Beautiful Beaches Galore! Mazatlan, Mexico

This week after a hard goodbye we headed to the beautiful beach city, Mazatlan.  When we rolled in, we knew we had arrived because we were driving along a beautiful coastline.  When we got there we dropped out suitcases off at a beach-side hotel and walked down to the sand where we got to release around 200 baby sea turtles!  We had a dress code for the day of a nice white outfit, or light colored.  At first we all made jokes about why that would be, but the photos turned out beautiful on the beach at sunset in white-like colors.  My roommate for the week because of some hosting issues ended up being Cammie from Colorado! We weren't the most diverse pair, but we had a great family and I am so happy I got the chance to room with her, because we had 14 coloradoans last semester and I didn't get to live with one! Our host mom Karina is very nice and she has a son Fernando who is 16.  She drove us around the city a bit and told us about the city.  Then we went out for tacos for dinner. 

Adorable baby turtles!

the cliff jumping rock

The cast on the beach

This was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done and I was super excited about it!

Tuesday was a full internal day that was a ton of fun!   In the morning we did this thing called Cast University where cast mates led different workshops.  Hugh and I did one on self defense that turned out a lot better than we expected and everyone seemed to really like it.  I also went to one that Cammie did about color personality tests.  Turns out I'm an orange, in case you were wondering.  Then in the afternoon we had Hometeam Olympics on the beach!  There were many relays and team stuff and there was also a sand sculpture contest that we should have won with our Ursula sculpture! We ended up coming in third which still wasn't bad.  Then after we just got some free time on the beach.

Our sand sculpture

Hometeam 3!

The whole group

Wednesday was a BTS on this strange outdoor area in a park.  I got to run most of rehearsal and the didn't perform but got to watch and record it instead.  That evening we went out to dinner with Karina and Fernando and Cammie and I tried to practice our Spanish.

Thursday was our show day #1.  We were in this huge convention center and it was definitely one of our nicer venues except that they didn't turn on the AC until 1pm which was hard but the cast pushed through.  For the morning I was with the costume crew helping them find a routine for their setup.  Then I helped the stage crew set it  up more which was something new for me!  I got to sit out of all rehearsal which was really exciting! I love seeing it and being able to take notes.  During the show we lost power towards the end, but it didn't even phase the cast.  We've had so much practice with that by now.  

Friday was my first CI in a while here in Mexico! I was at the Orphanage that our sponsor owned.  We were painting and weeding but then we ran out of paint so we started sweeping.  We didn't even complain because we knew that then the girls wouldn't have to.  It was a really beautiful and well kept building that felt like a home and not an institution and it’s amazing what they are doing for those girls.  That evening we went out to dinner in the middle of this beautiful square with the sponsor and her kids because she is super close with Karina.  She was hosting Beyah so we got to spend some time with him.  The whole evening was beautiful and calm and so much like what you would expect mexico to be like!

Saturday was our second show day and it was a hard one! We were outdoors with no coverage so we decided to do rehearsal in the morning to try and dodge some of the midday heat.  But that didn't stop all of us from sweating buckets.  I was still super proud of how hard everyone worked.

Sunday was a dream.  We went on a boat of our sponsors with a few other families and all the staff over to an island where we just hung out the whole day.  It felt like such an escape and I got to talk to so many people in the cast that I don't always get the chance to.  We even got to sit and watch the sunset on the boat in the middle of the ocean.  This week there were so many times that I was in awe of the beauty of the Earth and I felt extra blessed to be where I was (even if I was sweating more than I ever had).

All the Uppies who were on the boat and the island

Hanging on the boat

The breathtaking sunset.  This photo doesn't even do it justice

Lazy day 

We were the only students of the group so of course we had to take a photo

Host family!

