"Scratch my Tramp Stamp"

     Simon and Andrew were very loquacious during the morning work at Wolf Creek today, spitting out rhymes and beats about basically everything on the work site. Complete free style nation. The rain had cleared up, but our fingers were still turning into nubkins, so Sam started two fires to keep us warm.  After exchanging emails and facebook information with our Wolf Creek Indian Village counter parts, Sam took us out for a hike at Crystal Springs falls.  While no one got lucky at this famed make-out spot, it was still a gorgeous spectacle. We ended our hike with a flash group hug with Sam in the middle. As we got in the car and drove our separate ways we watched Sam drive into the sunset. After that Sam and our week at Wolf Creek was nothing but a memory…

       When we arrived back at Camp Laurel we all showered and tried our best to look presentable for the dinner theater at the Wohlfarht Haus Dinner Theater. We all piled in the party van to go to our last activity anticipating a “legit ass show”. Although there were some people making fun of the name Wohlfahrt, the place had a legit ass gift shop magnet collection which contained a beer bottle opener/magnet to add to the collection. Although Simon was denied the chance to use the bottle opener/magnet because of Judge Judy’s strict anti drug/alcohol laws, we got to enjoy the Mark Twain’s classic novel Huckleberry Finn over a delicious dinner consisting of Catfish and Pork. We really enjoyed the play and all of the songs they sung, and were even surprised to know that the main actor was eating dinner right next to us earlier that night! One of the songs that all of us could relate to was the song that Huck and Jim sung called “Worlds Apart”, which was a song that reflected what our whole trip was about. Essentially the lyrics stated that we may see the same things through different eyes, yet many times the way we experience them are worlds apart from each other. After we got a picture with some of the cast members, we went home thinking what a “legit ass” show that was.

       We ended our last night with a lovely reflection around a raging bonfire courtesy of Andrew, Karina, and Mama Ivy. We reflected on the purpose of service and all the lessons we learned this week. We got a chance to let everyone know how truly special they are during Judy’s tapping game. Share time ended with a team bear hug and a Team App cheer. We ventured back to the cabin for our last night sleeping in Esther and went to bed.

        “You guys were worth your weight in gold. Surriously.”               ~ ”Joe-Sway” 

Time to go Twiggin'

We had to wake up at the buttcrack of dawn- SAY WHAT!!!! It was a rather important appointment though; our entire team was interviewed, live, on-air, on the Wytheville county radio station WYVE. It was such an experience to talk about our college lives to the entire area which we were serving and to be able to tell everyone how we feel about our work.

After the string of interviews, we departed for some early morning coffee to wake us up for a long day of work. In the words of Simon the Great, “oh sheet!” We started off to Wolf Creek Indian Lodge in the rain and started our honest work. Some stayed inside to climb ladders and hang wire. Others moved logs like it was their day job. While yet others continued to add on to the braided palisade wall of never ending twigs. And still, our greatest team members mulched until the cows came home.

It was a good day going great, until lunch came at 11. The girls were working so hard twiggin’ that they got hungry early from all of the hard work. It began to rain and it began to pour. And slacker nation turned into slacker universe. At this point, Sam started to show us how to make arrowheads. This was part two of the Sam vs. Wild training series of how to survive in the wild after part one of making a fire yesterday. This turned into a fire making, arrowhead chipping, “flash” reflection including Sam in one of the roundhouses down at the outdoor Indian village.

When the rain let up, we started working again and actually accomplished a lot in a short period of time. With the wall of Rosie almost completely finished and all of the bands for the pole structure/ foundation for the roundhouse in place, we left the village for the day to go back to Camp Laurel and reflect.

After Thanksgiving-dinner-came-early, we ended our night with a trip to United Methodist Church to watch our last performance of Allen and his band. They REALLY jammed with the electric guitar and drumset. Songs like “Hotel California” and “867-5309” really pumped up the crowd and sent us out for the night on a high. The day is now coming to  a close and all we can look forward to is our last day of work tomorrow and our team visit to Cascade Falls. Nature city.

Peace

Andrew & Lauren

Take it to the challenge.

