i'd rather be flying: Homeless, But Happy

Hey everyone! I just got in from an afternoon run and figured I would update you on the happenings of my life. This week has been exciting. Each year, our campus sponsors Cardboard City. All week, there is a group of cardboard boxes that students sleep in to promote awareness of homelessness here in our area. Well, I've been sleeping there for the past 3 nights...and tonight will make my fourth.

Monday was cold, Tuesday was rainy. I woke up at 5AM to the loudest crack of thunder I have heard in my life. The ground shook. I told my friends my heart was beating fast because it was so loud. About that time, rain began to downpour. We stayed dry for 2 or 3 minutes and we thought our box was going to make it. Then, water began to seep in. I was trying to find my shoes and my blankets and stuff was getting soaked and we were all freaking out. In the midst of things, I accidentally knocked the support stick out from under the roof and the roof collapsed. It was traumatic. My sleeping back and everything began to flood. At 5:15 in the morning, I was standing in the middle of a lawn in Emory, Virginia with my backpack and all soaked by the rain. I can only imagine what homeless people go through when things like this happen...regularly. Homelessness is an issue that needs to be addressed. There is more to it than people think, but that is for another day and another post. I have put some pictures of my cardboard house that was destroyed by the storm at the bottom of this post.

I have been working with Highlands Project, and afterschool public education program, all this semester. It has turned out to be one of the best things I have done while I have been here at Emory. I am a mentor on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings from 3-6. I have been working with Josh, the kid in the picture with me down below. It's kind of scary how much he and I have in common, now and even when I was in the 5th grade like him. He's a fun kid to work with and I kind of dread the year ending and not getting to work with him this summer. It will be hard. But, there is always next year! Below the pictures of cardboard city is a few pictures from the Highlands Project.

Everyone have a good evening! I'm off to visit a couple of my cousins and the back to cardboard city for the last night! It is supposed to rain. Oh goodness.