It is clear by
now that blogging is not for me, considering how I can never keep up with it.
Heck, I couldn't even handle my Facebook so I deleted that. I am still going to
try my best to continue this blog though!
I have been in
Julian, CA which is about one hour east of San Diego. My team and I have been
here for four weeks now. The time is going so fast, it is crazy! My team is
working at YMCA Camp Marston located about ten miles outside of Julian. Julian
is a small town of roughly 1,000 people, and the town is well known for their
pie (the pie we have had so far has been amazing).
Our work here
so far has been doing different construction projects. When we first arrived,
we started making signs to identify the hiking trails throughout the camp. We
have made 60 signs which included a lot of cutting, measuring, routering,
painting, and sanding. After making the signs, it was time to hit the trails
and post them. It is tiring caring all the equipment we needed to post the
signs up the trails, but I enjoyed this task a lot. Being out on hiking trails
has been one of my favorite things about AmeriCorps.
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| Lauren and Ryan diggin' up them holes! |
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| We had to heat treat our cabin for bed bugs... |
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| Building the fence |
Our other big
project has been making a stone wall and wooden fence around the new sports
court that was recently put in the camp. It is a really nice court compared to
their old one. It makes me happy that I could help finish this sports court
that campers will use for many years to come.
Jessi and Sarah
have been doing a side project building a new tree house. They started from the
base and already have so much of it completed! It should be done before we
leave in a few weeks. I am excited to see how it turns out.
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| Jessi and Sarah's masterpiece so far! |
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| Elena and Ryan about to climb the rock wall |
On Wednesday we
were given the opportunity to participate in camp activities and classes. It
was nice to get a break from our typical manual labor work and to see how the
school year program operates. Apparently in California, schools will fund sixth
grade classes to go to an Outdoor Education Camp for a week. I had a hard time
believing this at first because there is nothing like this back in Illinois. It
is a great way to connect and educate kids about nature, the environment, and
camping skills. Ryan and I attended the survival skills class and got to build
a shelter out of branches. Pretty cool!
Not only has
our project been incredible, but so have the people! The camp counselors who
work here also live here. It is nice to have other people to hang out with
other than my team (not saying I don't love them!). They are all so fun to hang
out with and hilarious. A few of us have gone out with them to the local
brewery and a couple different bars. It has been fun going out, but I have
enjoyed the nature even more. Our first week here most of us went to the
Anza-Borrego Desert. I had no idea that we were going to see such amazing views
that day. Such big mountains, so many big rocks and plants, and a whole lotta
desert. Last weekend I went hiking with Cactus, Omaha, and Yeti to Cuyamaca
Peak which is about 15 miles from camp. It took us five hours total to hike to
the top and back. I was pretty exhausted after that, but the view was worth it.
So beautiful! I had no idea Southern California was so breath taking. We live
in the mountains at camp, and are only a hour drive to the ocean and the
desert.
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| Cactus inside a tree! |
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| Me loving life in the Anza-Borrego Desert |
We only have a
few weeks left here in San Diego county, so I am focusing on enjoying every
moment here while I can. I love this place, I love the people, and I am going
to be sort of sad once it is all over. Ultimately I will just be happy for this
amazing project
