel then continue on.  We should get there Tuesday to start our work week then I GET VISITORS that weekend!! Can't wait! 

That's all I have from Mississippi y'all. 

Just a refresher...my address is:
Christine Conceison Class 18B
AmeriCorps NCCC
2715 Confederate Ave.
Vicksburg, MS 39180

We get letters and cards forwarded to us on spikes and if our housing allows deliveries, packages.  In case anyone has any looming mail they want to send me.