Build Day 15

On this day, we got to build at the Veterans Village in Las Vegas. It was amazing how excited the staff was for our help and how appreciative they were that we were there and doing the chores they needed done. This job wasn't like the others. We weren't building or "rebuilding" but instead we were just doing clean up jobs and making the place look a little better. I was on painting duty and was in charge of everyone that was repainting the lines on the parking lot. Almost all of the white lines were worn off and barely visible: as was much of the paint in the Veterans Village. My team and I worked together to get about half of the whole parking lot done and just the small amount that we were able to help out with made a huge difference and kind of smoothed out the rough edges of the place. They were so awesome to provide us breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day! When we were done with the jobs, during dinner, the staff was thanking us and actually got choked up and were crying because of how grateful they were. It's always so amazing to see how much we are able to do with the very little amount of time we give to them. I would have liked to stay another day and finish the jobs they needed. That night, we walked down to the Fremont Street Experience. It was described to me as the "older Vegas" and I loved it! It was a lot different than the strip because it seemed more artsy and less expensive. There was a huge ceiling on the outdoor sidewalk that lit up and played music, which was super cool. For that night, we just walked around and looked at everything taking it all in. By the end of the night, Colleen, Greg and I went to a little coffee shop, looking for a quiet place to get something to eat. Where we went didn't end up selling food but for the little amount of time we were in there, we got to know one of the "regular" customers who told us about how the coffee shop was built in an old hospital and how there are a ton of floors upstairs that have all been turned into offices for artists. He offered to give us a tour and the whole building was so cool!! All of the rooms where the patients would have been were turned into offices for various artists or hair stylists. There really wasn't any sort of structure to the building, which was what made it so cool. Also, all along the walls of the place was the art work of the people who worked there. After getting to check out the building, we walked down the street to find some pizza and then made our way back to the Village for a much needed nights sleep!