I have a feeling I'll be periodically updating this list, but for now let me break a couple things down for you so you can get the AmeriCorps slang:
TL: team leader
Spike: when we go for an extended stay in an area we're working at.
Rounds: You go on once Spike each Round, which is about 2 months. I believe there are 4 Rounds, but I can't remember.
You can also add "Ameri" to pretty much any word. AmeriSister, AmeriTurkey, AmeriLove (which can lead to AmeriBabies).
The Spike I was hoping to get was to New Orleans, if only bc I miss miss miss warm weather! However, I just found out that my team is going to Hurricane, WEST VIRGINIA! That's right, I left Florida to go live in Hurricane.....
Aside from working all day outside in the cold, I'm super pumped! We're going to be restoring old historic buildings and building a playground, clearing trails, painting, etc. etc. I'm also excited about our accommodations. I thought we'd be sleeping in tents or something, but as it turns out my whole team is going to be sharing a house with laundry machines and a kitchen! I can't wait to get out there and start hiking and seeing mountains! The organization sponsoring us is lead by this guy (can't remember his name) who really loves AmeriCorps workers. He said he's gonna take us out periodically on the town and to minor league baseball games. I'm freakin excited to get out there and start working! Plus I'm sooooo done with all this training.
Speaking of the training. Some of you noticed that I wrote how annoyed I was on facebook. Let me tell you why. They piled ALL OF US into a small, very warm, room for disaster relief training with the Red Cross. They then proceeded to speak to us in monotone voices and show us boring videos that were poorly made in the 80's or early 90's. They did this for 8 HOURS! I had also gone to Firefighting PT that morning, so I had been up since 5 am. Naturally, I dozed off a few times. So did everyone, more noticeably so did a couple of boys that were sitting directly next to me. Despite the fact that I was hardly the only person passing out, my name repeatedly kept getting called by some other TL to wake up. And when he called my name, everyone else woke up to. So i was made the public example all afternoon. Now, there have been some things here that I haven't agreed with, but I love this experience and this program so I haven't said anything. But that training was ridiculous. I couldn't even make myself feel guilty for falling asleep! Especially since people who got to sleep in were passing out. Not to mention a few other TL's AND one of the Red Cross presenters (he fell asleep in his chair during one of the videos). I got NOTHING out of that training, except two booklets which I could've easily read on my own or with my team.
Sorry for the rant, it just really pissed me off.
Today I leave for a mini-Spike in Virginia to clear some trails for a few days (lots of manual labor on these Spikes!). I'm very happy to be getting out there and living the AmeriDream! So if you call me and can't get through, it's probably because I have no signal where I'm at.
I hope everyone doing well. I miss you guys sooooooooooooo much!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Happy V-Day!
A LOT has happened since the last blog but I'll try not to write a book here. First of all, we got chosen for our teams. Basically there are 3 units; Raven, Wolf, and Badger. Now I know what you may be thinking..."how does a Badger fit in with the spookily awesome Raven and prideful wolf?" But let me tell you that the Badger can be just as vicious. For example: Did you know that British forces were said to have released man-eating badgers in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq, to kill terrorists following the 2003 coalition invasion? That's right, MAN-EATING BADGERS! Wolfs and Ravens? Yeah, they can suck it!
So I got selected for the Badger unit (not sure if you picked up on that) and in each unit there are teams. I got placed on Badger 1 with one of my roommates Lili. Allow me to briefly describe my team (you don't really have to read this part, it's more for reference with future blogs):
Lili: my roommate. 20 years old. Hippy. Very bubbly, happy, and excited by everything. Loves tie-die and scarves. She and I definitely get along well. We definitely have our differences; she's pro-life, is against hunting but eats meat and I think she's a republican but I can't be sure, mostly bc I refuse to talk about politics with anyone here if I can avoid it. We've agreed to leave politics out of things, so hopefully she and I will still get along as well by the end of the year.
Eric K: frequently hangs out at our place even before we got placed into teams. 19 years old. When we played the board game "who's the biggest pervert" he lapped it 2 and 3/4 times while we waited for Lili to finish it once. Previous stoner and hard rock lover. A gentleman at heart and all around good guy.
Joe: 20 years old (will turn 21 in march), big lovable guy who sometimes says too much but is generally funny. Has no shame.
Emma: 22 (i think) often quiet but very smart. She kind of reminds me of Gretchen from the nickelodeon show Recess. Is incredibly nice and I really look forward to getting to know her.