Los Mochis, Mexico

This week was another great one in Mexico.  We went on a long hot bus ride to Los Mochis and I had two bus dates with Darlene our sound tech and we shared awesome music and then with Miguel to work on intern stuff.  When we arrived we had to say goodbye to Jordan (WA) and Carlos (Mex) because they are off to be PRIs in Europe.   I’m rooming with our Vocal instructor Diane from TX.  Our host family was great! We had 3 host sisters, Andrea (17), Dani (14) and Dana (8) and one little brother Jose augstine (4).  Our sisters and dad Jose all speak amazing English and our mom Pati understands a lot but doesn’t speak much.  Right away I could tell it was going to be a great week.  I love having host siblings close to my age.

Host Code: Disney! 

Dani, Dana, Pati, Andrea and Diane

Tuesday was an internal day that was great.  We started with a Q and A with the Business team which was good to learn new stuff about how and why things happened within the program.  After lunch we did a “save the world” workshop which was about that Earth was no longer habitable, so we had to create a spaceship for 100 humans to live on.  We had to decide what types of humans would be there and how the space ship would be laid out.  One of my favorite decisions is that we decided right off the bat that there was to be a myth passed around that if you were bad, you got shot out into space (but it wasn't true).  It was so easy to do and everyone in my group agreed and we had all our spaceship planned out.

Wednesday was a normal SA day and in the afternoon I was with Miguel and Erin while they held dance workshops and I sat and worked on my intern stuff.  That evening Diane and I went out to sushi with Andrea, our oldest host sister.  It was fun and her friends were nice, but it got hard when they would all start speaking Spanish to each other. One of Andrea's friend’s grandparents live in CO in Fort Collins which is the city neighboring mine which was really cool and we talked about that.  I really like Andrea, she’s totally a person I would have a friend myself.  She picked us up every night so we three would talk a lot and sing a lot in the car.

Sushi with new friends!

Thursday I was signed out with the staff all day and we went to Starbucks.  For the first 3 hours I sat with Miguel at what is called a planning session where they plan all the open time for the next 3 weeks.  It was mind blowing how much went into it and I walked out of it not being able to keep any of my weeks straight.  For the afternoon I was just doing computer work while Miguel and Erin worked on the Danish medley dance. In the afternoon three students did a workshop on Human Trafficking which was super interesting and full of important information for everyone to know.  Did you know that the Super Bowl is the day with the highest trafficking in the world?

Saturday was our show day in our first outdoor facility! It was a long, hot day.  I got to give my first show notes (notes for the cast to improve upon)  as well as watch the first half of rehearsal which was exciting.    The show went great and we had a pretty full audience, but after a lot of people, especially our band people, we going out like flies from heat exhaustion and dehydration.  For strike I was with costumes trying to teach them everything and they actually did okay and I was proud of them for how much they want to know.

Sunday we went to the beach, but first we took a little boat to a secluded place where we got to pet a wild dolphin! It was so cool to be so close to something natural.  Then we had amazing sea food right on the beach and then hung out in the water for a bit.  When we came home the 2 oldest girls and one friend and Diane and I hung out just talking about everything for quite a while.  This has been a fantastic family and I am not looking forward to leaving.

Getting ready to get on the boat

The dolphin Pechocho (precious) 

Meeting up with a bunch of uppies mean jumping photos! 

And sibling jump for joy as well!

I made it bigger so you could see I'm eating real octopus, suction cups and everything! And it even tasted good

The whole amazing family :)

Viva Mexico! Guaymas, Mexico

I just wanted to start by saying a huge thank you again to everyone who has supported me along the way!! It's now the half way point of my second semester and every moment has meant so much and a lot of it is because of all of you!

