WOW! Talk about time flying! I have been in Maryland for nearly 5 weeks and it seems I just arrived from the airport. Zipping right by is the correct term for the AmeriCorps experience so far. I am sorry if it has been over 2 weeks since my last post...finding freetime away from training, service projects, and ISPs is very difficult. I guess these next couple days will be spent hanging out with the close friends I made from other groups. It will definately be sad to see them depart :( But I realize I have a great group of teammates that will make this experience a memorable.
I had written previously a very descriptive post telling what happened with day to day things I did but it got deleted some how. So instead of fretting about it, I will attempt to tell you in paragraph form instead of bullet points. Beginning with my constant attendance to the church service they have in the VA chapel. Me and 4 other friends walk from our houses (about a 1.1 mile walk to) and attend during this important part of the liturgical calendar. It is fun going with the group...we all bond and mesh very well. We do not know who else is Catholic from the Corps. We really have not had that much time to broadcast it and announce it. Easter is just right around the corner. And I thought about that and this will be the 1st Easter I am going to miss with the family. No Easter egg hunts in the yard this year...
Monday of this past week we: had a community service meeting in which a team plans and puts on a show for the rest of the NCCC-ites about AmeriCorps things and whatever their creative minds can lead them. Eventually all teams are supposed to run a meeting. So that was first in the morning...we later then broke off and learned about our team roles in detail. My role for Raven 3 is a CAPper. A CAPper's main responsibility is to be the recruited of the program and go out to colleges and high schools or special festivals or galas to talk about AmeriCorps and be very convincing about people wanting to join. In our remote Georgia area, Lauren (the other CAPper) and I have found roughly 10 places within 30 miles of our island that we are going to be calling and finding out if there is a time to go in and give a presentation. I love that I received the position because public speaking is something i love and communications was my major. Lauren and I surely can't wait to put it to work and have a good time in the process. Also today I received my 15 passenger van driving license. I passed, I succeed, and I am one heck of a driver :) It is quite fun but a HUGE liability. The little piece of ID fits comfortably in my wallet. We will eventually have 3 other drivers but they have not taken the 'rookie driving test' but that will happen fairly soon since we leave in 4 days! EEK!
Tuesday was when we broke into our groups to work on the briefing power point and start planning for the team brochure. Two things that took awhile to do, but are done and are done 2 dyas before the due date. I got a library card from the Perryville library. It is pretty cool because in my mind it is much more cleaner and better than the Crystal Lake library. Lauren and I got our section done and added it to the power point...we SOOO rock! Tuesday also consisted of more informational meetings discussing the trip. Found out we will be traveling 2 days since the vans can't travel for more than 8 hours in a day. We are teaming up with 2 other teams and spending the night in a hotel. I am not sure what leg of the 2 hours I am going to drive. Pref. the 1st shift so I can have that possibility of passing out and napping.
Wednesday we had to sit through another team community meeting at the Minker firehouse...and quite shocking this was a very entertaining and funny meeting. The team performed short AmeriCorps commercials making fun of the phrase..."green on a gray is not ok". If you are confused by that statement it basically means that no green (also known as the TL and staff members) can't have anything to do with the gray (the Corps members) in any way. This rule was enforced after the class of 13. They outlawed it because their were several people getting too close which was effecting their work ethics and concentration. Silly? Of course it is...so time to lay down the law. At the end of the day, our team accomplished the briefing portion of the power point. We will smooth sailing and WAY ahead of the other groups. Later afternoon we practiced for Induction. Tonight was also "Corps" night at the Revendezoux which is basically a social gathering in the Perry Point area. It was nice because it is difficult to see friends you are close with when things and scheduling is all messed up. I tried to talk and chat with several people who I became friends with and basically said, "Do not lose touch when we leave!" I plan on keeping in touch with many of the people I have talked to including some of the TL's who are awesome.
Thursday we got INDUCTED and are official members. It feels good. The induction had 2 speakers, a TL singing the national anthem, and a speech from the Program Director. Overall, and exciting day because people were smiling, cameras were flashing, and pledges were being memorized. I was each other those minus the picture taking since my camera is spazzing and won't work. I am relying on my teammates to share the pics and tag them on facebook so then I can then tag them on here. Went to the YMCA after Induction and did some lap swimming and hit up the sauna and hot tub to get rid of the aching muscles. I weighed myself at the end of the work out and noticed I am down to 202! HOORAY. Instead of gaining I am losing. That is 11 lbs since my physical. Not too shabby. If I can average that every 3 weeks, I am well on my way to my 175 lb goal for my ideal weight. I believe and KNOW I can do it. Slim and trim are the key words.