Austin: 23 year old film major who studied in Miami. Looks a lot like a red haired Elijiah Wood. We didn't exactly click right away, but after some hanging out time I began getting to know and like him.
Rine: aka Katherine, 21 (or 22). Super cool badass chick that I instantly bonded with. Very liberal, funny, and laid back.
Eric M: New to our team, came about 2 weeks late into the program. He's 6'6 and very nice. Studied Neuroscience. He fits pretty nicely into the group so far, which is awesome.
And that's all of them. Our team leader is Jessie and she's pretty cool as well. The biggest problem we have is that none of us take anything too seriously. We're always laughing and joking around during training, but really, how else would we stay awake through 8 hours of CPR and First Aid training?
Overall, I really lucked out here. I get a long so well with my housemates and teammates it's ridiculous. There are houses and teams of girls and guys here that fight and hate each other, but I haven't really experienced any of that. Well....there are ladies in my house who don't get along which has caused some drama, but it hasn't affected me.
PT is going well. It's 3 days a week at 5:40am (Mon, Wed, Fri) but the firefighters have PT on Tues and Thurs. I decided to crash their PT for an extra work out and HOLY CRAP did it kick my ass. Theirs is all endurance. We ran for like 35 minutes straight and I was dead. I had to take a break while they did more cardio. I finally was able to get back in for the relays but shit, I was owned. So I've been going to their PT every week because I don't wanna be the teammate holding everyone back.
Last night we had a Gender Bender Valentine's Day Party. If you go to my facebook you'll see what a studly man I make. The best part, though, was seeing how into it the guys got! Full on make up and fake boobs and everything. Mom, you'd be proud how every boy got to live out their inner drag queen dreams ;)
So I got selected for the Badger unit (not sure if you picked up on that) and in each unit there are teams. I got placed on Badger 1 with one of my roommates Lili. Allow me to briefly describe my team (you don't really have to read this part, it's more for reference with future blogs):
Lili: my roommate. 20 years old. Hippy. Very bubbly, happy, and excited by everything. Loves tie-die and scarves. She and I definitely get along well. We definitely have our differences; she's pro-life, is against hunting but eats meat and I think she's a republican but I can't be sure, mostly bc I refuse to talk about politics with anyone here if I can avoid it. We've agreed to leave politics out of things, so hopefully she and I will still get along as well by the end of the year.
Eric K: frequently hangs out at our place even before we got placed into teams. 19 years old. When we played the board game "who's the biggest pervert" he lapped it 2 and 3/4 times while we waited for Lili to finish it once. Previous stoner and hard rock lover. A gentleman at heart and all around good guy.
Joe: 20 years old (will turn 21 in march), big lovable guy who sometimes says too much but is generally funny. Has no shame.
Emma: 22 (i think) often quiet but very smart. She kind of reminds me of Gretchen from the nickelodeon show Recess. Is incredibly nice and I really look forward to getting to know her.
Austin: 23 year old film major who studied in Miami. Looks a lot like a red haired Elijiah Wood. We didn't exactly click right away, but after some hanging out time I began getting to know and like him.
Rine: aka Katherine, 21 (or 22). Super cool badass chick that I instantly bonded with. Very liberal, funny, and laid back.
Eric M: New to our team, came about 2 weeks late into the program. He's 6'6 and very nice. Studied Neuroscience. He fits pretty nicely into the group so far, which is awesome.
And that's all of them. Our team leader is Jessie and she's pretty cool as well. The biggest problem we have is that none of us take anything too seriously. We're always laughing and joking around during training, but really, how else would we stay awake through 8 hours of CPR and First Aid training?
Overall, I really lucked out here. I get a long so well with my housemates and teammates it's ridiculous. There are houses and teams of girls and guys here that fight and hate each other, but I haven't really experienced any of that. Well....there are ladies in my house who don't get along which has caused some drama, but it hasn't affected me.
PT is going well. It's 3 days a week at 5:40am (Mon, Wed, Fri) but the firefighters have PT on Tues and Thurs. I decided to crash their PT for an extra work out and HOLY CRAP did it kick my ass. Theirs is all endurance. We ran for like 35 minutes straight and I was dead. I had to take a break while they did more cardio. I finally was able to get back in for the relays but shit, I was owned. So I've been going to their PT every week because I don't wanna be the teammate holding everyone back.