First week in Mexico! Travel day way crazy.  We left our show facility Sunday night straight to the airport where we slept/hung out on the floor from 12-3.  Michael and I watched more Game of Thrones instead of sleeping like everyone else.  Then it was time to start checking in.  Checking in half of the cast was such a hassle and took an unusually long amount of time.  The first plane ride most of us knocked out before we even left the ground at 5:15am.  We laid over in Phoenix for an hour or so where the temperature was already drastically different.  My flight buddies for the first were Miles and Cammie, both from CO and then for the second flight we sat on a super tiny plane where we filled up the whole plane, plus one random guy.  When we stepped off the plane in Mexico, it was obvious that we were no longer in Washington! It was about 95 degrees out and sunny.  We arrived to our location and were immediately taken to a new one where there was a beautiful Viva la Gente float that was meant for us for a parade we would be a part of.  So many of us hit our walls smack in the face that walking in a parade did not sound appealing, but once we saw our little guests that were kids dressed in international costumes from around the world we already began to perk up.  Half of us were on the float with the kids and the others were walking ahead waving flags.  I was in the walking group which turned out to be a ton of fun and my cheeks hurt from smiling so big! We ended on a pier where the mayor of the town and his wife had each of us introduce ourselves in Spanish and then gave each of us a white balloon (that I took and handled quite well!) and handed over a real dove to Kanami (Japan) as a symbol of something and we all released our (biodegradable) balloons.  Then we met our host families.  I am living with Veronika from Sweden who is our Business Manager.  Our host mom speaks zero to little English, but Veronika speaks Spanish fluently and I speak a little so that’s all we spoke for the week.  We went home to a giant house that could over look the sea.  Yes, we get to see the ocean! I am so excited about that!  I get the feeling that this is going to be a great first week.

hangin out in the airport

Our itty bitty last plane! 

Our amazing float for the parade! 

Just a few of the adorable kids! (guess where this is from)

Traditional dance costume of a tribe here in Northern Mexico

Tuesday was a fantastic day that didn’t even feel like a “work” day! The morning we got dropped off at cute kids park but it was more than a park.  We luckily had the day in an AC room where we rehearsed for the BTS tomorrow and then after we went to the beach! Well first for lunch we went to the local Rotary Club house where the Rotarians made us lunch and let us use their pool.  So many of them were American and when we would ask them why they chose to come down here, all they said was to look around and they were right.  The area we were in was breathtaking.  Then after a great lunch, we departed to the beach! It was overwhelming and beautiful and everyone was in such a relaxed happy state of mind that it made it even better.  I spent most of my time in the water because it was warm like a shower, but there was also a staff v. student volleyball game going on.  That evening our host mom Pati made a fantastic meal, but it was very light which was nice.  That was one big thing I remembered I didn’t like in Mexico was how rich the foods could be.

We had so much fun! 

The whole half of the cast! 

Just taking some more fun photos :) 

My awesome "Mushu" Josiah (OH) 

We were pretty sure we discovered paradise.  Only people on the beach :) 

 
Wednesday was a not so easy day.  The BTS was crazy because we didn’t get to practice on the stage and literally got there already dressed, preset our costumes and hopped on stage.  There were probably three or four hundred kids there and their screams were crazy.  I could see right away that the first semesters were taken aback by it but it was so fun to see them soaking it all up at the same time.  After we signed autographs and took many photos for probably 30 minutes.  It will probably never cease to amaze me that people want my autograph, but I can now understand that we might be the most culture or most famous people these kids ever meet.  After we changed into working clothes and went to a rehab center for drug abuse.    It was a serious eye opener and pretty shocking.  The grounds were in the middle of nowhere in the desert and the facilities were sad and very run down but it had such a great reason for being there.  There had been some students there all day interacting and those of us who came later got the great job of digging a 10 foot hole for their new septic tank.  We were surrounded by run off sewage and garbage and dogs.  The girls of our group had to transfer, I kid you not, millions of small seashells to the whole.  They apparently clean the waste that’s dumped onto them in the whole so that by the time it reaches the ocean it’s clean.  It was the hardest work I’ve ever done in UWP.  There were some girls who had volunteered their time to work with us and I spent a significant time with both of them working alongside with them.  Catch was they didn’t speak English so I was stretching my Spanish skills to a far as I could.  The second half of the cast got here today which was exciting and it felt good to be whole again.  That night I definitely went to bed exhausted! 

