Houston-Health

Our third day in Houston began with a scramble for breakfast. Kim was kind enough to make eggs for some of us but when it came time to eat them herself, she dropped them on the floor. As we ventured to our first destination of the day, we realized that we forget the cooler containing our lunches back at the apartment. This was a rough start to the morning but it did not deter our moral. We arrived at our first volunteer site, Healthcare for the Homeless, Houston (HHH), and worked with Nicole Harris throughout the morning performing various tasks. A few members of our group made over 75 planners and wallets that would be distributed to homeless people around the area. Other members cleaned the walls and windows of the building while the rest of our crew helped to organize the clothing closet, assisting people who were looking for specific clothes. At the end of the morning, Nicole gave our group a tour through the building, showing us the dental clinic and the medical clinic, which are free to any member of the Healthcare for Homeless, Houston organization. It was very cool to see how much time and effort is put into the organization to provide free health care and shelter for those who need it. We left our first site around lunchtime and decided to test out a local Vietnamese restaurant because we had forgotten our packed lunches. The restaurant was called Les Givrao's and the sandwiches were excellent, especially for the price. Our whole group was able to eat for only $60 and we even got an extra sandwich in our order. After lunch, it was time for us to travel to our second volunteer destinations. Half of our group was dropped off at Emerald Bay town homes, while the other half drove on to Champion town homes to help kids with homework after school. We had a little trouble finding the first drop off site at first because we were assuming the after school care would take place at an elementary school, but once we discovered that it was in the town homes, involving the neighborhood kids, we arrived on time. We spent the afternoon assisting the kids with their homework, coloring, reading, and playing games outside. It was so much fun meeting all the kids and being able to spend a few hours with them during the day. We hope to go back to the town homes either tomorrow or Thursday to spend more time with the kids. We arrived back at the apartment this evening and Alexa and Allea prepared the best tacos for dinner. We plan on making a second attempt at brownies tonight after the first night did not go so well. The ingredients were mixed up during the baking process and while some of us felt that they were the greatest brownies of all time, there were a few complaints about the taste and consistency of the dessert. Either way, tonight there will be no mix ups.