Friday was a light day of a training/meeting in the morning to talk about program development and what goes on behind the scenes. We broke off and my Unit and the Badger Unit sat for 3 hours as these 2 staff ladies were talking about housing, budget, and learning what is expected in the program. In the afternoon the team got together for last finishing touches on the power point. What the power point basically breaks down to is: a collection of information gathered by the 9 of us to learn what is around and what is Skidaway Island has to offer. What can we do to help Skidaway? Can we make an impact? (if you have the moment ya'll should check out Skidaway Island, GA...very pretty!)
Saturday I signed up for an ISP opportunity and we took a van to Baltimore to work and pull up invasive species and posion ivy and other weeding type activity. It went well, we ended up getting 8 hours. We worked from 9-3 in a park where we worked hard for the 6 of us that showed up. Others bailed and were too tired to wake up at 7:45. With that 8, at that point I had 7.5 from last week. I got those hours with half my team and a couple people from others as we traveled to Fort Delaware to make padded hangers for costumes to be hung on. The costumes are ere used to dress the part represent during the historic walk. Fort Delaware was a military base and they offer hikes and tours of the location. The costumes need somewhere to hang so they gave us the sewing job, I prefered not to sew. So what I did instead was cut the fabric in the shape of the hanger to then hand off to the other 8 people to sew. We had a good assembly line going with that one. We were also fed lunch and dinner...double PLUS!
Sunday, I unfortunately missed morning mass, but it was for a reason...Happy 4th Sunday of Lent. I went on another ISP with my team and a few other people to an American Legion building in Havre de Grace, MD. We worked for 4.5 hours mending up the house, putting tile on floors, painting walls, removing dry wall, etc. They fed us lunch even, super nice for starters and secondly they didn't have to but they did and they fed 22+ boys and girls. Time went by fast. I was in charge of the floor tiling. Tons of fun. I learned alot. I used a razor similiar to Dad's and it reminded me of the warehouse days and being back there. After the event, I would roughly have 20 or so hours for ISP which is pretty good considering Michelle only had like 5 by the end of her first round SPIKE. I am beating you sis :)
So...all in all from what I mentioned it seem to be a busy weekend with tons of smal and busy-work type jobs. Training is officially over and it feels so relieving, Don't get me wrong, training was a blast and I certainly picked up on several new ideas. Things I forgot to mention...I might be applying to be a teacher in Summer of Service Program in the Summer. The basis of the job is if I end up getting the position, I would be transfered down to the Gulf and be in charage of a team of ten girls/boys ages 14-17. It is basically an AmeriCorps for them. It should be interested and something that really made me think. I love kids and it would def be something to consider. I will be getting pictures of the times so far, but I am awaiting on a couple people to actually put them on and tag them through facebook. Next post I will send pictures of the events I have gone on, the house, and other awesome things that have taken place. Finally there are many nice people here as I mentioned before...so nice that one of my friends is knitting me a matching hat to go with my already beautiful scarf AND my teammate Nicole is making me a bracelet which I can not wait. We actually have team bracelets that our TL made for us. Like I said...we ROCK!
Well that is all I have. If you have any questions, comments or concerns just let me know. Once again another late night trying to play catch up with several small things. Dan signing off...until next time...keep checking from time to time. I will def. have another one up before I leave Friday for our trip. God Bless to you all...and keep in touch...I hope you did not forget how to use a pen and paper :)
Danny signing off..."Caw caw" (the sound of the Raven 3 call)
PS. Mary= congrats on making the soccer team, I am very proud of you. Keep your head up and continue working hard!
Mom and Dad= I have had the chance to watch a couple American Idols and my picks to click for winners are: David Archuletta for the guys and then that one girl who performed last, I can't remember her name...
Dad= since I have sorta been watching it Dad, does that make me legit for the American Idol bet?
Mitchy= once I have a phone that I can actually dial and receive calls I will call you and fill you in more (that goes also for whoever is reading this)
Abby= hey girl. I miss you! Hang in there, hang in there until I get back!