Friday we had a BTS in a town a little ways away that was very poor and full of indignious people.  All of them were so great as an audience and we found out that the event we were performing at was for people to get free check ups and some food and clothes.  In the afternoon we got to have a really fun home team meeting where we learned how to do water spit takes, did trust falls and attacked some other home teams and created a water fight.  Then we got to staff round tables! I was super happy about that because it gives us a chance to talk to the staff about anything.  At the end of the evening we got a super cool presentation of some traditional dances! 

Saturday was interesting.  As our first Mexican show, we added a new medley as well as emcee and the theme song Up with People became Viva la Gente for the next 6 weeks.  It was also my first full show day as an intern so me and Emelie (Swed) the vocal intern and Erin S the dance intern got to learn how show days work which are crazy! But a good crazy.  We even sold out our first Mexican show which was awesome! 

Sunday we went to our beach house with our Pati, our host dad Eduardo and sister Pati.  We spent pretty much the whole day just relaxing on the beach with another family that was hosting Paul (SD) and Thomas(Netherlands).  Then we all went out to dinner.  Luckily the 2 boys spoke Spanish! I’m excited to see what the rest of the Mexican tour brings, along with my internship that is quickly picking up speed!

Paul, host sister Pati, Veronika and Thomas

Host family

Host family at a lookout point

Seattle, Washington

For our second week in Washington we didn't really change environments and for Marie and I, we didn't even change host families! We are now actually based in Seattle for the week which was super cool because it means an extra week in such an awesome area.  On Monday since we really didn't have to travel anywhere we got to explore downtown Seattle in typical Seattle weather.  Packed in our big scarves and boots we armed ourselves for an adventure at Pikes Place Market.  I spent my afternoon with Jimi (MT) and Luis (Mex) wandering the 4 floors of crafts, clothes, food, flowers, antiques and so much more.  It is also where the famous throwing fish act is and that was fun to see as well.  There is also the 2nd largest gum wall in the world which was disgustingly impressive.
Tuesday we had a BTS for a school and in the evening Gwen, Marie and I went out to dinner with her daughter and great-grandson.  Her daughter is just like her and it was so much fun to get to know her as well.  Marie and I also had our own little adventure finding a Target to do some last-minute in state shopping.  Something I've learned on the road is how hard it is to get around without a car or google at our fingertips constantly.  

Yeah, that's all gum!

Wednesday was our last class presentation for the anti-bullying workshop.  I was with Bert (belg) and Leslie (AZ) and we had a great interactive class.  Then in the afternoon we had a BTS for all the kids in the middle school.   That afternoon for internal time we had a business workshop on how to handle presenting UWP.  I’ve found that after 6 months I’ve really refined my technique on presenting the program and really redeemed myself from last semester’s mock TV interview and got great feedback on that.  At dinner I ate with Miguel and this is the first time we’ve been able to really talk since I got my internship.  I got to ask him a bunch of questions and he asked me some as well.  I’m super excited to start that, in case I haven’t mentioned that enough yet!

Thursday was SA and in the evening we had a CI with host families and alumni and sponsors which was really great except that the site that I was at must have forgotten because there was no one there when we got there.  Luckily we were a very small group with only 2 host families, but it was still odd.  I got to finally meet the alumna Holly who I would live with for the weekend while my uncle Grant and aunt Gretchen come to visit. She was nice enough to drive us home when our site ended up not working out because Gwen was volunteering at a local youth group.  Did I not say how active this lady is?

