And into 2011...

In addition to my obvious break from blogging, I'm also in the midst of NCCC's winter break. I consider myself lucky to be able to visit both Chicago and Ann Arbor along with a side trip to El Paso, IL to see my grandma and other relatives. I flew into Chicago and spent several days there with Ashkon and seeing friends while trying to adjust to what real winter feels like. I headed to Ann Arbor a few days before Christmas and really enjoyed catching up with lots of friends from high school and reuniting with some of my best friends. Christmas was relaxing and my family supplied me with some NCCC essentials, including warm socks and new running shoes. We spent a few days with my grandma and I'm posting this from Chicago where I've returned for New Year's Eve. It's been nice to have some time in the "real world" outside AmeriCorps but time is rushing by and I'll be heading back to Sacramento early Sunday morning.

I guess I need to backtrack a little and talk about the rest of our first round project at Larchmont Elementary. By the last few weeks at school I felt completely comfortable in the classroom environment and working with students. We had established routines in each classroom and the students knew what to expect and were able to make real progress with their work. I also was able to connect personally with several students who seemed to need extra emotional and social support in addition to help with schoolwork. I feel like I was able to make the most difference by taking time to talk with those students who were labeled as troublemakers or seen as lost causes. A lot of them just wanted someone to hear their frustrations with whatever was going on in their lives and had an amazing awareness of what they could do to succeed more in school. I only hope that some of what we talked about stuck with them and that they can move forward in a positive way. It was so hard to leave all the students and teachers at Larchmont. They truly made us feel like part of the community and it's hard to know we won't be going back after break. We were able to go out on a positive note by introducing the next team during the morning of our last day. I think the students were glad to see that they would have new AmeriCorps friends (a favorite word at Larchmont which is used instead of saying "boys and girls" or other ways of referring to students). We also returned to the school for a holiday concert on the students' last day of school. It was great to see them perform, especially since many of us worked with classes on their songs. They also sang us a special goodbye song and the teachers said their thanks and goodbyes. It was definitely a tear-jerking experience but it was nice to have closure. The good thing about having our first project be in Sacramento is that when we're back on transition we will hopefully be able to visit school and see the students. We also plan on writing postcards to classes to keep them updated on where we are and let them know we still think about them.

One of my favorite things about the end of the round was getting to hear from all the teams who were away on spike. It gave me a new perspective on how relatively easy we had it last round with our living situation and supportive sponsor. Many teams faced challenges that we may see in the future and it helped to hear about how they dealt with them. We also had a chance to celebrate our accomplishments with one another and check-in with NCCC staff about how the project went.  While it was a bit of a shock to have everyone back on campus when we were used to having it to ourselves it ended up being really nice to reconnect and share experiences.

Now that our first round project is over it's time to start thinking about what comes next! My team is heading to Healdsburg, CA (in Sonoma County) to The Bishop's Ranch. It hosts retreats, conferences, and camps for religious groups and non-profit organizations. They are also focused on environmental education and cultural programs. We will be living at the ranch, which happens to be in the middle of wine country, and working on a variety of environmental stewardship and conservation tasks in addition to some infrastructure improvement. I'm not sure exactly what this will entail but I know we'll be doing some trail clearing, watershed restoration, and invasive species removal in addition to working on some of the educational aspects of the sponsor's mission. This kind of work isn't my favorite but I'll be looking for ways to get the most out of the experience anyway. I'm excited that our team will be working together in an outdoor environment because I think it will allow us to get to know each other a lot better and have some fun while we work. I'm also excited to see a different part of California (even though it's only about 2.5 hours away from where we are now) and be surrounded by beautiful scenery.

I'll post again once we're settled in Healdsburg, it should be another great adventure!

Thanks for reading and have a Happy New Year!

Laura

Mixed nuts

There are quite a few things I've been meaning to blog about but haven't had the energy to devote a full post to. I'm enjoying a lazy Sunday so I thought it would be a good time to tackle all the leftover stuff I have floating around in my head.

Check out the blogs of two of my teammates! Clarissa and Elizabeth have both been writing pretty regularly and might have some different perspectives on what our team has been doing. They're also both really cool so you should check out their photos and what they have to say.

