written earlier today 7.11

It is now about 6:30 in the morning.  Since 5:30 today, everyone was waiting it out in the basement and tunnels under the Iowa campus.  At 5:30, I was woken up by a really loud wind.  I glanced through the window blinds to see what seemed like lightning flashing outside.  But it wasn’t like the lightning in Nebraska.  It looked like something out of a Harry Potter movie.  You look outside it was just a white light.  My roommate and I woke up at the same time.  I didn’t think anything of it.  I thought it was just a strange windstorm of some sort and we would be safe.  A few minutes after my roommate mentioned something about a tornado, the warning signals for the building went off informing us to head to the tunnels. 

We were allowed to go back to our rooms.  Thankfully, nothing is damaged.  As we were walking up the stairs, there are just branches upon branches from trees lying outside.  It looks like branches all over—like you’re in a forest or something.  From my bedroom window, I can see the main building of the campus.  It’s where the Braille students stay and where all of the school staff work out of.  The roof looks to be torn clear off, at least from my side of the building.  I just feel really fortunate right not.  Some people have damage in their rooms like water dripping onto beds.  Another residential hall is flooded in “poop” water supposedly.  That sucks.  I’m very very fortunate.

below is a report from a weather website.  the description was 100% accurate.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
514 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2011
…PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY RESULTS FOR BENTON COUNTY INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF GARRISON AND VINTON…
LOCATION: GARRISON IOWA…430 AM CDT ON JULY 11 2011.
ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS: STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 110 TO 130 MPH.
DAMAGE:
* WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES INCLUDING MANY ROOFS PARTIALLY OR FULLY REMOVED. SOME BUILDINGS HAD COLLAPSED WALLS.
* NEARLY EVERY TREE SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED OR SNAPPED OFF IN
TOWN.
* WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES.
LOCATION: VINTON IOWA…435 AM CDT JULY 11 2011
ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS: STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 110 MPH.
DAMAGE:
* NUMEROUS STRUCTURES SUFFERED MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE.
* MOST TREES SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED OR SNAPPED OFF.
* SIGNIFICANT POWER OUTAGES.
STORM SURVEYS ARE ONGOING. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

written a couple of days before i left pawnee city

For some reason, sometimes my heart aches when I think about the fact that I am leaving Pawnee City.  It is only a couple of days before I head back home for 10 days.  And I’m excited to go home and see my family and friends.  But at the same time, I’ve grown attached to some places.  The main place I’ve grown attached to is the historical society, understandably since it’s where we’ve been doing all of our work.  I’ve probably attached myself to the fact that I got a chance to do physical work every single day for 6 straight weeks.  While the work became mundane and redundant at times, it’s what I expected out of NCCC.  I’m proud of myself for powering through and getting past the boring days to do the best job I could.  That’s what this whole experience is about—in my eyes.  Through all of the physical labor, you need to see that you’re performing community service for one person, a few people, or a whole community who wants your help.  I’m not saying that I’ve thought about the service I was performing every day.  More often than not, what was on my mind was “I got to get these weeds cut down or I got to scrape off as much bad paint as I could.” Really, I’m not sure if I ever consciously went into each work day thinking that I was really helping out a community.  The main thing I thought about was that Yvonne, our site supervisor, sent in an application to get an NCCC team obviously because she had the need for us.  The historical society does not have a lot of funds to maintain the buildings.  Therefore, instead of complaining about how boring the work is, I needed to do my work with pride.  It’s like in school when your parents and teachers tell you to signature your work by making sure it is 100% quality.  This ain’t school work but it’s work that is just as important.  Like I said in my first post about Pawnee City, our site supervisor believes in the quality of our work.  You got to do a good job.  Not just out of self-respect but for the people who hired you.

This past weekend, my team and I presented Yvonne with flowers and a card at the Methodist Church in front of the congregation.  It was touching seeing the tears come to her eyes.  And today, she surprised all of us by presenting us with a plaque with our names on it.  It will hang up in the main office for everyone who comes after to know that we were there.  It brought tears to her eyes also.  It’s really heart felt just writing about it.  I think I’m so reluctant to leave, not only because I left a mark here with my work, but because I’ve tried to integrate myself into the community for 6 weeks.  And I’ve met a great bunch of people.  And now, I’m just up and leaving, probably never to see all those smiling faces again.  That’s what’s tough.  Honestly, while I really enjoyed Sherman Lake and the staff who were there, I’ll be leaving Pawnee City with the same, if not heavier, heart.  Two totally different experiences, but equally as rewarding.  Much love to all those I met!

As for my next project.....I hope to leave the island with the same feelings.  But who knows.  It should all work itself out.  After my 10 day break, I will be heading to Isle Royale, an island off of Lake Superior in Michigan.  It is 15 minutes from the Canadian border.  My team and I will be on the island for 6 weeks, working 10 days at a time.  We are going to beautify trails BABY!!!  I’m so looking forward to it.  We will be camping for those 10 days with no access to running water.  It will be an adventure.  Not to mention, we will be living on an island that has the longest-running predator-prey experiment between moose and wolves.  Moose and wolves.  Need I say more?  Sweet.  While I’ve never gone camping before, I am so up for this experience.  I definitely need it.  Whoot whoot!  Can’t wait! (Wow, I just changed emotions from sad to happy).  That’s enough about Isle Royale for now.

I got one more night to spend in Pawnee City. And I got to soak it in.

-David