Shocker! I'm actually updating! Sorry about all the not updating I've been doing since I've been in the Corps. It's a constant joke in AmeriCorps that we're all sealed inside this AmeriBubble where nothing from the outside world can penetrate, and it goes both ways. It's so easy to forget that anything else in the world exists. I'll be listening to the radio and it'll say something like "The stock market is down again" and I'll be like "Holy crap, I forgot there was a stock market!" I'm really really sorry that I've been distant. I just hope you believe that it had nothing to do with a lack of interest in any of my friends, only with and overflow of experiences that consume so much of my time.

Quick recap of what my job is here. We're working with the Parks department of Putnam County in Hurricane, West Virginia. We are renovating an office for our sponsor so he can work more efficiently getting grants and trying to boost the area's economy as well as provide a constant flow of volunteers to the community. Our sponsor, Lowell, is awesome and I love him. We are also renovating a place called Hometown Park. We preserved a pavillion that had been there for 20-30 years and we built one from scratch. Unfortunately, our sponsor had applied to AmeriCorps with the intention of getting about 7 people for 6 weeks, and instead got 10 people for 8 weeks. Meaning there hasn't been nearly enough work for everyone, especially the women who are constantly excluded (but more on that later). We're also working in the richest county of WV so it's been a bit hard for some of us to reconcile what we're actually doing here. That being said, I've never gotten to know 9 other people so fast and fallen for all of them. I love my team. For the most part.

ANYWAY. Let's talk West Virginia. Let's talk about EVERYONE'S ability to completely disregard the feminist movement of the '70's and think that giving women the right to vote was all that the ladies ever needed. Suffice to say, my taste for WV men is that of bitter annoyance. And the women aren't much better bc they allow it to happen. The one lady that works for the Parks Dept., while being very nice, consistently lets the men belittle and condescend to her. Another example, Rine was standing next to a WV man that was working with us that had some heavy materials in his hand that he was handing out. Rine put her arms out to take them, and instead of giving it to her he walked around her to give it to Eric. Another one; some of the girls were walking outside and ran into one of the Parks workers here who said he needed help with fencing and asked if any of the boys were available. When the girls said no, but that they could help, he said nevermind and that they would do the fencing some other time. Personally, there was this man making blatant sexist comments about women, mostly to get a rise out of us, but also because I'm sure he believed everything he was saying. Since I was in my A (wearing my uniform) I couldn't go balls out crazy and tell him that making fun of women wouldn't make his tiny west virginian penis get any bigger, I instead referenced several women throughout history who made the kind of impression on the world that he could never even hope to achieve. The upside of standing next to a moron is that you can make fun of him without him knowing, and if he doesn't know he can't tell my TL to get me in trouble. The downside is that he never really knew how much I insulted him.

It's not all bad though, like I said our sponsor is really great. And we've done some super fun ISP's (Independent Service Projects). Remember, I'm require to do 80 hours of ISPs outside my normal work day. We've built a dog park, helped organize and run a Disney Princess's Tea Party (where little girls came dressed as princesses, except one awesome little chick who came as Spiderman). We worked at a dog shelter where I got to wash and play with dogs all day, which made me miss Rocky soooo much).

My team and I get along really well. I mean, there's definitely conflict within the team, but none with me thankfully! The only issues I've had have been with Julie (along with everyone else). I'm not entirely sure if I've explained the Julie situation. She's by far the worst human being I've ever met. At least I thought so for most of this Spike. And that's saying a lot because I generally like everyone and try not to judge people if I can help it. But I've had to explain to this 19 year old Bostonian (who appears to have had absolutely no discipline growing up) what an insult is and how they can be hurtful when said to someone in front of a crowd. She doesn't know any basic social skills. I mean, she was transferred on my team bc our team worked so well together and bc she screwed up too much on her original team. She yells, bitches, curses, goes nuts over the stupidest shit. But besides how completely inconsiderate she is, she's 10 times more unprofessional. She doesn't seem to get that you can't interrupt someone we're working for to tell them 500 stories about your boyfriend or your mom or a friend of a friend who got drunk and tried to stab his girlfriend. NO ONE GIVES A SHIT. And it's completely inappropriate to talk about that on the job. Or to yell at our sponsor to get you a hammer. Or to snap at a teammate in front of the head of the local 4H club that we're trying to recruit for a volunteer day. I finally had enough after that last one (which happened on the day I found out some really awful news about a friend) so I ratted her out to the TL because enough was enough! A few of the people we're working for already told Jessie (our TL) that they noticed that Julie never finishes what she starts, always slacks off, and never cleans up after herself. So Julie got written up and since it was only me and tall Eric that were around when she snapped at us in front of the 4H lady, she knew who to blame. Instead of realize that the ONLY person all 3 incidents had in common was her, she blamed me and was bitchy to me for a couple days. And then something crazy happened. It was like me ratting her out was the release of all my anger at her, and at the same time her realizing that I wasn't a pushover who would constantly baby her, brought us closer...somehow. Recently we've been getting a long really well. Her very existence doesn't bother me as much. It's crazy, but it's good. As for the rest of the team, they still can't stand her.

