Three days into our alternative spring break, and we’re already busy serving the city of Detroit — so busy, it turns out, we missed a blog post. After a full Monday of home-repair, group discussion and a lengthy trip to Home Depot, the Detroit Diggers didn’t even finish their taco dinner until 11:30.
But today, we’re back in St. John’s Episcopal Church at 10:52, ready to put out the best MAB blog y’all have ever seen. Believe the hype.
Our Tuesday started at 8 a.m., as everyone reluctantly rolled out of sleeping bags and blankets to start the day. It didn’t take long for the group to become excited, though — we all knew Tuesday was our last chance to work with the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative, fixing up the future headquarters of the organization. Sitting in our cramped, 12-person-ish white van, we were quick to jam to some local radio.
As soon as we arrived at the run-down house, everyone quickly picked up a job. Three days into our trip, we all felt pretty confident with our capacity for home repair. Some people grabbed crow-bars and hammers, smashing down existing drywall like the freaking Hulk. Others cleaned the dusty house inside and out until it looked dinner-party-ready (well, close at least).
When it came time to say goodbye to the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative’s wonderful staff, we were overjoyed with the amount of work we put into the house. The building we all left behind was a distant image from the one we started with. Our group even made an Extreme Home Makeover spoof, screaming “move that busssssssss!” to reveal the newly refurbished home at 7432 Brush St.
A few hours later, it was time for stir-fry dinner. Our very own Jessica Hill, Emmie Harcourt and Kitty Reed prepared the dish, and it was near perfect, although some of us didn’t know to put on all the fixings. Co-site leader Ian Pauley mistook Sriracha sauce for the actual sauce, wincing when he took his first bite. The guy does not do spicy.
All was well later in the evening, however, as Ian and company hit downtown Detroit at around 8:30. Our group got to throw change into a towering indoor waterfall, spot famous restaurants and take many, many selfies. Toward the end of our downtown exploring, we stumbled into a famous jazz club, watching talented musicians play the crap out of shimmering saxophones. It was a great end to a fun excursion.
And now, we’re here: sitting in the basement of St. Johns. Many tired volunteers have gone to bed while others are doing homework. Some people are trying to convince Ian Pauley to follow up his wonderful Ty Pennington impression with one of Ryan Gosling in “Drive,” muttering under his breath and taking his shirt off.
All of us are excited to work with Earthworks Urban Farm tomorrow, and many are pretty stoked about the prospect of much-needed sleep.
So, goodnight. We hope all of our mothers enjoyed the post (we know you guys are waiting by the computer to read these).
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