Kari Goes To Mississippi

ISP at the animal shelter What can I say? Are there even sufficient words in the English language to express how I feel at this, the end of my 10-month AmeriCorps journey? When I set out for Mississippi last August, I had no idea what the year ahead would hold. What I found were amazing friends, a new view point of our country, and a realization of who I really am and what I want out of life. How can I put those things into words? I suppose I can do naught but try. As for the friends I’ve made, I speak mainly of my teammates, who have seen me at my best and my most ornery, and who never failed to encourage and love me during our time together. Never before have I felt so much a part of a group--accepted as myself--than I did with these wonderful folks, who I now call family. Is it possible that this time last year I hadn’t met any of them? They feel like my oldest friends in the world, and I’m devastated by the idea that after this week, I’ll never live near them ever again. I’ll...

As of today, all casework for this assignment has been officially completed! That means we visited all destroyed and majorly damaged houses over 10 counties. Hurray! My whole team has the day off tomorrow, and then we'll be working in the Chattanooga Red Cross chapter warehouse on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we head back to campus for 1 week, and then home! I was teamed up with Jacquie today out in the field, so that was a great way to end this disaster project. We visited over 30 houses and some sites that no longer held anything other than former house debris. Part of the area we covered was out in the country, and let me tell you, this area of TN is absolutely beautiful. At one point, we drove past a vineyard, and we decided to stop for a few minutes, because it was too beautiful to just speed by and not properly observe and soak it up. Isn't it funny how those odd moments of beauty can undo all your previous stress and worry? I didn't realize how much I needed to le...

Yesterday blogger was down, and today I got home too late to spend much time on an update. I'm still doing great, and yesterday I got lot of work  accomplished. Today was my first day off since leaving Memphis, and I pretty much just lazed around the hotel room with Ashlyn all day. Then our whole team went over to Shelly's house for dinner (she's the homeschool mom who's volunteering with the Red Cross that I mentioned in a previous post), and we had a grand time of eating home cooked food and enjoying an evening with a really nice family at their really nice farm. Shelly and her husband have 4 kids and they homeschool them all. It was really neat, because I found out that they use Sonlight Curriculum, which is what Scotty and I used, and what Mom still represents and is a consultant for. Mom: I asked one of the girls if she'd read 'Mara, Daughter of the Nile' and 'The Great and Terrible Quest.' She said they had and that she loves them both. '...

Can it be day 9 already?? These packed days are flying by, and though my mind has trouble believing I've been working 10 -12 hour stressful days for over a week, my body refuses to let me forget it. I'm sore and sleepy this evening, but it's all for a good cause, and also a means to an end. I'm sure I'll miss it when it's over. I did a lot of driving today, because my team was assigned to finish the last few houses that hadn't been visited in 2 adjacent counties. We drove back and forth over a mountain several times, and let me tell you, I have seen enough beauty here in TN to last me for a while: so picturesque. I went out with Ashlyn, and an 84-year-old lady named Pauline, who is spunky and hilarious. She volunteers as a mental health worker for the Red Cross, and she is sweet, sassy, and quite a flirt with all the old fellows we ran into. We went to a Baptist church on the mountain for lunch, and we got to see a lot of neat things that are being done ...

Today was great! Sarah and I visited a lot of houses (and a lot of places where houses used to be) and talked to a lot people, asking them how we could help and listening to their stories. We even got to see some of our AmeriCorps friends who are also working in the area, so that was awesome. At lunch, a guy walked up to our table when were finished eating and took our bill, saying he wanted to buy our lunch. He said the Red Cross has done a lot for him and for his community, and he insisted on buying our meal. I am constantly overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness I have seen daily while working in these disaster torn communities: neighbors helping neighbors in any way they can. One guy we talked to was using his farm equipment (bulldozer, tractor, etc.) to help clear away debris at his friend's house, and when he finished on that lot, he continued on to the houses next door, clearing up their debris for free. It got up over 90 degrees today, and I can't tell you...

Today, I became a National Red Cross Client Services Supervisor. What did you do? Okay, so maybe it's not as impressive as it sounds since everyone on my team was promoted so that we can be in charge of volunteers, but still, it's quite a title, don't you think? Jacquie and I went out together to do casework today in Bradley County, which was hit pretty hard in many places. Our job is to go to houses that are destroyed or have major damage (as assessed by the Red Cross) and see if there is anything we can do to help the residents. If the people aren't there, we're supposed to leave a note with Red Cross information, saying that they can call us if they need help with anything. We try to leave this note in a place where they'll see it if they come by, so we tape it to the door if we can, or to a mail box if the house is too dangerous looking to approach. I can't tell you how many lots we bypassed completely because there wasn't enough of a house left to...