Prior to the torrential downpour we experienced in the afternoon, we had an incredibly eventful day both at the Ministry Center and at the Wolf Creek Indian Village. Karina, Simon and Andrew spent the first half of the day at the Ministry Center helping to load shipments of potatoes that were going to various cities, some as far as four hours away. People came from near and far to take advantage of this voluntary service and even spent some time telling us about their experiences handing out the potatoes in their respective cities. Andrew regaled us with many potato jokes. Actually, just one but it was probably the only potato joke. Ever.

The crew that stayed at the Wolf Creek Indian Village worked quickly in hopes of getting as much done as possible before the rain took over. With a divide and conquer mentality labor was split up with some taking on the duties of mulching, while others worked on the palisade walls, and another group assisted with power tools on the assembly of huts. When noon came around, everyone ran to the van for their lunches and the group was together once again.

We met up with the other half of the group at lunch, where we enjoyed our delicious bologna sandwiches. After lunch, we were treated to a special lesson where Sam taught us the traditional way to kindle a fire using a bow, stick and rock. After about 15 successful attempts on his part, we each gave it a try, with Amanda getting the closest to producing coal (we didn’t go so far as trying to make a fire). We had a deal that if we couldn’t make a fire, Sam would be allowed to paint us all. To no surprise, we all walked around well-painted for the rest of the day. We finished our day by weaving some more of the palisade wall (we’re making progress!) and laying the foundation for an additional wigwam.

The torrential downpour marked a very clear ending to our work day. The entire group made it back to Camp Laurel for showers and dinner before our next exploration. After dinner we took a short ride to Rocky Gap High School to engage in conversation with the director of The Mountain Home Center. We were fortunate enough to be welcomed by the director along with a student who performed a medley a banjo tunes. The music was a wonderful illustration of local culture. The performance was followed by a dynamic presentation of the History of the Bland County Archives Center since its establishment in 1993. The presentation incorporated videos, pictures, and a variety effects to convey the past, present, and future of Bland and the vital role that high school students are playing in all aspects of Bland, VA reality. After the presentation the group had an opportunity for a question and answer session with the director, which was very insightful.

Karina & Judy

The March twenty-second of two thousand and eleven

After delicious waffles for breakfast, we hit up the ministry center with great alacrity in order to have the most time to spend at the center. Here we helped pass out food to those who needed it by bagging pretzels and cookies while talking with a lot of the locals who volunteer there every week.  We met a lot of characters, two of which we spent the majority of our time talking to.  Phyllis and Rocky chatted with us practically the whole time we were working, and we ended up hearing most of their life stories.  By listening to their stories, we actually learned the most about the local culture and what life in Bland County is really like while also being incredibly entertained.  Even when Phyllis was outside of the warehouse, she still managed to get blamed for any mishaps that happened inside.  The loquacious prattle throughout the ministry center definitely kept us occupied while we prepared the food for distribution.

After lunch, we headed back to the Wolf Creek Indian Museum to continue work on renovating the village.  We worked specifically on braiding the paliside wall and building the structure of the roundhouses, as well as straightening up the area around the village and digging fire pits.  We also received an impromptu lesson about the difference between clay and dirt, which naturally was followed by a “clay-ball” fight, complete with war paint.  After finishing up work, we returned to Camp Laurel and went for a run through the Bland country side to check out the encompassing nature of our surroundings, including a rather large bearded pony and ravage ducks with a vengeance.  After our run, we nommed on homemade pizza and warm peach crumbly goodness fre$h from the oven.  Then we did a ninja style reflection activity in which we nimbly navigated through a labyrinth of lasers individually, and then while holding each others’ sweaty  palms.  Before sleeping, we watched a gimp bug crawl around in circles on the floor for the duration of this blogging activity, before it was bombastically murdered.  G’night!!!!!!!!

Xoxo, gossip girlz (Jessica and Rosie)

PS: Stay away from the tacos. And veggie patties. OH MY GOOD-NESS!!!!!

