8.13.06
The older people (today ours was Vick and Jean, as they had been for the last week) taught me how to play Hand and Foot (a card game with 1,000 rules that requires 5 decks of cards) and we did that until 4pm before driving back to headquarters and then home. Boy I spend a lot of time in a van lately. And I sure do hope our project turns around to the interesting side pretty soon. I suppose you can say we did do something yesterday upon arrival at our location. We (OK Joey, but I listened intently) interviewed a woman employed by the church who had a home but it was unlivable. She told us her story of being in her home and watching the water rise and getting in the Tahoe when the water was running through the house. She said that now her son lives w/her sister in Connecticut and all her FEMA money goes to help support him. The story is compounded by the fact that she went into shock and didn't "snap out of it" until March. I couldn't imagine what a person that suffers from MS and is sensitive to heat is going through in a trailer provided by FEMA for a year now. Listening to her story made angry for the people Mississippi but also angry at our project for not allowing us to do more. Can't we be out building the home? Or other houses? I feel like our time is being mismanaged.
Added after the entry: I also remember feeling more during this project that our time of service was spent helping and socializing with the elderly than helping those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Showing posts with label revisit AmeriCorps*NCCC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label revisit AmeriCorps*NCCC. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Can you believe that there was a time I wrote this much?
This is another one of the posts where I take a look back to NCCC. This is actually getting quite fun to do, believe it or not.
8/12/06
I suppose everyone needs a lazy day now and then. That's exactly what today was. And it did feel good. No PT, no ISP, no any other useless acronym loved by our wonderful federal government. We are now in Waveland, MS enjoying a few days off. A bunch of us are going to a block party in Bay St. Louis tonight, and they are ready to go now, so I am going to sign off for now and complete the entry later...
8/13/06
So our team has arrived in Waveland, Mississippi and has enjoyed a weekend off settling into our Quanset huts and cots, going to the "block party" in Bay St. Louis, and seeing Taladega Nights today and going to the bookstore. I think we are eagerly awaiting our first day of work at Harrison County Long Term Recovery Committee for our orientation tomorrow. I don't know how I feel about office work either. Half of me says I'd rather be doing the physical labor work that so desperately needs to be done down here, but the other half of me says that I'm smart to be avoiding the heat and if there really is work that needs to be done in this office than maybe we are the people that need to be doing it. And it did occur to me recently that it might be nice to "hide behind a computer" and appease my introverted side for a few weeks.
I'm trying to tell myself so frequently to take days one at a time and soak up every moment possible from that day. I might come out with some pretty sweet skills at the end of this (volunteer management, data entry, office database stuff, etc.) but I can't let me get ahead of myself. There is so much to absorb her, starting with our drive to our housing on Friday (our month anniversary as a team, btw, of which we celebrated with a gov't.-funded dinner at the local Chinese buffet, yum!)
But driving to our housing we continued on the road we turned onto after turning of I-10 until said road (I can't remember the name now) come to a T-end with a road running parallel alongside a beach. the beach is unswimmable due to debris in the water, a sign warns. I don't really see the debris from the a car, though. we drive a few mils along the beach before turning right at a church (or what used to be a church but is now a quanset hut not unlike the ones that comprise our current living/dining quarters for the month.)
A sign reads "Katrina was big but GOD is bigger." Running along the beach today (Sunday morning) I marveled at the traffic coming to and from the hut that makes the sanctuary of the church. It's still going strong, with no physical permanent structure, almost a year after the Great Storm. The "camp" we're staying is called "Camp Sunshine" and was created as classrooms to the church, but the church is letting AmeriCorps members use them for the time we are here. They feel like tents, w/air conditioning, and I am slowly getting used to the cots. I had to assemble cot #2 after the first night of squeaking and almost impaling myself on one of the springs.
Cot #2 is much sturdier and w/the matress pad it's rally not much worse than the tent beds at camp that I slept in for 6-weeks running during any given summer. Good Stuff. I just can't move much while I sleep. I'll learn to adjust. I actually like it a lot BECAUSE it reminds me of camp. No e-mail or cell phone to worry about, clothes sprawled out beside my cot and only my book and journal and letter-writing stuff to worry about. It's great. I just hope our work matches up and is equally fulfilling.
I find myself getting into moments where I have to stop and think "who knew last year that in a year I'd see myself living in a 15-passenger van w/10 other people having amazing experiences helping fix whatever ails the country?" and then I have to pinch myself for fear of this all being a dream. But it's not, and so I have to stop and admit that this is the happiest I've been in a year. No matter how nervous I am or can get around my teammates, I really can't ask for a better opportunity. So I am about to embark upon 9 more months. Of learning. Of fun. Of happiness and responsibility. Of wonder. Those are some hefty expectations.
