Placement Update

I spoke with GC today and they confirmed my thoughts on my placement details. The details of the Phase I rebuilding of the school is the only project they have complete details for at this time and it contains good in-country info for volunteers.

My specific project will be set up by mid-March and I will receive all details at that time before leaving. I was also told by the time the April projects begin we will be building either community centers or orphanages. The fact that some of the priority projects will be orphanages gives a bit of insight into how much tragedy there is and the dynamics that survival of a single family member brings about.

They said there have been a ton of inquiries since the article last week and also a journalist from the Travel Channel will be going along with them on one of the projects. The Travel Channel will then air a program about the experience. I'll keep my eyes open for more information about this.

"With A Little Help From My Friends"

Great news today! A few friends are >< this close to jumping on board with the reconstruction project with me! Received a few phone calls only hours after seeing the site. Only a handful of people know about this site for now and it's awesome that a few have already expressed great interest in helping. People really want help if only given the opportunity and I couldn't be happier to possibly have a couple of close friends along with me for the journey. I will be meeting with them this weekend to discuss the details and then I'll be able to post more.

It's Official

Received my placement email today from GC. There were a few forms attached for me to fill out and return as well as all the specific information on the first work site in Mahamodara. I don't believe this is my exact placement though and merely all the information they have on any project at this time. By the time April 1 rolls around, their projects may expand greatly so who really knows until you get there.

There is a toll free number so I will call soon and find out for sure, but at least now I can check off the most important item in my list which is placement securement and get on to the preparations. One of which is shaving my beard for my passport photos! Had this one only since October though. I'll need to shave since I normally don't wear one and a passport lasts about 10 years, plus I certainly wouldn't want to make document checks abroad difficult.

(Mahamodara school house to be reconstructed and completed by Feb. 28th by the first volunteers.)

More Volunteers On The Way

Still no word about my placement but that is expected due to their recent surge in interest. The payment for placement has risen $100 to $999 now. GC (Global Crossroad) is a volunteer organization and not normally a relief program so I'm sure many adjustments are needing to be made along the way.

Their initial goal was to send 100 volunteers with no fees beginning Jan 7 until Phase 1 ended Feb 28. In less than 4 days after spreading the word of their project on Dec 30th they recieved 147 volunteers, far surpassing their best estimates. So, they waived the fee for all 147 volunteers but must now charge their fee in order to pay internal costs. They fact that they are needing to even raise the fees speaks volumes about what kind of response they must be receiving from the same USA Today article I saw. It seems understandable for them to be having some growing pains in dealing with this rush of volunteers.

There have been a few other nice updates to note. I have more information on the first project which is the school shown above. To quote their site:

"Volunteers will work on a 5-room school for the people of Mahamodara village. Mahamodara is a village located about 151 km south of the Colombo airport and 2 km north of Galle. This village was seriously affected by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The village contains about 275 households with close to 10,000 residents; 33 villagers died in the tsunami and several are missing. The village school was washed away by the tsunami. Volunteers will be helping to construct a new school. The project will offer schooling opportunity for 200 local children."

Also, they showed which project dates were already closed and most everything before April 1 is filled and I'm sure those middle spots are being filled now.

First Things First

My application to Global Crossroad was filled out online Sunday 1/23/2005 and I am still anxiously awaiting a response. Always putting the cart before the horse, I have already put together this site as a way of channeling my energy for this project. I can't wait to get going and it's 2-months away.

This is the first of many entries throughout this journey and I hope you'll join me every step of the way.

-Chris