Last night we had a Gender Bender Valentine's Day Party. If you go to my facebook you'll see what a studly man I make. The best part, though, was seeing how into it the guys got! Full on make up and fake boobs and everything. Mom, you'd be proud how every boy got to live out their inner drag queen dreams ;)
Monday, February 9, 2009
The static in this place is ridiculous. It's like I've traded my frizzy hair for static hair and now I look more like Albert Einstein than Bette Middler. Ah well.
The past few days have been grrrreat! There was a big pot luck at one of the houses with yummy food and then I went to someone's house and watched This Is Spinal Tap ("Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It's just not really widely reported" - haha, classic). We all have basements but the pot luck house had a mini room inside their basement. They call it the Chamber of Doom and we're all pretty sure someone was tortured down there. Speaking of torture! My housemates decided to check out the attic (I have no idea why) and they found a pile of clothes with blood on them. Freakin blood! I'm guessing whoever did the torturing in the Chamber of Doom moved the clothes to our attic.
I'm trying to think of all the cool things I can write in here, but honestly it's been so amazing I can't explain it all. A group of us took a walk the other day along the bay and played frisbee. It's just fun small things like that which have been great! Everyone's pretty funny and very nice. I've only encountered a few people who annoy me. I feel like I've bonded the most (aside from Rebecca, who rules) with Eileen. We both sort of feel like the "older" women in the house who are the least sheltered. We're both pretty liberal and have gone through the "college experience" and all that. But really, everyone in the house gets a long well...for the most part. Even the 1 bathroom situation hasn't been a problem.
Today was the first day of PT (physical training - I was in the van ready to go at 5:40 am!). Luckily, it wasn't nearly as intense as I thought it was going to be. I think the push ups were the hardest part. I can do girl ones just fine, but we were in a gym and my knees on the hard floor started to hurt after a while. And the cuffs of my pants kept hooking on my shoes and pulling down my pants. I was terrified that I was gonna accidentally moon someone during jumping jacks!
I'm adjusting to the cold...slowly. Yesterday a bunch of people played Everybody's It tag, but I couldn't stay out there. Half of them were in shorts and flip flops and I was like "BWAAA get me outta here!". They actually think 50 degrees is WARM. What planet are these kids from? I can't wait till we're on the gulf and it's 90 degrees and they're like "it's soooooooo hot, my brains are melting!" and I'm like "yeah, what!" heh. Actually, everyone's been pretty understanding about why I'm so cold all the time, so I suppose when we're in ACTUAL warm weather, I'll cut them some slack ;)
I will definitely be posting pics on facebook soon, maybe today (I've had a few requests....SANA). I miss you guys a lot and think of you often (especially the ladies...when I'm in the shower ;) haha.
One more thing. There's a bomb testing facility right near us! Throughout the day we hear sirens going off and bombs being fired. It's crazzzzy!
The past few days have been grrrreat! There was a big pot luck at one of the houses with yummy food and then I went to someone's house and watched This Is Spinal Tap ("Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It's just not really widely reported" - haha, classic). We all have basements but the pot luck house had a mini room inside their basement. They call it the Chamber of Doom and we're all pretty sure someone was tortured down there. Speaking of torture! My housemates decided to check out the attic (I have no idea why) and they found a pile of clothes with blood on them. Freakin blood! I'm guessing whoever did the torturing in the Chamber of Doom moved the clothes to our attic.
I'm trying to think of all the cool things I can write in here, but honestly it's been so amazing I can't explain it all. A group of us took a walk the other day along the bay and played frisbee. It's just fun small things like that which have been great! Everyone's pretty funny and very nice. I've only encountered a few people who annoy me. I feel like I've bonded the most (aside from Rebecca, who rules) with Eileen. We both sort of feel like the "older" women in the house who are the least sheltered. We're both pretty liberal and have gone through the "college experience" and all that. But really, everyone in the house gets a long well...for the most part. Even the 1 bathroom situation hasn't been a problem.
Today was the first day of PT (physical training - I was in the van ready to go at 5:40 am!). Luckily, it wasn't nearly as intense as I thought it was going to be. I think the push ups were the hardest part. I can do girl ones just fine, but we were in a gym and my knees on the hard floor started to hurt after a while. And the cuffs of my pants kept hooking on my shoes and pulling down my pants. I was terrified that I was gonna accidentally moon someone during jumping jacks!