Speaking of the rest of my team, have I mentioned how much they rock? We were always the team laughing in the back row during CTI (the training during the 1st month of AmeriCorps), and not too much has changed. For me at least, like I said there are some inter-team squabbles, but I'm not too involved. I've been pretty good at remembering how much I love this program whenever I get fed up or am in a bad mood, which helps me not be bitchy to people. We also have these 8 person wrestling matches that are so much fun! It's sucks though bc it's usually boys vs. girls and none of the guys on our team are pansies, so we pretty much get our asses handed to us. Especially now since we all know each other's weaknesses (such as tickle spots and aversion to feet). OH but me, Lili, and Emma got the boys back EPICLY! Little Eric's (little being a relative term, as he is about 6', but tall Eric is 6'6 so....) brothers were in town so all the guys were at a hotel doing not-too-kosher AmeriCorps things. After going to WalMart for some supplies we totally ambushed them with silly string and water guns! It was AWESOME! haha. We also do things like gallon milk challenges and water balloon fights. I talk with some other Corps members about their team dynamic, and it just isn't the same. I've defiintely bonded with everyone. Emma and I have gotten really close. She's a big SciFi geek in the best kind of way and I can talk to her and Rine about everything. Little Eric has become like a little brother - I feel protective over him and I like fighting him and all those sisterly things. I have so much fun with Lili and I have deep conversations with Austin - when he's not being completely insane and jumping on top of tables and walls. Tall Eric and I are like the grown ups who have fun watching the boys go nuts, but he'll just as quickly join them as mock them. Joe and little Eric are big teddy bears. I don't know how I got so lucky, but did :)

Also, it's 80 degrees outside. 80 FREAKIN DEGREES! I'm in heaven. It's been cold for soooooooo long here. I was painting lines on a basketball court with tall Eric yesterday and the heat was bouncing off the pavement and it was ridiculously hot but I loved every minute of it. Florida, I miss you so much! One of the teams next round is going to Orlando to work with Disney's Wildlife Reserve, and though I'm happy not to have gotten that project (bc I joined this program in part to experience NEW people, places, and things), I was a bit jealous that they were going to live somewhere filled with MY friends and MY places and MY kind of weather.

Damn this blog is getting long. I'm gonna try to update more so this doesn't happen. I've only got one or two more things to cover, I swear!

My next project is a DREAM. We applied for and got Summer of Service. This means living in Washington DC for 2 months!!!! AHHHHHHHH I'm so excited. And guess who's a SUPER fan of AmeriCorps? This guy named Barack Obama! It would be so freakin awesome to meet him (again...hehe). Summer of Service is going to place me and someone else in charge of a group of kids to do mini AmeriCorps projects with them. It's going to be hard work, but it'll definitely help me decide if I want to come back to AmeriCorps next year as a Team Leader (which I'm very much considering). I just can't believe I'm going to live in DC. And go to NYC on the weekends. Not to mention that Elieen (my AmeriBestie and housemate from Perry Point) is going there with her team, too. It's unreal.

It's actually a split project, so from May 16th to the end of May we're going to Savanna, GA to plant oyster beds on one of GA' islands. Which sounds awesome for several reasons. 1) WARM WEATHER 2) working IN the water 3) 4 hours from Orlando. My whole team wants to go to Orlando to go to Disney or IOA. I already have plans to go to Orlando twice, once with them to do the Disney thing, and once with just a couple teammates to see all my friends that I love and miss soooooo much! I'll give everyone details the closer it gets.

Okay, so as some of you may know, I came to AmeriCorps with a broken heart (sorry for not telling all of you about it, it was more of an unexpected private whirlwind kind of thing), and the last thing I expected was to meet anyone here. And yet....he started out as the Mr. Right Now type (you know; pretty, funny, not serious at all) a great distraction from feeling like complete and utter shit during my down-time the first month I was here. And out of both of us living in rural areas without much to do, we kept talking nearly everyday this whole Round so that now, despite my best efforts, I kind of like him. It's silly and fun, and we both know that it's completely an AmeriCorps thing, but I'm a sucker for a guy that makes me laugh as much as he does. But.....oy vey.....he's young. I'm a cougar! :( it's actually pretty funny...and also very wrong on a creepy pedophile level. But, if Demi can pull it off why can't I? Right???

Anyway, thanks for truckin' through my whole blog! And I really am gonna try to update more often ;)