Friday was a full internal day.  We did a great cast meeting about getting to know each other on a deeper level.  We had to wear blind folds and just sit in small groups and talk about deeper questions like what’s something you are really proud of or something you hide from people.  For lunch we had a potluck with some 50 guests that were either host families, alumni or sponsors.  After lunch we had a huge wrap up of our last 11 weeks here in the US by sharing stories.  I still don’t think people quite know what to expect when it comes to Mexico and you can tell that many people are nervous about it. That night I switched families to go to the alumna’s house, Holly.  She is crazy but I automatically felt like I’ve known her for a long time.  That night my Aunt and Uncle flew in so they came over to talk as well as another one of their cast mates, Jeff,  and his partner Kevin we spent probably 4 hours just talking by the fire about all their UWP adventures as well as mine and how it's changed and how it is still the same.  

Saturday was host family day.  We started off by me going to Zumba with my aunt and Jeff and Kevin.  It was weird because it was like hip hop zumba.  Then we went out to brunch where there was much more UWP talk.   Then we went back to Jeff and Kevin’s house where we just relaxed.   In the evening we went out to dinner where we met up with my cousins as well which I was super excited about! We have always been super close and I don't get to see them often because of the distance. The restaurant looked over the port and the huge Ferris wheel and had great seafood.  

Cousins! Jeanna, Janelle, Elise

The whole family (UWP and real)

Sunday was one of best shows in by far the most beautiful stage we've performed on.  But it was 3 floors of utter confusion and stairs so we all got a great work out.  It was my first real show as an intern and it was full! In the afternoon, my cousins came to rehearsal and the oldest one even interviewed! I was super excited about that because she was the one who we thought wouldn't want to do it.  The show was awesome, and I'm sure all the different alumni and family members in the audience really helped.  Michael J's (WI) mom traveled with Grant and Gretchen so they were all very excited to meet him as well.  That was something him and I have slowly bonded over (that and our Game of Thrones marathon on the bus ride over) 

87A with Michael and I

Holly! 

 Then we went straight from the facility to the airport to leave for Mexico! We slept on the airport floor until we were able to check in.  Off we go to Mexico! 

Auburn, Washington

For our last two cities in the US we made the trek over to Washington from Montana.  It was about a 15 hour bus ride and we stopped in Spokane, WA for an overnight with the cast. Full cast overnights are a bunch of fun! We worked on some Mexican music for the show and then did a very large cast debrief on the past week because we all had such different experiences and it is very important for us to share those because they were all unique.  We had some students who lived in tepees for the week, many went to sweat lodges with their host families and so many of us had amazing conversations with various Natives both old and young.  Looking around our group you could see touches of Native jewelry around people's necks or wrists that were given to them by their host families and each one had a story or meaning behind it.  Then of course we had some free time to kill and just be with each other.  We were staying at a Salvation Army facility and we slept on donated cots with blankets and pillows donated by the Red Cross which made a huge difference on how well we slept! 

The next day we had about 4 more hours to get to Auburn, WA which is like a suburb of Seattle.  For the next two weeks I would be staying with Marie from Belgium and we were staying with on of the sponsor Rotary presidents, Gwen.  We lived about an hour away from Auburn so every morning was a pretty early one but it was so worth it to be with Gwen.  

Tuesday was a CI day where we went and cleaned up a riverbed of invasive plants.  Then we had an awesome lunch at the local senior center with some of the locals.  In the afternoon we went to a warehouse where we cut these huge tarps into smaller ones.  The lady who was our site contact was so enthusiastic and helpful.  At the end of the day they gave us T-shirts and water bottles as a thank you.  Then we got to take the train back to our facility.  We had to rehearse for a BTS the next day, so that was our afternoon.  Our host mom is very much a mom.  She cooks us amazing food and then doesn’t allow us to pass the island in the kitchen because she likes doing the dishes.  She cooked us Gumbo because she is from Louisana.  She has so much to tell us about and has lived a very colorful life.  She has 3 grown daughters and quite a few grandkids as well who she adores.  She is also involved in so much! She is President of one of the many Rotaries, has her own non-profit (HEY-Helping Empower Youth) and she also volunteers at a local church with the youth group.  