Our project at the school is still going well. A few major things have happened since my last post though. First of all we found out that Larchmont (our school) is closing at the end of this year. There are a bunch of school board politics that seem to have impacted the decision but it basically comes down to the fact that the district is having serious financial problems. It's sad that a school with so much history and community support has to close and that the kids and teachers will all be split up. We were also hoping to do some work on their community garden but there doesn't seem to be much point anymore. For now we're hoping to make as much of a positive impact as we can during this project and then hope for the best when the students get split up into different schools.
We also had a scary moment last week when the school went on lockdown because of a shooting a few blocks away. The shooting was gang related and it really brought home the type of environment the kids are growing up in. They seemed pretty unruffled by the whole thing which either means the teachers did a great job of keeping them calm or they're just used to things like that happening.
I really enjoy working with the kids in the classroom and after school as well as talking to them at recces and around school. At times the school environment can be difficult because so much of it is dealing with behavior problems and treating the kids as a a group rather than individuals. I know so many of them would benefit from individual attention and need specialized services but it's just not possible to work one-on-one with all of them. I wish there was an agency like Family and Community Services at DePaul to do school-based and family counseling but there's no access to that type of thing in our area. I'm trying my best to give the students positive reinforcement and talk to them about how they're feeling each day, which I can tell makes them feel special and motivated to do well. They really are great and never fail to brighten up my day.

A lot of our weekends off are spent doing some sort of ISP (Independent Service Project). ISPs can be any community service that isn't related to our current project and we have to have a total of 80 ISP hours by the end of the program. So far some teammates and I have done things like set up, serve, and clean at a benefit dinner and worked at the Salvation Army to help low-income families apply to get Christmas presents for their kids. ISPs are a nice change of pace and a chance for us to get to know our community a bit better. I've really enjoyed the ones we've done so far and am looking forward to planning and doing more.

I definitely have more to say but as usual I'm running out of energy for writing and will have to pick back up another day.

As always, thanks for reading!

We go to Larchmont every day. We go to Larchmont to learn and play!

Training is officially over and our first-round project has been underway for the past week and a half. It feels great to finally be out in the field and putting all the things we've been talking about in training into action!

There are a few teams left on campus but for the most part we said goodbye to friends on other teams who were off to work on projects in places like Portland, rural Utah, and the Mexican border. It was nice not to have to worry about packing and I'm enjoying having access to all of the amenities on campus (some teams are camping and I'm extremely happy to have a bed this round). We won't find out details about our next project until probably early December but we will definitely be traveling somewhere for it.

For now it's all about Larchmont Elementary School!

Silver 3 on our first day of school!

We spent Thursday and Friday of last week getting to know the school and students by visiting classrooms and introducing ourselves. Some teachers asked us to observe or help out with things right away but for the most part we wandered around and received a lot of attention from the kids. Larchmont has had NCCC teams for the past few years so the students are familiar with the program and what to expect from us. We were greeted with cheers of "Americorps is here!" and lots of hugs.

Hugs from students on the first day... they mobbed us!

The first few days were kind of chaotic and we were definitely a distraction to the kids but it was also a lot of fun to see how excited they are to have us there. The principal and teachers are all very welcoming and excited to have us as well.

This week we've had a more regular schedule and are assigned to specific classrooms to help out during the day. I'm with a 4th/5th split class first thing in the morning while they're getting ready for the day and doing independent reading and journal writing. The teacher works will small groups and I walk around to have them tell me about what they're doing and sometimes read a few pages out loud. It's encouraging to see how excited so many of them are about reading and brings back memories from my own book filled childhood. The classroom is well organized and the teacher does a great job of teaching two grades at once considering how difficult it must be. I don't always feel very useful in that class but it's a nice way to start the day and a chance to get to know students one-on-one. The most interesting class I work with are 3rd/4th grade special ed students. There are only about 10 students in the class and there are huge differences in their individual abilities. I come in while they do math groups and usually lead a small group while the teacher and aid work with the others. Some students are working on multiplication while others are working on number recognition which means I really have to tailor the way I explain things depending on where they're at. The teacher is pretty amazing at keeping students on task while making the classroom a fun and nurturing place. In the afternoon I'm with a 3rd grade class then a 2nd grade class. It's making me realize that I enjoy working with older students a bit more but the younger kids keep me on my toes. In these classes I mostly try to keep the kids focused and work with students who are struggling to keep up. The teachers definitely have their hands full and seem glad to have me there to pitch in where needed. After school we work with students on their homework and get the chance to get to know them a little better. A lot of them have rough home situations and you can tell they really like the positive attention we give them. Overall the days are exhausting and sometimes frustrating but I think we have the ability to have a positive impact during this project

I could write forever about Larchmont but will save some things for my next entry. I'm renewing my blogging efforts and will try to update more often so it's not so overwhelming to have to write about everything at once.

