Week One

Ok, so I originally planned this blog to only cover the road trip to New Mexico. Actually, I had originally planned not to write a blog at all, since most blogs I've seen consist of people bitching about their days without spell check. Yet through the power of motherly nagging, sisterly scolding, and my lifelong life motto of "meh," I decided to write a blog. And now I'm updating it. Not sure how I sank this low.

Once Nick and I arrived at the visitor center, we briefly met the other interns and then Kirsten, who basically is in charge of things here, gave us the orientation. To clarify..

Kirsten - head of operations here in Taos, New Mexico. Organized the interns, etc...

Heidi - similar job, but lives in the same house as the other interns, but in a distant room and we rarely see her.

Mike Reynolds - first conceived the idea of building structures out of tires and recycled materials that would sustain itself.

About five minutes into the orientation, during which Kirsten took us to different earthships, Nick and I gained a sharp dislike for her. Despite the fact we were paying for rent, food, commuting, laundry, and weren't being compensated a dime, she still told us not to shop at Walmart because, although cheaper, it was a big corporation. Later on, she extolled the wonders we would experience in our month here by explaining how dangerous the nearby town was, and how there's a serial murderer/rapist still loose. So welcome!

She noted that the language from workers and foremen on the job was "disgusting." Luckily enough, Nick and I got to work the first two days with the originators of this blasphemous behavior: Damien and Brian. We spent most of the time laughing while we worked.

Kirsten also got on my nerves not only because she was, as Nick delicately put it, "a toolbox," but also because she sprung a secondary job duty on the interns a month before the internship started. We were to work 2 days in the visitor center greeting passerbys. I was pissed, for I came to work with my hands, not with my smile-and-nod muscles.

It was also baffling how difficult it was to reach her before this internship began. It took weeks for me to reserve a room for Nick and I, as well to find out the project's address and the days of the week we'd be working. In the end, Heidi took care of everything, circumventing Kirsten's uselessness, but she wasn't exactly easy to reach either.

We got into our house, known as the HIVE, and found our room. I grabbed the lower bunk, and for the following 3 weeks Nick had to execute a pole vault-like maneuver to get onto the top bunk.

THE HIVE INTERNS

Luke - looks a bit like Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies mixed with Charlie from Willy Wonka. Nick and I teased him about his strong English accent, but he's a pretty rad dude. Can do a wicked handstand too.

Sarah - also English, takes the majority of photographs, and despite her innocent disposition, can often be seen with a cigarette in one hand and a PBR can in the other.

Ahmed - the oldest of the group, who reminded me of Ozzy Osbourne. I told him this and no one believed me. There is a similarity there, but to picture him better think of a Cuban Jesus. He lives in Spain and helped Nick learn some pick up lines in Spanish, which he desperately needs.

Alicia - Ahmed's wife. She has dealt with my constant "como se dice ____?" with supernatural kindness, and it's fun to chat with her at work about Spain, Argentina (which apparently should be renamed Lustland), and how we met our respective significant others. More on that funny bit later.

Sean - Australian, drove here with his girlfriend Ashley in a small blue school bus. Pretty chill dude. Their bus is a piece of work too, complete with tables, beds, beers, random trinkets, and an axe by the driver's seat which I assume is used for some highway trash talking or cleaving mailboxes/slow bikers.

Ashley - also known as Smashley. Canadian, and yes, they really do say "eh? often.

Peter - also Canadian and has a strong passion for Coors, but not Coors Light. For about a week he wore a matching sky blue outfit to work that looked like something out of Speed Racer or The Jetsons. It was hilarious.

Doug - may be the same age as Ahmed, not really sure. Friendly, plays some guitar, and reminds me of those calming doctors from movies.

- K that's about it for now. As for events this week, it's just been working from 9-430, hanging out, and then dinner. We decided on a brilliant system wherein everyone splits in pairs and one day a week that pair buys groceries for that night's dinner, and cooks it. Thereby we get a load of different meals, and all of them have been good. Maybe it just works well here because everyone can cook. Well, I can't. But week three I did, and it's true, a lot of cooking is mental. We feel when the food's ready. If you can't cook, find some directions, and just do it.