tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032231821290581182011-04-21T17:24:59.353-08:00A two and a half week solo trip to travel and build houses with Habitat for Humanity in Anchorage, Alaska. July 3-20, 2008.Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-379293267991783852008-08-21T10:57:00.009-08:002008-08-21T16:56:43.020-08:00

... and memories of the trip are still as fresh as the first day there.Thankfully, our group of people has found ways to keep in touch. We have since shared thousands of pictures, three quizzes, pictures of pets at home now reunited with their owners, started a Facebook group, sent postcards and DVDs, not to mention numerous emails back and forth about personal experiences of being reintroduced

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-34955566664875599042008-07-23T14:18:00.002-08:002008-07-23T14:21:29.162-08:00

A two-week journey takes a much longer time to write. It's not always about the obvious; it's just as much about the nuances and the things you remember days down the road that make you laugh to yourself.Therefore, I've decided to keep writing little stories here and there to keep the trip going, even if we're not all physically in Alaska. I've sent the blog on to my teammates, and may

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-64003020696110005082008-07-22T20:25:00.005-08:002008-07-22T20:51:27.062-08:00

Well, the two and a half weeks are over, the building and sightseeing is done, and I am (mostly) recovered from a red-eye flight back Saturday night into Austin (getting back Sunday morning around 10:30AM). All of the lack of sleep, the laughter, the pics, the memories... it was all worth it.Pictures for your viewing pleasure will be up at the following locations:Group albums: http://

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-36485966449213204652008-07-19T22:25:00.003-08:002008-07-19T22:40:12.184-08:00

Jenny has become our ladies' hairstylist. Along with Maureen, she has managed to braid all of our heads at least once. For my particular style, she'll French braid pigtails into my hair. (She even says they work very well on me.) It has become a ritual post-shower at the Alaska Club, and by the last day of the trip, we all had our hair braided for the flight home. I am looking at it as a bit of a

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-14666542737017876422008-07-19T22:23:00.001-08:002008-07-19T22:23:45.900-08:00

You think you have it bad... Originally uploaded by Bendini

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-53426849254483057692008-07-19T22:19:00.001-08:002008-07-19T22:19:00.317-08:00

Seward, AK Originally uploaded by BendiniOn Friday morning, our group drove to Seward, Alaska for our final R&R trip. Seward is a small tourist town (used to be much smaller) that sits along Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Fjords area. The town is only about 6 streets deep, with a harbor/pier for boats and a few souvenir shops and bars downtown. Our planned trip was to go on the Kenai Fjords

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-67717599299500448662008-07-19T13:29:00.004-08:002008-07-19T13:50:15.244-08:00

Amy, having a little more knowledge of the town, had found an excellent tea shop on the south side of town called the Summit Spice Tea Company. A good number of the group wanted to hike Flat Top Mountain after our build the other day, but some of us were too tired to go up another hill (believe it or not). Instead, our little group went to this tea shop to check out they selection of loose teas (

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-41816619578093634302008-07-19T12:30:00.003-08:002008-07-19T13:28:59.745-08:00

On Wednesday night, we had dinner with the official Iditarod artist Jon Van Zyle and his wife at theirhome in Eagle Creek. Although the two are both retired Iditarod racers, each with at least 30 years of Iditarod experience, they still keep the sled dogs in the back of their house... All 14 of them now. Each of the dogs are friendly and happy, and they all have their own individual markings,

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-32727336365973309172008-07-19T10:22:00.004-08:002008-07-19T12:26:55.413-08:00

Our last hosted dinner of the trip was in the hills of South Anchorage, at Belinda Breaux's home. Belinda is the president of the board for the Anchorage HFH chapter. A very gracious woman, Belinda and her husband actually moved to Anchorage 16 years ago in 1992 for what was supposed to be a 2-year term for a job. Like most people's stories, they just ended up staying.We all got to the house and

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-38707578112872612782008-07-19T08:45:00.004-08:002008-07-19T09:17:32.803-08:00

Thursday was our final building day on the site. The last week and a half seemed like a blur, and it definitely didn't feel like we were two days away from leaving Anchorage. Our luck had been good with the weather so far, but this morning, we woke up to the first real rainy morning since we've been here. Maybe it was a bit symbolic for the moment. Either way, we're a team of troopers, and all of

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-84960774596665216582008-07-19T08:38:00.001-08:002008-07-19T08:42:25.335-08:00