Until later, thanks for reading!

"If this isn't nice, I don't know what is"

Written 10/26/10

Here's another entry started after morning PT before my "real" day starts and posted later.

I'm actually really enjoying getting up so early, working out, then being ready for my day by 7am. Being active in the morning just kickstarts everything and as much as I shudder about going out in the cold and having to sit on wet grass for stretching, I'm glad this program includes so much structured physical activity. I'll probably think differently when it starts getting really cold or I have a project somewhere freezing but for now I'll stick with the positive sentiments.

Speaking of positive sentiments, lots of great things have been happening over the past week. Sometimes it's easier for me to organize my thoughts by writing lists so that's what I'll do here:

- Camp Mendocino was everything I was hoping it would be. The redwood forest was beautiful and I really enjoyed being away from it all for a few days without technology or a whole lot of responsibility. There was plenty of time spent relaxing and playing volleyball and ultimate frisbee but we also packed a lot of structured things in. We did a full day service project doing maintenance for the camp and my team got to do things like split wood, dispose of old paint, sort metal, and move giant tractor tires. It was fun to do such a variety of things and it was great to see how well the team could work together. I also really enjoyed using the wood splitter to cut massive pieces of redwood and flexing my muscles a little. It was our first time doing actual physical work since getting here and it was so satisfying to finally feel like we were getting things done. We also did a lot of team bonding activities including the ropes course. I had a great time on my first ropes course and especially enjoyed the zip line through the forest and over the river at the end. At night we had some camp fires and games with other teams and on the last night we did skits which was pretty entertaining. The kids from the San Francisco Boys and Girls Club must love going to Mendocino during the summer and I'm glad we were able to pitch in to keep things nice for them while we were there. And now some photos!

Beautiful forest

 Open air cabin I stayed in... it got so cold!

Splitting wood

Disposing of paint wearing our nifty coveralls

Dominating at the 4-legged race!

                                         My team on our last day at camp... a little worse for the wear but we made it!


- Getting to know my team at Mendocino erased a lot of the doubts I initially had about them. It was amazing to see how well we worked together during the service project and we were also able to have a lot of fun through it all. We have some differences but are all generally on the same wavelength about most things which I didn't expect to have happen. I'm hoping the good vibes continue throughout the year because right now things are going really well.

My team (Silver 3) in downtown Sacramento during a Scavenger hunt

- The most exciting thing is... we found out our first project! My team is staying in Sacramento for the first round and will be at an elementary school that's only about 5 minutes away from campus. I had mixed feelings about not traveling yet but it will be nice to have the stability of being here and not having to deal with difficult housing situations quite yet. Ending training and starting our first project is already a big change without also having to pack to go somewhere completely different. Most teams will have a project in Sacramento this year and I think first round is a good time to have it. It will also give me the chance to get to know the area better and connect with the community. The school we'll be at has it's share of problems but also has a committed principal and engaged parents, which makes a huge difference. We will be working in the classrooms as aids as well as tutoring one-on-one and running recess and after-school programs. With the budget issues in California schools have had to let a lot of their non-teaching staff go which is why we're especially needed to supplement what the teachers do. I'm very excited to be working with kids and think this project will be a great start to the year.

Today we're doing tool training where we'll learn how to use tools common on construction projects. We also have several other trainings about working with project sponsors and stress management. The rest of the week is also full of training sessions. After the excitement of last week having to sit in a classroom all day might be difficult but I'm also really interested in some of the topics coming up.

Who are we? Silver 3!

The night after I wrote my last post we were assigned to our permanent teams. The fact that is was happening was kept secret from the corps members and it was a bit of a shock to have it happen so fast. It was sad to say goodbye to my pod but it's great to know that I have a group of friends beyond my team. I'll get to see them on campus for the next few weeks and then whenever we're all back for transition weeks between projects. Since we lived with our pods for the first few days, getting permanent teams also meant moving rooms. Luckily I only had to move across the hall but lots of people had to go from the 3rd floor of one building to the 3rd floor of the other. Moving day was Friday and since then I've settled in with my new room and roommate/teammate. I'm liking my team so far and have high hopes for our 10 months together.