Operation bath tub laundry. I had such an enjoyable day. Ashlyn and I did our 9 1/2 hour ISP at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, and it was stress free. Except for being tired, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to start the new week tomorrow. I'm planning on turning in early tonight ie within the next 20 minutes, so that should solve the tired problem. Ashlyn performing one of three soapy agitation cycles. Also, I now have clean laundry, though it's still pretty wet...and did I mention it's hanging on a makeshift clothesline all over the hotel room? Ashlyn and I decided to wash our laundry in our bathtub, using powdered detergent. We filled the tub with hot water and the detergent, then threw our clothes in and agitated it thoroughly using an ordinary windshield scraper we found in our cargo truck. We repeated this process 3 times, then rinsed it twice in bulk, then one article at a time, after which we rung each piece out and hung it up on the clothes line with...

Superfluous training, paper shuffling, and talking in circles was this morning's theme, but I actually got to go out and do something real this afternoon. Sarah, Ashlyn, and I drove out to a distant case (I got to drive a sweet Ford Escape, because I'm the only one who is 25 and allowed to drive a rental) about an hour and half away from our office. There is a family of six (including an infant) living in a rat infested tool shed beside their trailer, which was destroyed by one of the tornadoes. They don't want to leave, because they are afraid someone will loot their valuable tools, and they were running out of food and water. We took them all kinds of things they might need, including bottled water, MRE's, canned goods, snacks, baby food, diapers, wipes, toiletries, etc. We also opened a Red Cross case on them so that we can refer them to FEMA and set them up with other organizations to get them clothing, food vouchers, and temporary housing assistance. Even though no...

Another long day, but I did get to go out in the field for the first time, so that was neat. I worked on a damage assessment team with two other women for most of the day, so we drove to specific roads in a distant county where there was known damage to assess how bad things looked and to see what sort of help the families might need. Our assigned area was very rural and backwoodsy, so we spent a good portion of the day looking for non existent street signs and making wrong turns. Back at the office, things are really chaotic as relief management is taking over for the managers who have been working without breaks since the disaster occurred, and the result is that our systems and trainings for things are being turned upside down. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow as the workers and managers begin to understand one another... I'd like to give a big shout out to Ruth and Cain, who spent their day off helping out at the office and shelter. You guys rock. I'd also like ...

Oh real food, how I've missed you! We got our Red Cross debit cards today to buy food and things we might need while we're here. Being a vegetarian has been a bit of a struggle in that everything available at the disaster office is either meat or snacks. I've been living off of potato chips and cookies for the last couple of days, but now I'm set. Ashlyn, Ruth, and I just walked to Walmart after our 12 hour shift and I bought some real food! My day consisted mostly of paperwork and answering phones in the office, so not much to tell. Also, I'm pooped and I still need to take a shower and eat dinner, so I'll bid you hello and goodbye all in one breathe, if you don't mind. Good night,  k

What a day! We got off a little early again, meaning we worked an 11 hour day, but it went by quickly. I was assigned to the office today and tomorrow, but I got to go out in an ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) over lunch today to help serve 100 sack lunches to people without power. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life. Larry and I (Larry is an 80 year old volunteer who is hilarious, generous, and now my buddy) drove the lunches to a parking lot in the middle of a long street of houses that still don't have their power back. People came over and we chatted with them and handed out the bags, along with water, to ANY person who needed it, in an ANY quantity they requested. Red Cross does not discriminate in any way shape or form, and the immensity of what this meant really hit me today. This organization's mindset is to take people at their word and help them in any way they can. One lady told us that there are about 7 churches within walking distance ...

Up at 6:30am. Hotel breakfast from 7 - 7:15, then into the van and off to the makeshift emergency Red Cross headquarters in a church about 20 minutes away. Meeting from 8 - 8:30 on where we are in terms of handling the "clients" in the surrounding devastated counties (our base is responsible for 10 counties). Brief intro training before jumping into answering incoming calls on 3 designated cell phones. Helped out in the office until 2pm when we began a 3 hour training for the work we'll be doing these next weeks. More volunteers than were anticipated showed up for the training, so that was encouraging. We were able to leave early, though it was still a 10 1/2 hr work day, and we're all pretty pooped. What we'll be doing is pairing off and going door to door in devastated neighborhoods, asking people if they need assistance. If so, we'll interview them and fill out an information sheet for their household, and then in due time (possibly a couple days, though ...