Wednesday I was in a middle school with anti-bullying workshop and we had a fantastic class.  They were all very attentive and interactive which made our job so much easier.  The afternoon was all internal.  The Education interns did their final project.  It was all about sculpting yourself as an individual in a group using balloon animals as their demonstrations and then we made monsters representing qualities about ourselves that we don't like and talking about how we can remember those traits, but they don't have to control us.  After that, Pete, the Study Abroad management professor was here and he did the same workshop we did last semester about "being a bad apple in a group".  This time he used the 2nd semesters since we are a small group and it went really well because all of us were able to really exaggerate our roles and it made for a better outcome.  

For SA on Wednesday our classroom was in the Museum of Flight! It was super cool! We also had Pete and Theresa, our professors, with us which is always great.  The last hour or so we got to explore the Museum.  I've been to several flight museums and this one was one of the best! We even got to see the first Air Force 1 and it had great WWI and II exhibits.  For dinner Gwen, Marie and I went to this great little Italian restraint and tried some kind of italian ice cream.

Friday was another day of SA where we were in the local city hall in the conference room.  I also found out that I am going to be the next Show Manager intern for the next 5 weeks! I’m SO excited because I’ve applied for it 5 times so I’m ready to get started! In the evening we had a show.  The theatre is a part of a high school, but the place is HUGE! The auditorium is really beautiful too.  The show went really well and I’m sure the awesome alumni audience helped.  

Sunday for host family day we went to Gwen’s beach houses on the peninsula.  It was pretty cold and rainy out, but the homes were so cozy and it was a beautiful setting.  I loved the weather too because it was so refreshing.  I get to stay with this family for another week which is nice because then I didn’t have to stress about getting packed.  Plus I love Gwen, she has been so sweet to us! 

Gwen demonstrating how to toast a marshmellow

Marie's first s'more!

Lame Deer, MT on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation

We made a small pit stop at the Battle of Little Big Run which was breath taking and we got told a really cool rendition of the story of what happened

This week was an amazing experience.  None of us knew what we were getting into and each of us had our own unique experience.  We arrived on the Reservation pretty early so we could get a blessing from a native.  It was a really cool thing and something I had nothing about.  Then there was a teepee raising demonstration.  It was fun to see that those are actually used.  There were even some guys who got to live in a teepee for the week.  My roommate was Lorena from Mexico and we lived with a Mennonite pastor and his wife, Scott and Suzette on the church grounds on the Reservation.  Our bedroom was a little unconventional.  We lived in a hurricane, tornado, bomb-proof dome.  But it was more like a really safe studio apartment; we had a fridge, bathroom, windows and a bed for each of us.  It was right off the main house.  Scott is from PA and moved out here to preach and Suzette is a Native who moved back recently from Seattle.

Our little home! We would describe it to our castmates as "Patrick's rock" from Spongebob

Tuesday I went to Lame Deer Middle School to do anti-bullying workshops for the students.  It was a very different environment than I have ever experienced.  Something we learned after the workshop was that it is very rude to point at someone.  We didn't know that, so at the beginning we played a game that had to do all with pointing, so that made things kind of awkward.  But the class was overall good.  I had lunch with some of the girls from my class and it was a lot of fun to just talk to them.  That afternoon we did a group discussion as a cast on gun control.  It was a great conversation I thought and I was super excited about it because it is such a hot topic that my family is involved in because the boys like to hunt.  I expected there to be some heated discussions and conflict, but it really was just a great conversation! Lorena and I take a shuttle every morning because the reservation is HUGE and it's meant to help with the gas.  I sat in the front seat so I talked to the driver more.  His name is Michael and he is super nice.  He’s really easy to talk to and I’ve been asking him questions about life on the res and himself.  He is 5 years sober from drugs and alcohol and has totally changed his life around.  He’s been more into the old culture than he used to be which also means that he knows a lot about it that he’s willing to share and I am more than interested to ask.  For dinner the head Pastor of the church grounds we are living on and his wife came over.  They didn't host because they are leaving later in the week.  But it was so great talking to them because they have lived on the res for almost 40 years, so they might as well be natives and they had a lot of knowledge and stories to share but Lorena did our fair share of talking as well and it was a great way for me to learn more about her and her culture.