I'm adjusting to the cold...slowly. Yesterday a bunch of people played Everybody's It tag, but I couldn't stay out there. Half of them were in shorts and flip flops and I was like "BWAAA get me outta here!". They actually think 50 degrees is WARM. What planet are these kids from? I can't wait till we're on the gulf and it's 90 degrees and they're like "it's soooooooo hot, my brains are melting!" and I'm like "yeah, what!" heh. Actually, everyone's been pretty understanding about why I'm so cold all the time, so I suppose when we're in ACTUAL warm weather, I'll cut them some slack ;)
I will definitely be posting pics on facebook soon, maybe today (I've had a few requests....SANA). I miss you guys a lot and think of you often (especially the ladies...when I'm in the shower ;) haha.
One more thing. There's a bomb testing facility right near us! Throughout the day we hear sirens going off and bombs being fired. It's crazzzzy!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
First Day
So I figured I would start this thang to give general updates to my friends and family (so no one gets mad if I don't call or write enough...and by "no one" I mean my mom ;) It's also to help me remember everything I can. Although I'll probably save the juicy stuff for my journal, so don't be expecting anything too crazy! haha.
Last night I stayed with this super cool chick Rebecca in Orlando. The flight to MD was relatively normal, however the kid that was sitting next to me had never flown before so he kept grabbing my arm and telling me how hot his step mom is.
When I got to the Point (Perry Point) they were like "This is the government bitches, so get ready for some paperwork" and I'm pretty sure I now have arthritis in my right hand ;) The place I'm living is called The Village (you know, like that creepy M. Night Shama-whatever movie). Its basically two blocks of just houses. Then they served us yummy dinner which included veggie burgers, yay! On the downside, I'm the only vegetarian in my house....I've been considering giving up seafood as well, but I don't wanna be a big inconvenience, although I doubt our budget includes purchasing salmon and oysters so we'll see.
Speaking of my house. HOLY CRUSTY LINOLEUM, BATMAN! It's actually pretty funny how gross the house is. The linoleum in the bathroom is literally curling up near the wall revealing the disgusting underneath.
There's 8 chicks, two per room, and luckily I'm in a room where I'm not in a bunk bed. There's only one bathroom. But everyone has been really accommodating and nice. And the girl I room w/ (Hilary) seems pretty laid back, she said there isn't much that bothers her which perfect since I've been known to be a bit messy at times (no comments, please). One more thing, we have no door knobs in the whole house. On the plus side, the door to my room is broken anyway so a door knob would do no good. We've named this door Forrest....cause it's a little retarded. But it's cool, it gives the house...um...character?
Tomorrow I get a uniform and begin training which consists of I-have-no-effing-idea-because-they-haven't-told-us-anything!
Lastly, it's cold. Freaking cold. It snowed when I got in. They told us it's gonna get below zero at night these next few days. Thank goodness I brought the heating blanket!
Till next time!
Tana
Last night I stayed with this super cool chick Rebecca in Orlando. The flight to MD was relatively normal, however the kid that was sitting next to me had never flown before so he kept grabbing my arm and telling me how hot his step mom is.
When I got to the Point (Perry Point) they were like "This is the government bitches, so get ready for some paperwork" and I'm pretty sure I now have arthritis in my right hand ;) The place I'm living is called The Village (you know, like that creepy M. Night Shama-whatever movie). Its basically two blocks of just houses. Then they served us yummy dinner which included veggie burgers, yay! On the downside, I'm the only vegetarian in my house....I've been considering giving up seafood as well, but I don't wanna be a big inconvenience, although I doubt our budget includes purchasing salmon and oysters so we'll see.
Speaking of my house. HOLY CRUSTY LINOLEUM, BATMAN! It's actually pretty funny how gross the house is. The linoleum in the bathroom is literally curling up near the wall revealing the disgusting underneath.
There's 8 chicks, two per room, and luckily I'm in a room where I'm not in a bunk bed. There's only one bathroom. But everyone has been really accommodating and nice. And the girl I room w/ (Hilary) seems pretty laid back, she said there isn't much that bothers her which perfect since I've been known to be a bit messy at times (no comments, please). One more thing, we have no door knobs in the whole house. On the plus side, the door to my room is broken anyway so a door knob would do no good. We've named this door Forrest....cause it's a little retarded. But it's cool, it gives the house...um...character?
Tomorrow I get a uniform and begin training which consists of I-have-no-effing-idea-because-they-haven't-told-us-anything!
Lastly, it's cold. Freaking cold. It snowed when I got in. They told us it's gonna get below zero at night these next few days. Thank goodness I brought the heating blanket!
Till next time!
Tana
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