Wireless access is spotty in some of the more remote areas we're traveling through, so often times I save time to write on here, just to find I have no signal. So for the next two days, I'll be playing catchup again on the last three days... bear with me. :)

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-74084772740622430672008-07-17T21:16:00.003-08:002008-07-17T23:58:02.553-08:00

The group needed to get postcard stamps in Anchorage.We gave money to pick some up, but they weren't able to. No biggie.So we checked the supermarket to see if they sold any... No luck. We got to the post office thirty minutes too late to get into the self service area.The next morning, three of us had our cards written (or for days already). We got back from the site build to find that somehow,

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-79839256447404512662008-07-17T14:38:00.003-08:002008-07-17T15:28:27.781-08:00

Since we've been showering for the last week and a half at the local athletic club, some of us take the opportunity to utilize the actual workout equipment and get exercise ( I can't say that I'm one of them). However, there have been two days where we've used the facilities on another side of town. This club (called The Alaska Club) is nice... But the one across town is particularly nice, since

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-75895350679133434512008-07-16T20:02:00.001-08:002008-07-16T20:02:48.516-08:00

Proof I am working on a house. Originally uploaded by BendiniAfter all of these great times, we just finished the second to last day of building. It's amazing how time flies...For the last two days, I've spent all of my time helping the team get scaffolding, roof decking, and fascia finished. Tomorrow, we just have a small amount of decking to do before they can cover the roof and shingle it.

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-89475108963413527192008-07-16T00:32:00.002-08:002008-07-16T01:23:28.121-08:00

Still working on Sunday's stories...After the glacier hike, we were able to go on a mill tour at Kennicott. The mill itself is the oldest standing wooden structure in the country, standing at 14 stories high. The mill was used as a copper and ore mill from 1911 until it was abandoned in 1938. There is a lot of history behind the mill itself (and the town that surrounded it).Some important things

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-65786612184263845022008-07-15T00:38:00.001-08:002008-07-15T00:38:27.776-08:00

Standing on the Root Glacier Originally uploaded by BendiniFor the rest of this weekend, I can say that I've definitely done three things that I don't know that I'll ever do again in my lifetime:1. Hike a glacier2. Visit the tallest wooden standing structure in the country3. Scale a 4,000+ ft. mountain with our group (and not get eaten by any wild animal).Let's start with #1. The Kennicott and

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-53847147000114513802008-07-14T18:26:00.001-08:002008-07-14T18:26:48.044-08:00

View of Kennicott Glacier from the plane Originally uploaded by Bendini

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-75819084309684214922008-07-14T17:34:00.001-08:002008-07-14T17:34:57.123-08:00

Our flight from Chitina to McCarthy, AK Originally uploaded by BendiniThere's a lot to catch up on, so I'm breaking this down by day.In Alaska, there's a saying that one of the locals told us: "Anchorage is only 50 miles away from Alaska." In other words, to really understand and appreciate Alaska, well... you can't be in the city.Chitina was a 5-hour drive from Anchorage. We took two vans to lug

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-33433546108741704792008-07-14T15:50:00.003-08:002008-07-14T15:58:28.300-08:00

We're driving back from Chitina right now, coming back from our R&R weekend at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge, and man... what a great place. The lodge has very little connection with the rest of the outside world, so we were thankfully left to do nothing but enjoy the scenery around what was once a booming copper and ore mining city. I plan on catching up on the last three days' adventures today (

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-30347649288829091112008-07-12T15:10:00.001-08:002008-07-12T15:10:32.442-08:00

Glacier in Alaska Originally uploaded by BendiniWe're currently on the road, driving to Chitina for an R&R weekend, and it's amazing how the landscape around here changes in a matter of minutes. For example, we were following the edge of a tree-filled cliff just to come upon this glacier in the distance. So gorgeous out here... I have a strong feeling that two weeks in 60-degree weather among

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-85544031448552066832008-07-11T00:23:00.004-08:002008-07-11T00:28:06.078-08:00

...and one week, two days to go. For those counting--Picture count: 422.It's been so much fun up here, and so interesting to hear people's stories. Can't wait for the rest!

