We're Here...

...and there are a heck of a lot more people around this place than we were expecting.

Camp Hope is a converted school building with room for about 500 volunteers. We were expecting to be here during a "down week" because of the holidays, and knew that there would only be one other group here from Syracuse University in New York. When we were walking around with Bruce yesterday, we learned that this week is an "UP week" - with more than 350 people staying here. Up on the second floor where most of the rooms are, the bunks look like this:
...only with people on the top bunks as well. When we were finished with our grand tour and orientation and the men got to their room upstairs, it looked like this:
...only with sleeping guys everywhere. In a wonderful gesture of sincere encouragement influenced in no way by sarcasm induced by a 14-hour van drive, Phil (at least, it sounded like Phil) passed me as I first entered the room looking for an unoccupied top bunk and whispered, "Yeah...good luck."

But I can declare victory for my part: I found a bed and managed to climb up with only my feet in the face of some poor creature in the bottom bunk who so kindly pretended to be asleep when my toes got caught in his hair. The agenda for the next hour before we get our construction assignment while meeting at the designated spot includes responding to a few emails here on the Wi-Fi (I believe it's pronounced "whiffy") internet in the building and grabbing breakfast downstairs.

Until later...