I'm in San Diego!

Hi all. I didn't get a chance to post before I took off because I had a crap-load of stuff to get done, but I am semi-settled in San Diego so I can now give you all a bit of an update.

Monday: At the ridiculous hour of 6 am we said goodbye to our friends and fellow corps members and set off for SD. We were caravaning with another team which is staying further southeast of us, so we had a 12 passenger van, a 15 passenger van and a cargo van with all of our gear. The first stop we went to was the best, but for a reason that only three other people in this world will truly appreciate. When I was in second grade I went to Disneyland with The Momma, Debi and Donna by car. On the way home we stopped at this restaurant called Pea Soup Anderson's. The only reason I remember this is because outside of the place they had a wooded cutout where you could put your head in and take pictures. So, you see where this is going...our first rest stop, about 2 hours out of Sac, was at the same exit as Pea Soup Anderson's! I had to immediatly call The Momma and she got just as big a kick out of it as I did. Yay for memories and pictures. The rest of the trip went by pretty quickly. For the LA leg of our trip, I rode in the cargo van with Kristi. The traffic was not bad at all for 2:30 in the afternoon and we were bumpin' some hip hop and rap on the radio, so it was a good time.

Monday Evening: We arrived at our project house at around 7pm. This is the house that all the previous teams who have worked with the King/Chavez school had stayed in. Unfortunatly for us, the school has thus expanded and now they use the entire house for classes. We had absolutly nowhere to store our stuff, and we were supposed to be fine with that. Heck no! A big requirement for any project it that they have proper housing for the entire team. This was very bad planning on the school's part. Everymorning we have to pack up all our stuff, including the cots and sleeping bags, and and store them in a room a bit smaller than my bathroom back home. Plus, all of our stuff blocks a fire exit. We decided that there was nothing we could do about it the first night we were here, so we just laid out our junk and fell asleep.

Tuesday: Our first full day, but all we did with the school was meet the guy who got us here, took a little tour of the neighborhood, and met some of the teachers. It didn't seem like the principal of the school or anyone, for that matter, was making a effort to improve our living situation. Not having a place to settle was, and still is, a major stressor in my life. I actually swore on the phone when I was balling to The Grammy over the phone. That's how bad I was feeling. After my little crying breakdown, I got angry. I'm still angry that I am not in a comfortable position where I don't have to pack my bed every morning. But yesterday was not all bad, not at all. We had lots of free time, so we walked over to Chicano Park, which is a block away. Chicano Park is one of the largest outdoor museums in the country. It is under the freeway and bridge that takes you to Coranado and on the supports and every available wall are murals. They have to be some of the most beautiful artwork I've ever seen. I have some incredible pictures I took with my government-issue camera and as soon as I can I'll post some of my favorites. We walked around the neighborhood and I must say, I love it here. Everyone is extremely friendly and are so happy that Americorps people are here. We were told by people that this week SD was going to have a bit of a cold streak...all the way down to 60 degrees! It is so freakin' beautiful here and there is so much of the city that I want to explore. I did have an interesting experience at a local grocery store. We needed food for the next week so we went to this store that, from the outside, looked like a type of Safeway. We walk in and I'm pretty sure we are the only white girls there. When they did announcements over the PA system, it was all in Spanish. They had a very limited selection and we couldn't even find half of the things we needed. And it was terribly expensive. Definitaly a unique experience for me.

Wednesday (today): Went to Costco to get food for the week. I love that store. They sell some of the most random things. Then we actually got to work with the kids a bit today. Not how we will usually work, but it was still great to actually do something. In the morning I helped three girls out with their math. They really didn't need me, but I was there to make sure they did the right steps. During recess they brought out some gimp (plastic-like string used primarily in summer camps) and were so happy when I started talking gimp with them and showed them some new stuff. I also asked them a bit about themselves and found that my suspicions about the students were true...They speak perfect English, but their parents do not. They speak only Spanish at home and act as interpreters for their folks. At recess they would start speaking in Spanish and one girl said that they should talk in English so that I didn't think they were talking about me. In the afternoon I did pretty much the same thing for an after-school homework club. From now on tho, in the mornings I'll be working in a sixth grade class with Ms. Garland, who I hear is the greatest teacher, and in the afternoons I'll be helping Mr. Collins with middle school English. I'm very excited to be doing both.

Oh, I woke up last night and I couldn't breathe. I'm either sick AGAIN or I've developed allergies. I've been congested all day and feel like my head will explode. I'll get drugs for it tomorrow.

I'm so incredibly tired right now and I need some sleep. Sorry for the typos and misspellings. I'll update soon, I hope. Love and miss you all.