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-23926373081893027272008-07-10T23:59:00.002-08:002008-07-11T00:22:11.375-08:00

Just about all of our team admits to what Kevin calls FOMO, or "Fear of Missing Out." We've all grown accustomed to waiting it out, staying awake, sticking around... just in case that one funny remark or revelation was about to come around the corner. And most often, it keeps us up until the wee hours of the morning, playing random games. In the end, I went 2-1 in a short tennis match, 2-1 in a

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-715655823960621472008-07-10T16:26:00.002-08:002008-07-10T16:38:04.263-08:00

After over 11 hours of sleep and the start of a Z-Pack (antibiotics) last night, I woke up this morning feeling better, although not completely cured. Nevertheless, I felt it was best that I get out to the site and ease back into work.I have to admit, I kind of felt guilty for being away from the team yesterday, even if I was justified in doing so. Everyone hung out last night after our dinner (

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-9558778063051331762008-07-10T00:28:00.000-08:002008-07-10T00:36:33.064-08:00

I had the chance to try a moose meat sloppy joe sandwich at dinner tonight. Apparently you can't buy moose meat in the stores; you can only sign up to be on a list with other families and nonprofits and other groups. They call you when a moose has been brought in, and when they do, you have an hour to pick it up.Of course, this was told to us by our hosts after we had all eaten what was actually

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-3166443995652366722008-07-09T15:25:00.001-08:002008-07-09T15:33:21.114-08:00

So today has been kind of a drag. I ended up going to the doctor because I woke up this morning with no voice and heavily congested. The diagnosis ended up being a pretty decent sinus infection, so I'll be on antibiotics for the next 5 days in the hopes that it'll clear it up. I'll save the fun stories about health insurance companies for later. Instead, I'm going to go sit in the steam room and

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-17156648431645590292008-07-08T21:53:00.001-08:002008-07-08T21:53:33.222-08:00

Hatcher Pass, AK Originally uploaded by Bendini

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-4602364089172973152008-07-08T21:40:00.001-08:002008-07-08T21:40:59.860-08:00

First moose sighting! Originally uploaded by BendiniAll in a matter of five minutes... How awesome. :)We saw the black bears first, coming back from our Hatcher Pass hike. There was a mom and her baby cub, crossing the road within minutes of us leaving the parking lot. The baby couldn't have been more than a few months old. After they crossed, the cub tried to cross the road again, so we had to

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-14762498023212187882008-07-08T16:42:00.002-08:002008-07-08T17:08:01.374-08:00

It was another early start to the day. Unfortunately, I woke up with very little voice. We got out to the site by 8am to continue framing the walls. Since the roof is going up on Thursday, we needed to have all of the walls and top plates up by the end of the day on Wednesday. While half of the group went to the other site to start on the crawl space and foundations on two more houses, the rest

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-22540915235925260532008-07-08T00:04:00.000-08:002008-07-08T00:11:55.661-08:00

I managed to do the one thing I joked about with coworkers and friends that I really didn't want to do while I was here - get sick. Yep, I managed to pick up a cold that has me sounding a bit hoarse and coughing a bit. I was having chills on Sunday, so I think any sort of fever I had has broken, but the sore throat still remains. In the meantime, I'm nursing myself with tea with honey, rest, and

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-37625425228757308042008-07-07T22:55:00.000-08:002008-07-08T00:00:20.258-08:00

Tonight, three of the twelve families were generous enough to make our entire team dinner to help qualify for their homes. Not only did it give us a chance to learn more about their stories, it allowed us to talk to them firsthand about their experiences. One of the families includes a 19-year-old son whose name is going on the mortgage; he is essentially the man of the house, helping to take

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-5248048217539002042008-07-07T15:57:00.000-08:002008-07-07T16:16:22.506-08:00

I have to combine posts because I am starting to realize how little time I'll have (literally and physically) to write posts later, until I get the hang of things.Sunday, after orientation, all of us ate lunch and took a 5.5 mile hike around Alyeska Mountain in Girdwood, AK. The hike was green and gorgeous... filled with history of the 1964 earthquake that swallowed the town and an avalanche in

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-29848293109502325492008-07-06T22:50:00.000-08:002008-07-06T22:55:29.852-08:00

It is nearing 11PM here in Anchorage, and the sun is still up as if it were 7PM in Austin. The sun doesn't fully go down until 2am-ish. Crazy.

