Week 21

Day 140: Dec 28, 2014

It was a slightly stressful shift. I think partly because we had done some planning for one sauce, which then we were told that we couldn't do, and we were told that another part of our planning was not going to work (it would have in the end). I was ready to roll with the punches but my fellow lead has not lead as much so he wasn't quite as ready deal with the change. It made things a little more stressful but in the end it all worked out. Clean up took forever but that is part of the gig. That was pretty much my work day but some of the village children had much worse days than me. There are currently at least 3 kids in the village who are puking their guts out. I feel so bad for them and I really hope it doesn't spread much more.

Day 141: Dec 29, 2014

The Holden Village Winter Olympic Games have officially BEGUN!! The opening ceremony went off without a hitch. The olympic song blasted from the PA system into the clear night sky as candles, held by villagers and guests alike, lined the road up to the flame's final destination, the top of chalet hill. The torch was carried around the tailings and up through the candle light to the Olympic Cauldron (a very large pot with lots of wood soaked in accelerant). The Cauldron lit and its flame lit the night sky, seemingly beyond what the moon had the strength for. The events begin tomorrow and I am participating in the all-day knitting competition. By the end of the day, I must have a completed project that will be judged on the quality of the work. I feel pretty confident, but that also might be the effects of sitting in the light of a sun-replacement lamp for an hour. Following the opening ceremony, Alex, Leah, and I spent about 3 hours making 175 participation medals. That is more than enough for everyone in the village but we wanted to make sure that we had enough for everyone who wanted one. In other words, we sat in the living room with a tv show on in the background and cut circles, punched holes, cut and tied strings and glued on ribbons for 3 hours.

Today was a fun filled day even before the Opening Ceremony. After work, a couple of people who work in the kitchen and I went for a walk down the road. We ended up walking for about 45 minutes and throwing snowballs at Josh while he was making a snow angel down by the creek for 15 minutes. It was really nice. The only downside was that we had to get back for a staff meeting which was kind of crummy. Following the staff meeting, many of the same people who went on the walk gathered in Hallie's room to bask in the light of her sun-replacing light. It led to some great tired induced conversations and everyone seemed at least a little happier afterwards. It is now almost midnight and we finished the medals about 20 minutes ago. I really think I should go to bed.

Day 142: Dec 30, 2014

I won a marathon in the olympic games!! It was a knitting marathon but a marathon nonetheless. We had 8 hours to finish a project and then it was judged by the village. Eight of us started at the beginning of the day and only four turned in their projects at the end of the day. I decided to go all out and I decided to make a meerkat from a book I got for Christmas. I decided on the meerkat because it was cute enough to get people excited about it but also simple enough that I thought I could get it done it the allotted time. It turned out really cute and I am really glad that it got the award I think it deserved.

Day 143: Dec 31, 2014

Tonight was an amazing shift. Everything went ridiculously smoothly: food was good, was ready on time, and the shift was relatively relaxed- which is how I like to run my shifts. Soon after eating we headed to vespers together where I got to talk to a first grader about his highs and lows of the year. Then, a group of us headed out to the other side of the creek where there was a candle lit labyrinth. It was crazy cold out but it was nice to walk the labyrinth and think about the past year. I did walk very quickly on the way back, though. The festivities continued in the dining hall where there was a pinata and all of the kids got a swing at it. Since they didn't completely break it I was called upon. I smashed that pinata to smithereens. It was great. As I am sure you have figured out by now, the village is a little unique. We celebrated the New Year at 10pm- midnight Minnesota time- with a disco ball drop. After the ball drop many of us headed outside to the street for a dance party. The party is going on until midnight but I cut out early because I get to work the morning shift tomorrow.

Day 144: Jan 1, 2015

Work went well but people are dropping like flies from the sickness going around. We now have two cooks down. Because of this, I decided to sleep most of the afternoon to give my body as much of a chance to fight it as possible.

Day 145: Jan 2, 2015

Welp, I got the “Holden Crud” (aka the flu)

Day 146: Jan 3, 2015

A day filled with sleeping, coughing, and wet kleenexes.