And on the Second Day They Rested..

So because of the rain, we ended up having to take our day off earlier in the week than expected, but the rain didn't stop us from having some fun!

Yesterday we visited the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindmann. While there we were able to learn about the amazing talented harbored in Kentucky and to really appreciated the arts that are born and nurtured here. A few members of the team found a few hats that they seemed to fancy too!

We started our Tuesday with a hearty breakfast together after sleeping in for a bit. I have to say that I've never had so much fun cooking for a group of people than Team Chester! After our breakfast and a few morning naps, we headed out to Lynch, KY to the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum. No one on this year's team had ever been in a coal mine before, but when we visited Portal 31, we hopped into an old coal car and headed down the tracks (with a guide of course!). It was a great experience for us all to really immerse ourselves into the culture of coal mining Kentucky. We all learned so much about the surrounding community and hopefully we'll be able to build even stronger connections after our visit.

On our way back to the Grape Twinkie (our purple 15 passenger van) we were invited into a thrift store called "The Coal Bin" by a few friendly faces. Once we were inside, the volunteers of the store gave us each hefty trash bags and told us that we could fill them and take the items inside for $1. NO JOKE. A full bag of items for $1. We were all overwhelmed by the kindness of these individuals and they seemed to really enjoy our company. We all had a lot of fun sifting through the racks of donated items and thinking of the people we could bring these to back home in NH. We also grabbed a few toys and clothes for the church that we're staying with in Hazard. It was an amazing experience of kindness and hospitality that we shared together.


We then headed back to Hazard and shared an evening of reflection, games and conversation. It's great to hear how surprised the students are in their experiences. We've seen a wide spectrum of lifestyles and socioeconomic statuses. On the same street within five houses of each other, you'll find a rather scattered and tattered home and then a well-kept, seemingly wealthy home. It has been a little bit of a culture shock for some, but a great learning experience non-the-less.

We're also pleasantly surprised by the amazing landscape in Kentucky. The roads and streets are cut through giant mountains and occasionally you'll pass a clearing to see a view such as this:

So far we're all having a lot of fun. We've been learning so much about one another, and the area around us. We're homing that the bad weather holds off for the rest of the week so that we'll be able to work and to get a lot accomplished within the rest of our stay. Tomorrow we get up early and head out to the worksite to hopefully help our contractors with a porch and a roof!

Thank you again for all of your continued support!

Til next time!
-Blaine