OH SPARTINA WHY DO YOU CURSE ME??

9 hours a day digging spartina grass.... in 90 something degree heat + humitity.... not a good time.

but im staying positive.

This is where i live.

I really dont have much time to blog because im always so tired, but i promise to update soon with pictures from the Rebuilding Together New Orleans project and the St Johns River Water Management project in Umatilla Florida.

Love forever,

Kari

umatilla, Florida

So my team, Delta 5, is in Umatilla, Florida. We are working with St. John's Water Management to try and restore the marshes back to there natural state with grass called Spartina so that this area can continue to have clean water. What we do is dig up half of the Spartina plant from a field where is grows plentifully and then replant it where is can flourish. It is the hardest work I've ever done and it's safe to say it is my least favorite job I've ever had but we are staying positive and convincing ourselves that this job will give us a great tan and get us in great shape! It has been hard since on our trip down here, Paige, Our team leader, had a death in her family and needed to fly home. So we have had an acting team leader, Lisa, who is a corps member like me. It's been a difficult transition for some, but most of us have been respecting of her leadership- but we are all ready for Paige to come back to make our team whole again.

but besides work, we've done a bit of playing too. Yesterday we spend the day at Wekiwa Springs. Which is a naturally occuring cold springs about an hour away from where we are staying. the water is crystal clear and Lisa and i spend most of the time there exploring the underwater caves with our goggles on! it was amazing. after the springs we got lunch at CHIPOTLE!!! yes, i finally found a chipotle and i had to beg the team to stop so i could get a delicious burrito bol! and it was definitely worth the detour because it was delicious!! We explored the town of Eustis (the closest "town" to our camp) and we found a great coffee shop, book store, and organic food store with great fresh ground peanut butter and local honey! when we got back to our camp site (did i mention we are staying at a baptist conference center?? we have 2 cabins and a kitchen and a dock just for us on Lake Yale) anyway, when we got back to the cabins Lisa and I swam for 2 hours in our gigantic Olympic size pool, then we went canoeing with the team, and then we played soccer ( i scored 3 goals!!! the score was 5-2, my team won!!). we had tilapia and some veggies for dinner and called it a night!

I'll have to post some pictures when i have better internet reception- but for now im going canoeing on the lake (where there are a bunch of alligators!)

LOVE FOREVER
Kari


PS,
new mailing address until September 24:

Kari Shields- class 17
Americorps NCCC
39034 CR 452
Leesburg, FL 34788

whoops, i forgot to show you my uniform!

TA DAAA! AmeriCorps reppin' the A!

this is a big bug.....

and so is this...

ANDDDDD this.

goodbye for now!

KARI

a quick AmeriBlog before i go to class

recap:
certified in CPR, First Aid, AED.
know how to manage a shelter
know how to make a child friendly space in the shelter
know how to run an emergency food truck
know how to evacuate new orleans
know how to roof
know how to use a saw
know how to paint
know how to build a frame for a house
know how to build a walking trail



fun things:
working out 3 times a week
going to the military park and learning ALL about the civil war.
BEN CAME TO VISIT!!!!!!
staying out late on the weekends!
growing so close to strangers.
cookies from mom..
cookies from Ben's mom..
Dad sent me stamps.
Aunt Becky sent me a back pack!


My team is going to New Orleans this weekend (Thursday-Sunday) for the 5 year anniversary of hurricane Katrina. we will be doing a Blitz Build. which is where we try to build as many houses as possible. the goal of the weekend for all the volunteers is 50. oh boy....

pictures taken by the Vicksburg Train Station on the Caboose of a train!

 

Dead Bird. 

Vicksburg Casino

Illinois monument in the Military Park

Ben in the trenches on a battlefield from the Civil War

OHIO! (civil war monument.

civil war battlefield in the background.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN,

KARI

FINALLY IN VICKSBURG MISSISSIPPI

I am here in Vicksburg, MS and it's so different than what I'm used to. Dorm life is interesting but i really like it. Training each day is a little tiring because the heat index is about.. 103! oh, and let me tell you about a little thing we like to call FIRE ANTS! wow. first night, i get off the shuttle and go to meet my team immediately.. and i see someone jump over the fence while simultaneously kicking his shoes off. apparently he was standing on an ant hill and sunk into it and ants climbed all over his legs and feet.. he had bites all over him. so needless to say, im never wearing flip-flops again and im constantly terrified of getting bit. the only bugs i ever see are mosquitoes and cicadas- pretty typical.


I went to Walmart today to get some things for my room and i got a chance to talk to some of the locals and they are very friendly and welcoming.




i will write more tomorrow, and maybe post a picture of my uniform! :]


with love from MS,
Kari

A Change of Appearance

So before I leave for AmeriCorps, I made a list of things I need to do and things I want to do. On that list was to get a new tattoo to memorialize where I'm from and what home means to me. So I chose to get a tattoo that symbolized the final exit.The tattoo is Heaven's gates (open, of course) and underneath it says "exit 59". Exit 59 is the exit to Milford Parkway. It is where i am from, and it is where my eldest brother lost his life. Adam was killed while exiting Milford Parkway to see a movie with his wife. We put a little brown cross out on the side of the road that no one ever notices.. But I wanted people to know what that means to me.. so that is why I got this tattoo.

until next time.
Kari R. Shields

OUTER BANKS, NORTH CAROLINA

Ben and I had such an amazing time in Outer Banks, North Carolina. It was such a much needed break from the everyday hustle and bustle of work, car trouble, bills, and getting ready for the big move. We stayed at the Quality Inn Carolina Front and it was really nice. They served waffles and biscuits every morning. YUM! We spent everyday on the beach and by the pool. On Monday we went jet skiing! It was so much fun! We had never been jet skiing and it was such an experience. By Wednesday we were terribly sun burned but it thunder stormed on Wednesday morning and the humidity was really high so we took advantage of the poor weather and explored the banks by going the the pier and going shopping in the little beach shops. If you ever make it out to The Outer Banks you MUST go to the following restaurants: High Cotton BBQ, Outer Banks Brewery, and Port O Calls. High Cotton BBQ is delicious and the cheapest we ate while on vacation. Outer Banks Brewery brews their own beer in the restaurant but it is a little expensive. Port O Calls is an interesting restaurant that everyone on the banks needs to try once. The decor is so unique with couches made of bull horns and cow hide and Marilyn Monroe photos everywhere! it was great in there. the food was just average though. and in case you wont make it to the beach this year, here are some pictures to tide you over!

UNTIL NEXT TIME,
kari