Samuel in Pain

"Moments before"

It was a peaceful day when I broke my right ankle. I was working very hard and I slipped. All my team members were very helpful. The foot I broke was my soccer and good foot. I miss my right foot a lot. I am sometimes mad when I see other people walking with their two feet or playing soccer. I was in so much pain on that day.

This month was not my month and I will never forget this project in Minot. I will be so I happy when I heal. Some days I am okay but some days it feels like I am in a different world of pain. I have had a great AmeriCorps year with my awesome team Maple 4.

~Sam

Land of the Vikings

A surprising fact about Minot is that it is home to the largest annual Scandinavian festival in North America: Norsk Høstfest. Although the flooding may have led to the cancellation of the state fair (which also occurs in Minot), those dang Vikings could not be robbed of their annual pilgrimage. Our sponsor organization, Lutheran Disaster Response, hooked us up with complimentary tickets and the day off to indulge in the festivities. First we drove over to the local Scandinavian park to tour some traditional buildings.

Full wodden church in Scandinavian Park

Upon arriving at the fest, we were greeted by a giant troll man.

Team poses with funny troll

Then there was the Swedish Dala horse, a Scandinavian mascot of sorts.

Not to mention traditional foods all over the place. Gaby and I went on a quest to eat them all. I had some Swedish meatballs, and we tried this dessert called Rommegrot, which is incredibly caloric and delicious treat made with cream, butter, and copious amounts of cinnamon sugar. Here is Gaby, initially deciding whether she likes it or not:

Rommegrot posing with Gaby

There were also a ton of vendors and people showcasing their arts and crafts. There were Lots of wood-workers, and performances including an accordion player's rendition of "Sweet Caroline," a Boston favorite, Vikings fighting with real swords, and girls dancing on skis. I can't make this stuff up, people. I didn't take a very good video, but there's one online if you want to see what it's all about. Which, of course you do.

Ski Dancers dancing to Chi Mai by Escala

Our second day at the festival was spent working with some volunteers from LDR to serve food cooked on site by Scandinavian chefs. Spiffy outfits, right?

All in all it was a fun time, and like I said, a surprising turn of events. Minot, the Viking capital of North America? Go figure.

~ Darcy

The challenging challenges that challenge Maple 4

View of Granville

There are many things that come with each project that are challenges. In the past we have had the challenges of sleeping in the same room or cold work days. I am finding that with our last project in Minot, ND there are many hard parts.

One of the hard things is living 22 miles outside of Minot. With construction and roadwork this can be anywhere form 30-40 minutes. Every project we have had prior has been less then 2 miles away to travel to each morning. So a typical day now we have to leave at least 45 minutes before we start to arrive at work on time. On top of this Minot is the closest city to us that we can shower, do laundry and grocery shop at. Most days we leave at 7:15am and arrive back home anywhere from 8-9:30pm.

Studs in a home that was flooded

Another challenge for us has been power washing homes. This is done after houses have been mucked and gut. The next step is to clean the wood of any mold or dirt from the sewage that has been left from the flood water. The process is long and often involves getting completely soaked by the powerwasher. Many members of our team have finished the work day covered with mold and dirt.

After a few hours of power washing

Although the team has found these things challenging - there is nothing more rewarding then meeting the homeowners and hearing their gratitude. What 9 people can do in just a few days would take many of these homeowners with families months to accomplish.


~Gaby