Day 3

Mafia, early rising, great breakfast, Wolf Creek museum, awesome people, are all things we experienced today. After our 2 days of exploration in Bland County, we finally came into direct contact with our main mission, which was to restore the Wolf Creek museum. Despite the early rise, we were able to work through the day, owing to the great breakfast our hosts at Camp Laurel made. Once we made it to the museum, we were graciously welcomed by Sam and Denise and other museum staff. Some of us went to Bland Ministry where they got to package various snacks and foods. The rest of us remained at the museum where we got engaged in various activities: raking mulch, creating a new trail, clearing out a path for a new trail, building a structure that would be the location for a new museum, weaving fences, and many other minor stuff. It was a very great experience in that we were performing a service that is very crucial to the Bland community. It was also very rewarding talking to Denise and getting to hear various stories about the Indians and the museums. We also bonded with the staff and even crossed a crucial trust line, where they allowed us to operate their tractor. It was also a beautiful day in that the weather was favorable.

After a long day’s work we were fortunate to have some of the locals showcase their talent. Alan and Bill were incredibly talented and also heavily invested in the welfare of the community. They provide breakfast to hikers on the Appalachian Trail, and also run 3 ministries. They were very passionate about their work and were eager to share their various life experiences. One of our favorite songs performed were Emilyn and The Coal Miner’s story, both which prompted us to think of the situation in the area, and the kinds of things they go through. Meeting people from Bland allows us to get a full understanding of their culture, and also enable us to put more effort into helping them out, especially after experiencing the magnitude of good in them.

Overall today was the beginning of what seems to be an incredible week, full of many learning experiences and fun times for everyone. It was definitely a great day and we hope that coming days will be even better.

XOXO,

Ivy & Simon    :D

Day 2

Today was an exciting day full of several of activities. We were able to sleep in late and eat a delicious brunch before we headed out for Big Walker General Store. We were greeted by the friendly owners of the store and looking around the store provided insight into the Appalachian culture. We observed that most of the products in the store were locally made, which most likely serves as a source of income. There were gem stones, home-made jewelry, items from the Native American culture, decorations, and locally made food products. Afterward we climbed the Big Walker lookout tower that overlooked miles of beautiful landscape.

                Next we drove to Crystal Spring trails to hike and observe the beauty the Appalachian area has to offer. We appreciated the nature of the trail as demonstrated by the many pictures taken and many trees climbed. Through this hike we started to understand different ways the people of Appalachia enjoy their spare time while taking advantage of the natural environment that surrounds them. We were envious of the natural state of the area as compared to the urban environment that we are used to.

                We were welcomed to West Wind Winery by the friendly owner. After shopping around we received a tour of the winery. He explained the process of making wine as well as his business approach. It was interesting to hear about his business because it contrasted with the occupations featured in the documentary we previously watched. We were happily surprised by a gift full of a wonderful assortment of snacks from the owner. The people’s generosity in this area never ceases to amaze us.

                Finally, we arrived back at the lodge and enjoyed another delicious dinner followed by a team building activity. Today’s activities continued to excite us about the community work we have ahead of us. We look forward to learning more about the history and people of Appalachia for the remainder of the trip.

XOXO gossip girl, Michelle and Amanda =)

Day 1

Prior to coming to Bland, we watched a documentary in which Diane Sawyer went to Appalachia and followed those that were affected by poverty and drug-addicted parents. This documentary showcased the lives of a high school football player living out of his car, a 12-year old girl with a drug-addicted mother and a 19-year old male forced to quit school and become a miner to support his pregnant wife. The stories were much more severe than what we would expect within the U.S. One of the expectations we came in with, having watched the video, was this image of a drug-infested society. Even though there is abject poverty, there are many within Appalachia who would willingly pay $120 for a single pill of Oxycontin.

Upon our arrival at Camp Laurel, we were welcomed with open arms by a family who hosts summer camp groups. They proceeded to tell us about hikers on the Appalachian Trail and the types of characters that frequent the trail. Thus far, we have not seen any of the disturbing images that we came in expecting to see. Given that the documentary focused on Kentucky and we’re located in Virginia, their experiences may differ greatly from what we are currently experiencing.

From this week, we hope to gain a wholistic view of the society. Not only would we like to assist the Bland community, but we’d also like to form bonds and hear about their lived experiences. Hearing about their background will make our work more meaningful and long-lasting.

To be continued!