This is my journal. This is my journey. I don't know where this journey will lead, but I'm going to let my gut lead me, metaphorically. This is my journey...I'm excited!!!
8/12/06
I suppose everyone needs a lazy day now and then. That's exactly what today was. And it did feel good. No PT, no ISP, no any other useless acronym loved by our wonderful federal government. We are now in Waveland, MS enjoying a few days off. A bunch of us are going to a block party in Bay St. Louis tonight, and they are ready to go now, so I am going to sign off for now and complete the entry later...
8/13/06
So our team has arrived in Waveland, Mississippi and has enjoyed a weekend off settling into our Quanset huts and cots, going to the "block party" in Bay St. Louis, and seeing Taladega Nights today and going to the bookstore. I think we are eagerly awaiting our first day of work at Harrison County Long Term Recovery Committee for our orientation tomorrow. I don't know how I feel about office work either. Half of me says I'd rather be doing the physical labor work that so desperately needs to be done down here, but the other half of me says that I'm smart to be avoiding the heat and if there really is work that needs to be done in this office than maybe we are the people that need to be doing it. And it did occur to me recently that it might be nice to "hide behind a computer" and appease my introverted side for a few weeks.
I'm trying to tell myself so frequently to take days one at a time and soak up every moment possible from that day. I might come out with some pretty sweet skills at the end of this (volunteer management, data entry, office database stuff, etc.) but I can't let me get ahead of myself. There is so much to absorb her, starting with our drive to our housing on Friday (our month anniversary as a team, btw, of which we celebrated with a gov't.-funded dinner at the local Chinese buffet, yum!)
But driving to our housing we continued on the road we turned onto after turning of I-10 until said road (I can't remember the name now) come to a T-end with a road running parallel alongside a beach. the beach is unswimmable due to debris in the water, a sign warns. I don't really see the debris from the a car, though. we drive a few mils along the beach before turning right at a church (or what used to be a church but is now a quanset hut not unlike the ones that comprise our current living/dining quarters for the month.)
A sign reads "Katrina was big but GOD is bigger." Running along the beach today (Sunday morning) I marveled at the traffic coming to and from the hut that makes the sanctuary of the church. It's still going strong, with no physical permanent structure, almost a year after the Great Storm. The "camp" we're staying is called "Camp Sunshine" and was created as classrooms to the church, but the church is letting AmeriCorps members use them for the time we are here. They feel like tents, w/air conditioning, and I am slowly getting used to the cots. I had to assemble cot #2 after the first night of squeaking and almost impaling myself on one of the springs.
Cot #2 is much sturdier and w/the matress pad it's rally not much worse than the tent beds at camp that I slept in for 6-weeks running during any given summer. Good Stuff. I just can't move much while I sleep. I'll learn to adjust. I actually like it a lot BECAUSE it reminds me of camp. No e-mail or cell phone to worry about, clothes sprawled out beside my cot and only my book and journal and letter-writing stuff to worry about. It's great. I just hope our work matches up and is equally fulfilling.
I find myself getting into moments where I have to stop and think "who knew last year that in a year I'd see myself living in a 15-passenger van w/10 other people having amazing experiences helping fix whatever ails the country?" and then I have to pinch myself for fear of this all being a dream. But it's not, and so I have to stop and admit that this is the happiest I've been in a year. No matter how nervous I am or can get around my teammates, I really can't ask for a better opportunity. So I am about to embark upon 9 more months. Of learning. Of fun. Of happiness and responsibility. Of wonder. Those are some hefty expectations.
This is my journal. This is my journey. I don't know where this journey will lead, but I'm going to let my gut lead me, metaphorically. This is my journey...I'm excited!!!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Delving into the past, part 100
I realized yesterday that the THIRD anniversary of SILVER 7 AmeriCorps*NCCC Class XIII is quickly approaching, and to honor that I got out my journal from July 2006 and began looking at all the entries from that first week on campus. Oh how far I've come as a human being at the mere age of 27. (I was only 24 then, after all!) But seriously. It's my own cringe series, thanks Tigi. Enjoy!
This entry is from a journal I started on July 11, 2006, my beginning of my AmeriCorps*NCCC adventure. The idea in reliving it is to look at old patterns of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks (since this program is where I learned of my struggle with all three) and to see how far I've come since then and determine where I need to go from there.