This evening I find myself in a Best Western room in Chattanooga with only one roommate and WiFi. We got called off our project in Memphis yesterday to come work with the Red Cross in this devastated section of TN. We'll be working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week until May 15th. Our briefing is tomorrow morning, but it sounds like half of my team will be working out of the Red Cross staging area where ERV's (Emergency Response Vehicles) are being sent from while the other half does case work "in the field", which means going door to door (if that much of the house is still standing) and helping people get signed up for Red Cross benefits ie meals, shelter, etc. The death toll is pretty high here, and we've been told to prepare ourselves to speak with families who may have lost loved ones in the tornadoes, not to mention their homes and possessions. I'm really glad we're here and that I'll get the opportunity to really help people who need it, but I...

Fun at the "Down to Earth" festival. To which should we yield: tornadoes or floods? When the siren goes off (which has become routine) we flee to the basement, but with all this water, I wonder if drowning shouldn’t be our bigger worry. Having power is now a luxury here in Memphis, and I’m learning to live every moment as if the next will find me cold and in the dark, eating pretzels for dinner. We were informed earlier this week that we’re on alert for going on a disaster project somewhere in Mississippi, and we should be ready to leave on a moment’s notice. As of this afternoon, they told us there’s a pretty good chance we’ll be leaving tomorrow. I’m kind of nervous about the work we’ll be doing, but I’m also excited for the opportunity to help fulfill people’s immediate needs in such a chaotic situation. Please pray for my team and for the people we’ll be trying to help. So many have lost so much these past few weeks. I'll forgo the usual work and life updates a...

Lotsa matza What day is it? For that matter, what month is it? Our schedule for this new project is all over the place, and it’s really starting to throw off my internal clock. I honestly had to check my watch twice the other day to find out if it was April or May. I found myself back in my old life one day this week in that I was working in an office. Jacquie and I designed an information brochure for Wolf River Conservancy as well as a newsletter for a fundraising event that we’ll be helping prepare for, and carry out on April 30 th . We spent a good portion of one of our days off working on this too, but we figured it was for a good cause, and we don’t have much to do on days off anyhow. Both the brochure and the newsletter came out fantastically, and the ladies we’re working for were very pleased, so that was rewarding. Working out in Lovett Woods. A couple of days ago I worked with a few of my team members to clear a new trail through the woods, and I now have a much high...

Drip, drip, drip. A trail of sweat makes its way down my nose and falls onto my ankle as if guided by the beat of the drum being thumped beside me. The heat encompassing my body becomes almost too much to endure, but the sweat seeping steadily from my every orifice is the offering I make for my prayers, and I slowly begin to feel a connection with everyone in the lodge with me, and with God himself. On Friday night, some of my teammates and I attended a traditional Lakota ceremony (with some traditions from other tribes incorporated as well, Nakota being a strong influence) to pray for healing for another teammate’s step-sister, who is in a coma and not expected to recover. The ceremony takes place in a sweat lodge and there are four main sessions. Each session gets progressively more intense, and most of us newcomers had to leave at one point or another. It was one of the neatest worship services I’ve ever been to, and the leader was really amazing and explained all of the traditions...

Ashlyn & I both fear birds, so we're getting our revenge. Well, the ISP at the women’s shelter went really well and ended up being a lot more than just building a wheelchair ramp, although that was one of the things we did. We also cleaned out an old shed that had a bunch of stored items that had been in there for far too long. Three rat bodies were identified amid the piles of turds, urinated on furniture and boxes, and gnawed through clothing and sheets. It was quite disgusting, which means, it was a job that really needed to be done, so despite the ick factor, it really was a productive and rewarding ISP. Oddly, I found an almost dead mouse on our kitchen floor when I went to make breakfast before leaving for the project, which I had to take outside and release to its fate. We knew there were rats and things living in our walls, but hadn’t seen one yet. As in literature, sometimes in life we receive foreshadowings, and that mouse was the beginning of a day filled with ca...