Wednesday was SA.  We were at a local nursing home for our classroom, so not the best learning environment.  I didn't feel too motivated, but during lunch we ate with the residents and Katelyn (SD) and I just happened to sit down next to a deaf man, so we got to spend lunch signing with him.  It was so easy to tell how excited he was that we could talk with him and we were both just as excited to get to practice our ASL and to interact with him just as much as we would with the hearing residents.

That evening the PRs organized a traditional drum circle which was really cool, and there was a fire and host families brought food for a potluck and we got to learn some traditional dances as well which was really funny to watch.  We then got to see some natives do a traditional dance and it was moving and very powerful.  That whole evening I experienced a whole new culture right inside my home country.

Thursday we had a mini show all the way back in Billings.  So 40 of us took a 2 hr bus ride at 5:45 in the morning to get to the local United Way building where we would be performing.  We were the entertainment for all of their volunteers for their day of Caring which was a way of them to thank all of their volunteers.  There were some 800 people in the audience.  It was such a cool experience and we could tell how much they all loved it.  It was also my first Backing Track Show (BTS) which was really exciting! 

Friday we had 2 more mini shows but this time with the full cast.  Saturday was the show day, but the show was in the afternoon so we could spend the evening with our host families because we would have to leave early Sunday morning.  Scott and Suzette showed us all around the grounds.  They had this cute little history room talking about the history of the church all the way back to the beginning of the reservation which was really cool to see.  Right now that have some native elder women who still speak N Cheyenne translating the bible and the prayers and such so that the service can be conducted in that language.  Suzette does beadwork and she gave Lorena both these really cute Caribbeaners that she put bead work around.  

I learned so much this week and this was the type of week I was expecting on the road; living in a new culture and experiencing it and soaking it all up!  

 

Billings, MT

This week was great! We had a short drive to Billings from Bozeman so we spent the day at the Montana Zoo.  We spent the morning talking about global issues and starting to incorporate the "global citizen" part of the program.  Then in the afternoon our sponsor brought in all these blow up things and a graffiti artist and food for us and our host families.  It was a lot of fun for all of us.  I am living in a full house again this week! I have 5 roommates, Nicole (PA), Erin S (VA), Juliana (Bermuda), Ana (Mex), and Hannelore (Belg).  We are living with a single woman, Nola, and her friend Jason came over every night to help cook dinner and his mom helped Nola get us to and from our locations every day! Each night we had a 5 star meal and definitely felt spoiled.

Juliana, Erin, Ana, Nicole, Jason, Nola, Hannelore

Tuesday I was at another Habitat for Humanity site where we moved doors and windows and kitchen appliances.  I also did my first TV interview which was really exciting and you can see it here.

 Wednesday we did a show for the local college which was really cool . The audience was really receptive and we did something like 22 interviews that night. 
 

Friday was a show day that was a struggle for me because I got hit my a cold really fast.  But the show went really well, but Saturda

y I stayed home sick with my other roommate, Juliana.  Nola was so sweet and made us home-made chicken noodle soup and she got the hot tub running for us so we could open up our sinuses and then made us more comfort food of grilled cheese.  We hung out on the couch all day watching mindless TV. I've never missed a show day, so I felt really in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Around 9 at night it started flash flooding and raining like crazy! Then the basement started to flood so we had to go outside and bail out the window wells, but a large section of the carpet already flooded so we spent the next 2 hrs sucking up the water with towels and a carpet cleaner.  Thank goodness she had one of those because the water was pooling around our feet there was so much of it!

Sunday was a relaxing day which is all I needed.  Next week we are off to Lame Deer to be on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation which is going to be a whole new experience different than anything I have done in UWP so far!