"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.