Putting up some sheetrock. Not much to report. I did a great deal of sheetrocking and mudding this week, which was fun and also good experience. Ask anyone in the business and they’ll tell you that mudding is an art form that takes lots of practice to do correctly, so I’m anxious to get as much experience as I can in this program. So far, so good. Yesterday we left work early to go to a house dedication on one of the places that our sponsor organization built for a family of 3. It was the first time I’d seen what kind of houses R3SM builds, because thus far, our work hasn’t strayed from the big volunteer house. It was a very nice little house, and the family was really excited to move in. The family, a mother with 15-year-old twins, has been living in a broken down place for some time, and I’m not sure it wasn’t meant as a garage rather than a dwelling. The new house was built right next door, so they don’t even have to move their garden growing out back. Earlier in the week I se...

Berger Cookies Makes 16 to 24 large cookies For the cookies 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 large eggs 4 1/2 cups flour 1 cup whole or 2-percent milk For the frosting 3 1/2 cups (21 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups heavy cream For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Stop and scrape the bowl down once, or as needed. Add the salt, vanilla extract and baking powder; beat on medium speed to incorporate, then add the sugar and beat to incorporate. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low ...

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers (4 Servings) These are incredibly delicious! Burgers : 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained 2 T Light Mayonnaise ¼ C packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped ½ C bread crumbs, plain & dried ½ t ground cumin ½ t hot pepper sauce Fixin’s : Whole wheat pitas Lettuce Salsa Anything else you might enjoy Mash black beans with mayo until almost smooth with some lumps. Stir in cilantro, bread crumbs, cumin, and pepper sauce until combined. With lightly floured hands, shape bean mixture into 3” patties. Spray both sides of patty with non-stick cooking spray and fry in a hot skillet for about 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Place on pita and top with your favorite fixin’s for a delicious meal. You can make more than you can eat and then freeze the leftover bean mixture to cook at a later date. Just form the patties, and when you’re ready to eat, defrost for 10 minutes and cook through for about 12 minutes, turning once. Jacquie with ou...

Jacquie & I cracking up over the Bean Burger process. Sometimes, I think I can almost hear my biceps growing. Drywall is HEAVY, and I spent a lot of time this past week carrying 4 ½’ x 12’ sheets (2 together) from one location to another. The weight of dual drywall sheets at these measurements is somewhere in the neighborhood of 175 lbs, not to mention the awkwardness of carrying floppy cement that is easily damageable. As a rule, the “big strong men” carry these boards in pairs, struggling every step of the way, and taking a plethora of breathers and breaks. We girls on the other hand have a system. We work steadily with 3 of us carrying the same load, and though heavy, it’s not TOO heavy, and we end up carrying more than the macho guys this way. Our supervisor was quite impressed. Besides carrying drywall from the front yard into various rooms throughout the house (all first floor, thankfully!), we started the process of putting it up, which isn’t easy in a place with so man...

I made a triple batch of this meat free recipe for dinner this week, and it was absolutely amazing! Good as leftovers too. For 4 servings: 3T peanut oil 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 red pepper, chopped 2 bay leaves 1T paprika 3T tomato paste 14 oz canned coconut milk 7 oz canned chopped tomatoes 1/2C vegetable stock 13 oz canned red kidney beans, rinsed & drained 1/2C unsalted cashews (optional) Small handful of cilantro, roughly chopped Salt & pepper Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions and carrots for 3 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper, and bay leaves and fry until vegetables are soft and brown. Stir in paprika, tomato paste, coconut milk, tomatoes, stock, and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes, or until everything is tender. Stir in cashews, cilantro, and salt & pepper and heat through for 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

Looking out the side door on a beautiful morning with fog over the water. Insulation blues Itchiness reigns all over Even under skin Sometimes a haiku can say it all, but this one does not even begin to describe how hellishly itchy and generally miserable it is to install hundreds of feet of insulation over the course of a couple days. And it’s not just walls either, it’s the ceilings as well; tall, frustrating ceilings. Someone’s got to do it though, and hopefully we can finish it up this coming week and then forget how awful it was. Before beginning insulation, I spent three days de-nailing studs, putting up new siding, pulling out old windows, reframing said windows, and installing brand new ones. The house we’re working on is apparently an old whorehouse, situated directly across from the still functioning train station. It’s a gigantic two story house that everyone in town simply refers to as “the big blue house.” Anytime we’re out and about in uniform, people constantly co...