Since getting our teams training has been a lot more interesting and I feel like we're doing things that are relevant to our upcoming experiences. We had one on life after Americorps options and it gave me some motivation to get working on grad school apps. I don't know if I'll have internet access once we go out on spike (an Ameriword for off-site projects) so I need to get as much done as I can the next few weeks. Other training topics from last week were about Service Learning, Civic Engagement, and Alcohol Awareness. We usually have 4-5 sessions a day so it gets to be a lot of information to take in but I've enjoyed most of it so far. We've been able to have some good team discussions already and I'm looking forward to hearing my teammates' thoughts about other topics. After a long week of training we had most of the weekend off. I'm going to be one of the 15 passenger van drivers so I had a special training for that on Saturday. It was a little intimidating and I definitely still need to work on my parking skills but I think I did pretty well with driving and am glad I can fulfill that role on my team. That training took up about 4 hours on Saturday but the staff member we were with used it as an opportunity to show us Sacramento and point out interesting places and things to do. It gave me a better feel for where things were in relation to each other and made it easier to get around when I went out downtown Saturday night.

Yesterday my dad came from San Francisco where he was working and spent part of the day here. It was great to see him and we were able to explore some places and scope stuff out at our own pace. It was a test of my navigational abilities to get from campus to downtown and then figure out where we were once we got there, I didn't realize how much I really like Sacramento. The neighborhoods all blend together nicely and there's lots of independently owned shops and restaurants sprinkled throughout. It would be a great place to walk or bike to get around and the pace of life seems around my speed. I wish we lived closer to the city itself. Although it's only about a 20 minute drive to downtown and it's possible to get there by public transit it's not the safest to take at night and not many people have cars to drive. One of the team leaders gave a bunch of us a ride Saturday night but we still had to get a taxi for the ride home. I want to take the light rail train sometime soon during the day to figure out how it works and get comfortable with the system for the future.

I'm writing this during a break between morning PT (physical training) and our training for the day. PT has been going well so far. Besides the obvious misery of getting up at 5am to work out the exercise itself has been challenging but not too over the top. We were put in running groups based on a baseline test and it's nice to be running with people who keep the same pace I do. I know they'll try to push us to get better over the next few weeks but it should be just the right amount of pushing. It wakes me up to be active in the morning and I've noticed my energy levels have been higher.

Our training today is called Hands of Peace and is all about opening up to our teams and learning to work well together. I've heard good things from teams who have done it already so I'm excited for today. Tomorrow we're heading to Camp Mendecino which is run by the San Franciso Boys and Girls Club. We'll be there until Friday doing some mini service projects and team building activities. There are high/low ropes courses, a zip line, and lots of hiking trails through redwood forests. We'll be sleeping in open air cabins and taking minimal showers, which I'm actually pretty excited about. It should be a great change of pace and a chance to really get to know my team. I won't have cell phone reception so I'll be off the grid until Friday afternoon... until then send smoke signals!

Laura

P.S If you're reading this please comment! Just want to know who's out there...

Who knew 5 days could feel like 5 weeks...

So much has happened since my first post I almost don't know where to start!


Getting here on Thursday was a little bit overwhelming but since then I've really started to feel comfortable and more at home.

So far my fellow Corps Members (CMs) and I have been filling out paperwork and learning a lot about policy and how things work within the program. We have training pretty much all day everyday about things like safety and representing ourselves and the program when we come in contact with the media. Today we spent all day getting First Aid/CPR/AED certified, which I've done before but was glad to have a refresher on.

Training keeps us busy but there is also a decent amount of free time to get to know people and do fun things. A lot of times that involves throwing a frisbee around or sitting in the sun here on campus but I was able to go to downtown Sacramento over the weekend to get a taste of what that's like. McClellan, where we technically live, is a retired air force base so it's not always the most beautiful place to be but seeing downtown was a great way to get a taste for what a more interesting part of this area is like. I'm definitely hoping to do some more exploring soon and get a feel for what Sacramento is really like beyond the dorm buildings and meeting rooms that I see everyday.

Right now I'm in a temporary team called a pod and we all attend training, eat, and live together. I really like the other people in my pod and even though it's only been 5 days we've become super close. Our pod leader is awesome, which definitely helps make things more fun, and she has made sure we're getting the most out of everything. Unfortunately, the way the program works means that I'll be getting a new team and team leader sometime in the next few weeks. I feel like I really lucked out with my pod so hopefully I feel as positively about the team I'll actually be working with for the next 10 months.

