Week 6 (September 7-September 13)

The week started off with a day off because of Labor Day. Definitely was nice to have the day off!! Days off are definitely not taken for granted!! A few of my teammates and I decided to check out the China Buffet in town for lunch. As I was eating I noticed that my stomach shrunk a lot! I used to love Chinese food and now I barely have an appetite for it. Nonetheless it was quite delicious and a very nice change from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. In the afternoon my team and I had to come up with our personal PT goals. My goal for the first round is to be able to run a full mile and a half as well as be able to do complete sets of each exercise (sit ups, push ups, squats) without tiring out. After we created our goals my team and I worked out together. Our PT session consisted of running around the soccer field and doing different exercises as we completed each lap. By the end of the session I had ran close to a mile and half!! Considering I’m far from a runner, I was quite happy! At the rate I’m going I think that there is a good chance that I will be able to achieve my first round goal.

Tuesday through Friday my team and I spent each day working on our project. As a whole we all felt exhausted by the end of each day only really having enough energy to have dinner together. You would think walking around neighborhoods all day wouldn’t wear you out, but it does! The combination of hills, the hot and humid heat, and the constant crouching down by each curb can definitely wear you out. Each day I made sure that I found appreciation in the every day things that I came across. Never would have expected that I’d find myself smiling and appreciating each cloud that would cover the sun for a few minutes or the slight breeze that would always come at the most needed time. I also found it funny how each day was either a dog or cat day. A few times we would even find stray cats and dogs following us around the neighborhoods.

Saturday morning Becca and I decided to take a weekend trip to Alabama. Becca is from Alabama and needed to take a trip there to renew her driver’s license. Considering I have never been to Alabama before I decided it would be a great idea to travel along with her! Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Becca and I have become really good friends over the past few weeks. On the way to Alabama Becca and I found it really nice to be able to choose what kind of music we wanted to listen to. I also forgot what it was like to travel in a car where I could sit in the front seat, stretch my legs, not have to worry about 10 other people and not feel like I was always in the largest vehicle on the road. After 6 hours of christian and country music we arrived in Andalusia, Alabama and headed to Becca’s house where I met her parents, brother, and grandmother. Her family instantly accepted me into their home :D Andalusia is small town, probably around the size of Ogunquit. Once we got situated we went to Old Mexico for dinner where I was able to enjoy real Mexican food. It was nice being able to order my own meal and not have to worry about sharing it or waiting for 10 other people to eat. After dinner we headed back to Becca’s house and cheered on the Auburn War Eagles while we enjoyed Dairy Queen ice cream. According to Becca the south really enjoys their college football teams. The rivalry between teams tends to be consistent wherever you go in the south. Becca is a such a huge fan of Auburn University that she will only eat pairs of the orange and blue M & M’s. Becca’s family may be an exception however of the southern football experience. Becca and her mom can have a normal conversation, break out in a cheer for their team, and then return to the conversation as if nothing ever happened. After watching a game with them I’ve decided that one of my goals before the end of my “Ameriexperience” is to perfect my football game watching etiquette.

Sunday morning I went to a Presbyterian church with Becca, her brother and her mom. The three of them sing in the choir each weekend and they invited me to sing with them. I energetically accepted their invitation with a smile because it reminded me of singing with my own church choir back at home. During the service the congregation warmly welcomed me and the choir director even told me that I was welcome to come back and sing with them anytime. After church we had a quick lunch at home before Becca, her mom and I decided to go see the Time Traveler’s Wife. Their theatre was even smaller than the theatre in Wells and the movie ticket was only 5 dollars!! Later on Becca’s dad cooked a traditional southern style meal! We had country fried steak, real mashed potatoes, red beans, and green beans. The meal may have been one of the best that I’ve had since I’ve been in the south. If I ate like that every day I’d be one happy yankee! After dinner Becca and I headed to a Penecostal church for their Sunday night service. My goodness was I in for a surprise. The service began with praise and worship and then the minister/pastor preached from the bible with a large amount of enthusiasm. The service reminded me of the one that is on television each week that I normally flip by because it’s a little too animated for me. Overall it was nice to experience a service that is far different from the mass that I am used to and I was proud of myself for stepping out of my religious comfort zone.