Haven't Posted Lately.

But last week was so interesting! On Tuesday we played bingo. One of the men that won gave me a handshake after he won and was quick to boast that this was his first time ever winning anything for as long as he could remember. On Thursday, I met a man who was going to a comedy club to preform his jokes the next night. I found out there was a guy who used to play guitar with Neil Diamond, and another guy who has written over 5,000 poems. The ones he read to me were amazing.

This week, we had our pictures taken by a professional photographer for a RITI newsletter. I really hope mine gets in. The photographer has worked with Ewan McGregor, Taylor Swift, The Governor of Tennessee, and many other famous people.

There are so many amazing stories to be heard at RITI. Seeing and hearing the reality these people live in is an amazing part of my job. The stories to be told are incredible. Every day I learn the truth behind homelessness and break down the misconceptions that I have.

First Week of Work

My first week at Room In The Inn. Where do I even start??? It was certainly an interesting week, and the staff members I work with at the service desk told me I came in during a time that's pretty unique to the rest of the year. On Thursday we served lunch with many less people than we planned on; the church who had volunteered to help us didn't show up. On Tuesday, my first day, I had to clean the bathrooms and learned to do laundry. And Wednesday we had a clean up day, where we close down for the day and focus on cleaning up, re-arranging, and prepping for winter. 

Thursday night was the best part of all. We had our first art show at Room In The Inn! Participants who took art classes (or in some cases just one art class) were allowed to showcase their work. The turn out was huge, and I was fascinated by all the support shown by the staff and the community. Most of the other YAVs showed up as well to see what all is going on at RITI. Four of the pieces where purchased by the Tennessee State Museum! After only three days of working there, I was already able to say how proud I was of all the work that we do, and that I will continue to help with as my year continues.