okay so p.s. I had SO many more pictures and plans for this blog but there's been a lot of issues so they are a no go...so I apologize for the lack of interesting material for this post! Pray that my camera and memory stick are alright because they are freaking out and misbehaving....
The Team, first meal together!!
The bedding Michelle and I got in our 1-star hotel (like a 5-star compared to some of the places I've been at)...the rest of the team was jealous
So here we are, now on the home stretch...7 days and counting till I trek it back to the b-dot and then the finally the k-dub. After Thessoloniki I eagerly arrived at what turned out to be the sketchiest train station to date to meet up with my first Habitat for Humanity team member. After learning that both he and the leader that met us upon arrival in Skopje hailed from Waterloo, the homesickness that I’ve been mostly able to avoid began to set in hardcore as the prospect of returning has become more and more real to me. This dream of a trip is ending, and absolutely incredible as it has been…I’m getting super pumped about what’s in the works for the remains of the summer, and the year to come. Something tells me this trip isn’t going to be the end of what’s in store for my life…and it’s pretty wicked to see it all unfolding. Home is not a sad end to this crazy venture, but a continuation of what has been produced as a result of it all.
That said….things are not yet finished here overseas. My present location is with my team on a bus to Ohrid city for the weekend after 5 days of digging and plastering and digging (details here: [LINK] they asked me to do a blog for the team!!). It’s been wicked learning from such a diverse team; everyone so different from the others, but connecting in so many ways. I’m learning from these guys in areas I hadn’t even thought about before, and at the same time beginning to grasp how I am able to contribute to them also while we share stories and dreams. It's really neat to see how a group of people who arrive from all different walks of life can learn to connect and share and grow with one another.
We’ve also learned a pretty sweet story from our leader about how each member was added at just the right time and in the right way, just when things were looking hopeless back in the planning stages. It was pretty sweet as apparently nearing the end of the process, right when things needed to be finalized, two members dropped out and one guy and one girl spot needed to be filled, and a guy Mike and I both applied fully (me with my paperwork already complete from Thailand and Mike with his stuff all sorted out in record time) the day before the two backed out – filling in the spots that would have caused the trip to be cancelled….so that’s pretty encouraging to know how things are still being pieced together. There's also some talk of me leading a team or two in the future for Hfh which is pretty sweet - nothing permenant, no worries..but for more temporary ventures (hopefully every vacation I take won't result in quitting jobs and leaving everyone behind! ...or maybe that'd be fun...?)...so I'm pretty excited about that..
Essentially the build is going great, as much as the homesickness has not seemed to let me go for long periods of time since setting in early Sunday morning….but I’m not letting it ruin the sweet stuff that’s going on within the team and the build site, but trying to allow it to spur on a deeper desire to maximize this time before I trek it home and leave my mark behind….Please keep me in mind as I wrestle with taking these amazing opportunities in, and anticipate seeing all of your faces once again… you guys have been so incredibly supportive and I MISS you, and can’t wait until we’re no longer typing words to one another but actually hanging out face to face. Although apparently I’ve got a lot of t.v. and movie watching to catch up on….so perhaps I won’t see any of you for another month while I sort that priority out… we’ll see if I have time ;).
Check out the HfH blog, if you’re interested…we’re having a good time, and the amount of laughter going on is definitely helping the yearnings I have for all your faces…
I’ll message and do a final (or second last) blog before embarking on my massive journey home as I have 7 hours at the train/bus station before bussing it back to Athens and there's a great internet cafe there…so feel free to email still, and thanks for those of you that still haven’t forgotten me after all these weeks!! You've been more amazing than you realize.
lovelovelove,
c
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