Sweet Home Alabama

Ahhhh, the South. Front porches, superfluous syllables in every other word, and the sun. Mostly importantly sun--wondrous, glorious sun. I thought i was acclimating to Iowa, but I can relax here. I can take deep breaths without apologizing to my lungs for the icy prickles. My toes can go free instead of being bundled up in socks for survival. I can stretch out my arms without trying to calculate how much heat is being lost by uncrossing them. Northern states have many merits of their own, but I was undeniably made for sunshine.
Houses with 22 people on the other hand, not so much. The ride here really wasn't quite as bad as I thought. AmeriCorps policy requires us to stop and change drivers every two hours, so we'd all pile out, rearrange, and head out again. We had to take out the back seat to accomodate our supplies and luggage for the month, so that meant every single seat was occupied and any backpack, pillow, purse, etc. had to be at your feet or in your lap. It was....cozy, but we made it. I almost panicked at the beginning when I just wanted to sleep but couldn't get my Beethoven to play loud enough to drown out the vapid music blaring on the radio and realized that I had 17 hours left to endure it. Turns out our species has any incredible knack for adaptation and as long as you are able to block out the self-loathing for lowering your music standards, you may even eventually find yourself singing along with Miley Cyrus, Iyaz or possibly even Lady GaGa. Never thought I'd see the day, but don't worry, I haven't fallen off the musical deep end, just trying to make the most of the situation. And yes, Alabama does have NPR and fortunately my nonPod has an FM radio player so I've been using our 45 minute commute to the work site for my daily news fix.
Ok, so let me introduce you to the double-wide.

For the most part, its not too bad. Well, perhaps its easier to wrap your mind around the phrase "it could be a lot worse." There are four rooms (the 2 team leaders in one room, 4 of the louder guys in another, 8 girls in the third, the other 4 (myself included) in the one attached to the laundry room, and then the additional 4 guys in the living area. Yeah, that last part is a bit interesting. We do have a couch so that's nice- for four people at a time.

(the living area)
Most nights at least half the people end up going out, so those that stay get a little peace and some room to breathe. The worst part by far has been the cleanliness factor. We really are thankful because it could be so much worse, but, well, the place is filthy. Most people don't seem to mind too much, but considering the whole environmental allergies thing, the thick layer of dust everywhere is actually a bit of a health concern for me. I spent the first evening with a bandana over my face peeling the felt-like layer of dust off the fan blades and trying to get the cobwebs and dead bugs out of my bedroom. The next day I tackled the kitchen fans and cabinets, the next day it was the laundry room, and this morning I helped with the long overdue mopping of the kitchen. Lets just say the water didn't stay clean for long. We are supposed to be getting a vacuum Monday, so maybe then I can start walking around the house barefoot. Other than that, it really is nice. There are a lot of projects that need to be finished, especially in the bathrooms. There are only a few of us staying here over Thanksgiving, and we're really hoping to get a lot done while everyone is gone.
Now for the great part- work. Yesterday was our fourth day with Habitat for Humanity and so far i am loving it. My wrists were a bit achy after the first day of constant hammering, but the last two days I've been running the saw and it's been great. The walls were up when we got there, and so far we have finished nailing on the OSB, set all the trusses, and decked the roof. It's so fun to be able to see the progress as you go. The weather has been fantastic- slightly chilly in the mornings, but comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt in the afternoons. We are all already developing some pretty impressive farmer tans and I'm particularly excited about the 10 inches of leg that shows between the steeltoe boots and the man shorts. Lovely.
We're sitting at a coffee shop right now, but its about time for us to head out. If i sit in the back corner of the hallway at the house and wait patiently, I can pick up a bit of the neighbors internet so technically i could blog from home, but between the long days, spotty internet, and constant ruckus, it's not likely to happen often. Oops, my ride is leaving. See ya.