7/11/06
11:05 pm
I'm here. Nothing very exciting yet though apparently I'm so tired I can't even get the right endings on my verbs. (I crossed off exited before writing exciting.) My room looks like college part II, though I think these rooms are in slightly worse condition than Creswell Hall's if that's at all possible. Ha! My roommate hasn't actually shown up yet, so for tonight I have the room entirely to myself. Which is nice. I had a nice time unpacking and fixing things while listening to music on my mp3 player. Its sort of like summer camp. I met my team leader, and she seems sweet and smart. A bit on the energetic side, but I guess that's what one wants in a team leader. My feet HURT from the day. I wore my cheap flats with my skirt, and they absolutely tore my feet apart entirely, so for the first couple of hours I'm here I was kinda glazed over.
I'm also trying to remember to take this experience ONE day at a time and not get ahead of myself or worry about events too far in advance. I introduced myself to my team today as OCD and organized. And then later in the meeting someone asked for the address and I just shot it out. Some guy on the team said "we're giving everything to her to remember from now on." (Or something to that effect, which made me feel good that my neurotic tendencies might actually be put to good use and appreciated here. Maybe.
Flight here was delayed, so we didn't actually get here until 6:30ish, giving us enough time to throw luggage in room and grab a PB&J for dinner and get on to meetings. Met several nice folks at the airport, but I haven't actually seen them since stepping off the van. Tomorrow's a long day of intro stuff, and I'm really tired and would like to read my magazine before drifting off to sleep, so I think I will sign off and revisit feelings tomorrow, whenever. (I'm loving this new journal, it actually has lines!) And while I am aware that I still have some of my sketchbook to finish off, I'll be doing most of my WRITING writing in here for obvious reasons. I maybe flipping back and forth between the two out of guilt and a OCD need to finish one journal before starting another.
Is it too soon to tell if I'm the loner yet? I have such loner tendencies, I don't want them, but I fear I'm going to develop them and fall into the same patterns I'm used to. Must remember to take life one day at a time. Indeed. Signing off for the night! Good night! :)
Is that not the most pathetic piece of writing you've ever read?
This entry is from a journal I started on July 11, 2006, my beginning of my AmeriCorps*NCCC adventure. The idea in reliving it is to look at old patterns of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks (since this program is where I learned of my struggle with all three) and to see how far I've come since then and determine where I need to go from there.
7/11/06
11:05 pm
I'm here. Nothing very exciting yet though apparently I'm so tired I can't even get the right endings on my verbs. (I crossed off exited before writing exciting.) My room looks like college part II, though I think these rooms are in slightly worse condition than Creswell Hall's if that's at all possible. Ha! My roommate hasn't actually shown up yet, so for tonight I have the room entirely to myself. Which is nice. I had a nice time unpacking and fixing things while listening to music on my mp3 player. Its sort of like summer camp. I met my team leader, and she seems sweet and smart. A bit on the energetic side, but I guess that's what one wants in a team leader. My feet HURT from the day. I wore my cheap flats with my skirt, and they absolutely tore my feet apart entirely, so for the first couple of hours I'm here I was kinda glazed over.
I'm also trying to remember to take this experience ONE day at a time and not get ahead of myself or worry about events too far in advance. I introduced myself to my team today as OCD and organized. And then later in the meeting someone asked for the address and I just shot it out. Some guy on the team said "we're giving everything to her to remember from now on." (Or something to that effect, which made me feel good that my neurotic tendencies might actually be put to good use and appreciated here. Maybe.
Flight here was delayed, so we didn't actually get here until 6:30ish, giving us enough time to throw luggage in room and grab a PB&J for dinner and get on to meetings. Met several nice folks at the airport, but I haven't actually seen them since stepping off the van. Tomorrow's a long day of intro stuff, and I'm really tired and would like to read my magazine before drifting off to sleep, so I think I will sign off and revisit feelings tomorrow, whenever. (I'm loving this new journal, it actually has lines!) And while I am aware that I still have some of my sketchbook to finish off, I'll be doing most of my WRITING writing in here for obvious reasons. I maybe flipping back and forth between the two out of guilt and a OCD need to finish one journal before starting another.
Is it too soon to tell if I'm the loner yet? I have such loner tendencies, I don't want them, but I fear I'm going to develop them and fall into the same patterns I'm used to. Must remember to take life one day at a time. Indeed. Signing off for the night! Good night! :)
Is that not the most pathetic piece of writing you've ever read?
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