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-86538944706795698342008-07-06T00:07:00.001-08:002008-07-06T00:07:32.038-08:00

I am standing here right now Originally uploaded by BendiniI'll tell you about the driving around a bit later (when I have more sleep behind me... The pic above will have to do.). First, I want to mention the team.We got to put names to faces today. All of the team is now in Anchorage and staying at the church, which is very nice. The people are great so far - there is a good mix of the quirky,

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-41291646643392356652008-07-05T10:07:00.000-08:002008-07-05T10:18:23.444-08:00

I had a chance to speak with many people yesterday around town, over a meal, or waiting for fireworks. Anchorage itself is a diverse town with immigrants from all parts of the world. To give you a sampling of how many places I covered in one day through conversation, here's a list:ScotlandU.K.IndianaAnchorage (born and raised)CaliforniaUkraineNorth CarolinaCopper Bay, AK

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-18584851383404191872008-07-05T10:06:00.001-08:002008-07-05T10:06:14.416-08:00

Planes at Lake Hood, Anchorage, AK Originally uploaded by BendiniWow, it's been a long day. I suppose I'm justified in saying that as it's nearly 1 in the morning and the sun still hasn't gone down completely.To make matters worse, I was up at 5:15 this morning. Yes, 5:15. And if you can believe it, the sun was already coming up.However, I took advantage of the extra hours this morning to plan

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-91612323821961108412008-07-04T06:32:00.001-08:002008-07-04T06:32:27.165-08:00

Handoff of the Flag of Honor Originally uploaded by Bendinihere is a picture of the Flag of Honor ceremony from yesterday. Happy Fourth of July!

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-7742355283920896262008-07-04T00:26:00.000-08:002008-07-04T00:35:18.626-08:00

While hitching a ride to the hostel with three women who were from Dallas and Lancaster County, PA (go figure), I was informed that this morning, a woman was mauled by a large brown bear while riding her bicycle downtown. The fact that she was wearing her helmet saved her life because it kept the bear from crushing her skull.This is going to make my two-block walk to the cafe tomorrow morning

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-20824982222270449162008-07-03T11:04:00.000-08:002008-07-03T11:21:42.830-08:00

Holidays are always hit or miss in Austin-Bergstrom Airport. Either there's no one here, or there are enough people to catch you off-guard and leave you scrambling for the gate. Thankfully, this was not one of those days. This time, as I made it past security in near-record time (considering I wore lace-up sneakers), I was quickly greeted with two rows of airport guards... and SWAT team members

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-24184490087573962282008-06-28T11:30:00.001-08:002008-12-09T10:12:55.121-09:00

Image and info from identify.whatbird.com and alaskatravel.comIt's no secret that Alaska has a diverse amount of flora, fauna, and wildlife that has not existed (or no longer exists) within other parts of the US and world. With T-minus 5 days until I leave, I thought I'd give you a clue into some of the different species/plants that will most likely make it into my flickr album by the end of the

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-9546747149326744842008-06-19T20:31:00.000-08:002008-06-19T20:58:48.519-08:00

Some facts:• Population: 282,813 (over 2/5 of Alaska's population)• Elevation: 102 ft• Summers are typically mild (although cool compared to the contiguous US and even interior Alaska), though it can rain frequently. Average July low and high temperatures are 52 °F/66 °F• The land area of the city itself is about the size of Rhode Island.• It lies slightly farther north than Oslo, Helsinki and St

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-91728586016303390902008-06-17T17:38:00.001-08:002008-12-09T10:12:56.839-09:00

A little more information, as I dig it up from our team correspondences - we are one of five teams working in Anchorage this summer:The WHO WHAT WHERE of Global Village, Anchorage 2008"Habitat Anchorage is gearing up for a busy and exciting summer! Wehave chosen Partner Families who are working toward homeownership intwo different areas of Anchorage.Three families will purchase their home in a

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-71738098108147309002008-06-16T19:02:00.000-08:002008-06-16T19:05:38.248-08:00

"North to the Future" is one of Alaska's state mottos. I thought it would fit in nicely with being able to provide futures for families in need. It is also called "The Great Land," after the native Aleuts, who call the land 'Aleyska.'

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-403223182129058118.post-346667956333294932008-06-16T18:34:00.000-08:002008-06-16T18:51:51.630-08:00

Here's a warm welcome to all that are viewing my site. Here's a little background: My name is Erin, and I currently reside in Austin, TX. In July of 2008, I will be traveling to Anchorage, Alaska as part of Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program. While I'm there, I will be with a team of 18, building houses for those in need in the city, as well as taking some time off to get a little

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01219541158455620895noreply@blogger.com2