I've also been getting to wear super cool uniforms the past few days. They are definitely not made to be attractive and are particularly unflattering on ladies but we are all united in our shared dorkiness and I'm sure they'll be useful when we're on projects. Don't laugh at this photo... or if you're laughing don't tell me about it!

I was hoping to give a more in-depth update with photos of my room and pod and all that but I'm exhausted (I'm up between 5-6am everyday and haven't quite gotten used to it).

For now please don't hesitate to send me mail! I feel a little disconnected from home so anything would be so appreciated.

My address here is:



Until later,
Laura

I'm Blogging!

*Note: I wrote this yesterday morning and a ton has changed since then but I wanted to post it anyway

I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to post this first entry but wanted to take advantage of being at the airport an hour early (thanks mom and dad!) by getting some of my thoughts about my upcoming experience in writing before it all starts.

For those of you who don't know, I'm headed to Sacramento for a 10 month program called AmeriCorps NCCC. Since I don't yet have my own perspective on what doing this program will be like for me, here's a blurb from the website (check out more info for yourself if you'd like - Americorps NCCC)

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is a residential national service program for men and women between the ages of 18 and 24.  Approximately 1,100 members participate nationwide each year.

For 10 months, members serve in teams to meet urgent community needs through service learning projects that improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety, address unmet human needs, and provide rapid and continuing disaster relief and recovery.  AmeriCorps NCCC has responded to every national disaster since the program began in 1994.  Projects operate through partnerships with non-profit organizations, state and local agencies, and other community and faith- based groups.  Teams will work on a series of different projects allowing members to experience a variety of service experiences as well as different communities and cultures.  

Members live on one of five campuses, located in Denver, Colo.; Sacramento, Calif.; Perry Point, Md.; Vinton, Iowa; and Vicksburg, Miss.  Members receive training in CPR, first aid, leadership, team building, and disaster services, in addition to many other topics throughout the year.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) oversees Learn and Serve America (LSA), Senior Corps, and all AmeriCorps programs.  The three branches of AmeriCorps are AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), AmeriCorps NCCC, and AmeriCorps State & National.

Basically what this means for me is that I'll be training in Sacramento and using that campus as my home base but will be traveling throughout the Pacific Region (California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana Wyoming, Utah, Hawaii, Alaska) doing different service projects with a team of 10 other CMs (Corps Members - NCCC has a TON of abbreviations!) and a team leader. I won't know exactly where I'll be or what the projects will entail until a few weeks before each one but I should be in a variety of places doing a variety of project types. The projects could include anything from building houses with Habitat for Humanity to coordinating an after school program for kids or clearing trails in a National Park.

I'm really looking forward to meeting new people, both within the program as well as members of various communities, who are committed to service. I think this program will give me the opportunity to not only perform service myself but to learn from and be inspired by others. I'm also hoping to be pushed out of my comfort zone physically and mentally and am looking forward to being challenged in a variety of ways. Although it may be uncomfortable at times, I've learned through past experiences that the times I am most challenged are what end up being the most defining moments of my life and that challenges are necessary in order for me to grow as a person.

I've already experienced my first challenge of leaving Chicago, my home of 4 years. Saying goodbye to friends was difficult and I know I'll miss all of the unique things I love about the city. I've spent the past 2 weeks in Ann Arbor with my family and hometown friends trying to pack and prepare while getting increasingly excited and nervous. Thanks to the technology of a Facebook group I've been able to hear a little bit about some of the people I'll be serving with as well as having questions answered by staff and comparing packing tips. It was definitely encouraging to hear a little bit from the other 250 people who will be on campus with me but it's still a little nerve wracking to go into a situation where I don't know anyone. I'm excited to get to campus so there won't be so many unknowns and I can start getting to know people and experiencing whatever comes my way.

I don't have a specific schedule yet but the first few days should be mostly filling out paperwork and getting aquatinted with each other and NCCC. There should be lots of exciting things like uniform fittings and tetanus shots that I'll try to report back on regularly. I'm not sure yet how often I'll be updating this but I'll definitely try my hardest to keep it up.

Before I head off for my first adventure of flying to Sacramento by way off Phoenix I'll leave you with the NCCC Mission Statement and AmeriCorps Pledge:

Mission Statement

The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen

communities and develop leaders through team-based

national and community service.

Pledge

I will get things done for America, to make our people safer,

smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together to strengthen our

communities.

Faced with apathy, I will take action.

Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.

Faced with adversity, I will persevere.

I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.

I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.

Thanks for reading!

Laura