Last Work Day: Friday, May 22

Thursday Night in Charleston

May 21 evening by Tali Champney

Right after our afternoon work, we left to take quick showers back at the house. From there we were off to downtown Charleston to eat dinner at Giovanni’s Pizzeria. We had about an hour before dinner, so we took that opportunity to do some shopping. The market was just starting to close, but the different boutiques and stores were all open. We stopped in a variety of shops, including candy stores to fancy jewelry shops. Then we headed back to Giovanni’s and ate the biggest pizza slices that I have ever seen. After dinner we did a little more shopping, then we gathered back at Giovanni’s to start our ghost tour. Our tour guide walked us around the area and told us various stories of murder, deaths, and the ghosts that supposedly hunt the area as a result. My favorite story was about a woman named Lavinia and her husband John who lured men into their house, put poison in their tea, and murdered them while they were knocked out. Lavinia sought to be the first female serial killer, and that she was. She and her husband were eventually caught and hung, and her ghost has been seen wandering the area where she died. Overall the evening was a really fun experience and I definitely recommend checking out downtown Charleston if you ever get the chance.

Thursday, May 21

By Olivia de Pandi

Thursday morning we woke up for our last full day of work. We arrived at the site at 8 am, where we were once again divided into teams depending on who wanted to roof and who wanted to perform on-ground tasks, including painting fences, demolishing window frames, cleaning old signs, and weeding. After a hot and tiring 4 hours of work, we broke for lunch by noon, and treated ourselves to sandwiches and chips in the shade.

Wednesday, May 20

Written by Fallon McKnight

Wednesday was a much easier day than Tuesday. We spent almost all day roofing and by the afternoon we were champs. Of course we had a few mistakes here and there, but after a full two days we have finally mastered the skills of roofing. Randy, our roofing supervisor, has become one of our best friends since he encourages us to push harder and work faster in order to finish the roof. Also, he’s a pretty funny guy. Just like on Tuesday, today was a scorcher. But we had learned from the previous day the amount of breaks to take and for how long in order to get the work done fastest. For lunch we were rewarded with ice cream sandwiches for dessert, a blessing on a hot day in South Carolina. In the evening for dinner Julia, Katie T., Taylor, and Olivia prepared pasta and garlic bread, which was delicious. For our evening activity we took a trip to Folly beach for a stroll on the sand. We came home to late night grilled cheeses prepared by Katie D. and then it was off to bed to rest up for the next day.

Workday: Tuesday May 19

Written by Connor Schultz and Alec Economakis

May 19

Tuesday morning we got up early and we arrived at our first day of work  by 8:00. When we arrived we were instructed on the basic of safety and we joined hands in a non-denominational prayer asking for a safe and meaningful week led by Dr. Romeyn. After that work started. Our group was tasked with moving boxes of cabinets from one house to another house. Afterwards the two of us were part of the group that went up on the roof and nailed down shingles. It was breezier than expected up there. The other groups helped to wrap the house in a moisture-proof plastic. After the sun exhausted us with the heat we all took a break and we then began to eat our lunch. We pack our lunches (sandwiches, fruit, chips and cookies) before we leave in the morning. In the afternoon we put plenty of time into “Lot 3” as we installed windows and doors and continued the house-wrapping. After all our work was done we cleaned up and finally we were able to sit in the car and blast the A/C. Connor and I went back to the boys’ house to shower and clean up and later headed over to the girls’ house for "Tuesday Tacos" made generously by Stephanie, Tali, Caroline and Dariah. We played some catch with some of the little kids in the neighborhood. About 8 pm, we drove to Kiawah for ice cream and rented the movie “Unbroken," which we all watched together before getting a good night's sleep.

Tuesday, May 19: Work Day!

Good morning!  We are excited to be on the work site today! We have been moving cabinets, windows and doors.  We've cleaned up piles of lumber.  We are now shingling and wrapping the house.  We are in a neighborhood of 30-plus Habitat homes, all in different stages of completion.

Monday, May 18 (Orientation Day and Play Time)

Written by Caroline Peterson

Monday morning, we started with a breakfast of cereal, yogurt, and a variety of fruits and headed over to orientation at 10:00. We were shown videos about the Sea Island Habitat project and the many families who are provided with a home at half the normal cost of having a house in the Charleston area. We were then presented with a video about safety procedure when at the work site. After everything was said and done, the three minivans set off towards the beautiful Kiawah beach where we spent almost 4 hours under the sun and had a packed lunch comprised of sandwiches, chips, apples, and cookies. While some sunbathed, others enjoyed playing catch with a football. After we had our fill of the sun, much to Fallon’s disappointment, the group went back to the house. A few made a stop at the grocery store to prepare for tonight’s dinner:  hamburgers, turkey burgers, fruit salad, Caesar salad, and Katie’s famous macaroni and cheese. Tonight we are going to see “Pitch Perfect 2” before getting some rest before out first big day of work tomorrow.