One month to go..

Hello fourth round!! My time in AmeriCorps is quickly drawing to a close with almost exactly a month left before graduation. The infamous Water Seven team has been reunited one more time to work in Winter Park, CO with National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD). A few fun facts about WP… the town houses about 600 permanent residents, the rest of the population being proclaimed ski bums who are truly a race of their own. We are at 9,100 altitude, arguably the highest town in Colorado, it’s real fun waking up with bloody noses every morning. The town’s “hot spot” is The Library. A bar. Named The Library. In a short drive we have access to some of the most beautiful and challenging mountains to climb in Colorado, have yet to summit a 14’er, but we’re working on it. Bears, moose, coyotes, you name it, frequent our house daily. Speaking of our house… NSCD has provided a PENTHOUSE complete with sauna, grand piano, five rooms (only one other roommate? what?!), balconies with a gorgeous view of the mountains, a nice ass kitchen, and two Jacuzzi tubs. Most likely the classiest place I will live throughout my lifetime. On to what we are actually doing here… NSCD is a world renowned non-profit which works to empower the disabled through adventure activities such as rock climbing, rafting, canoeing, horseback riding, etc… after a long few weeks of training the team finally began working with the “clientele.” Up to this point we have largely worked with Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB) in rock climbing and canoeing. Not only have I discovered I am OBSESSED with outdoor rock climbing and belaying (trained through NSCD!), but have been humbled by the amazing people I have met. Each person participating in CCB’s program has a unique story and drive to not be controlled through their blindness. Prior to this  I would have believed it would be impossible for a person lacking sight to rock climb, now I know it is entirely possible, hell some of them made it up the highest course quicker than I could. As for canoeing, that’s also possible, albeit chaotic 🙂 I would be lying if I said I wasn’t somewhat uncomfortable interacting with those who are disabled prior to this experience. I was so worried about offending someone, or what to do if a child with autism, for example, had a tantrum, that I didn’t stop to consider what could be learned from this job. Each new person I interact with has taught me extreme lessons of patience and humility. Earlier this week I spent the day with a 24 year old named Brittany who was  born with a developmental disability. Largely non-verbal Brittany expressed herself instead through her constant laughter and desire to try new activities. Not only did she kick my ass at mini-golf, but ran to hug me goodbye at the end of the day, a sign of compassion that can be rarely seen in this profession. There was also Chris this week, a 35 year old with Cerebral Palsy who needed assistance in every aspect. While we had access to a multitude of resort activities such as a 3,000 ft alpine slide, bungee trampoline, etc. Chris was unable to do any except for a ride up the mountain in a chairlift. Despite this physical inhibition, as well as limitations on communication, Chris was overjoyed at the slightest thing such as the employee who helped him off the chairlift, or the fact his group was getting ice cream at McDonald’s later. And here I am frustrated when my team has conflict, or when the crappy internet cuts out at the only coffee shop in town. Not everyday is a picnic, we often work with the most challenging disabilities in the groups that come to NSCD, but I am ultimately a better person for all of it. Not to mention my job is rock climbing, racing down huge slides, and rafting. Which I’m okay with. Sometimes it’s necessary to reflect on each day, when I’m constantly surrounded by beauty and incredible/unique experiences it’s easy to become immune to such things. I’ll be the first to admit I make mistakes each day in terms of work and interactions with my teammates, but I also know that each day I near a better version of myself, someone entirely different than the scared girl who entered this program who didn’t know herself or what to think of the coming months. A favorite quote I recently read in the Tao of Pooh: “Do not attempt to fit square pegs into circular holes.” So many find themselves in the wrong jobs, relationships, and places. As I enter a new era of my lifetime at Fort Lewis in Durango, that’s right folks I did ultimately decided to “settle down” for some schoolin’, I am determined to live my life through what I have learned in these 10months. Each day is an adventure.

Hello Ft. Collins, goodbye “miss-ery”

As of April 10, 2012 the shuffle team of Water 4 embarked upon their highly adventurous project in Ft. Collins, CO working with Wildland Restoration Volunteers (WRV). Prior to this endeavor, the newly assembled team (put together solely for 3rd round) spent a month in “miss-ery”, or what is more commonly known as Missouri. Working in St. Louis, Water 4’s main objective was removing a highly invasive and vile species of plant named honeysuckle. While many may believe honeysuckle is innocent, perhaps nice smelling, or with pretty flowers, they would be sorely incorrect. As this group of 11 individuals discovered, honeysuckle can grow to such proportions that a chainsaw is required to cut it down (Pro: The team was trained in chainsaw use, Con: The honeysuckle was huge). Not only can it become thick, it has a tendency to tangle with other honeysuckle making it extremely difficult to remove to a less infested area. And of course the plant kills everything that gets in its way. So yeah, it is something not so great for the environment of Missouri. Good thing it has taken over about half of the state already. Besides wrestling with “exotic” plants each day, Water 4 also combatted numerous amounts of poison ivy as well as the occasional meth lab discovered at the worksite (no big deal or anything). During the groups free time, they slept outdoors on a wrap-around porch -being woken up by rain every so often-, were first responders at a car crash outside of their home (a visitors center located in the beautiful Greensfelder park), travelled to the top of the gateway to the west -also known as the arch-, went to a sweet one room movie theater, spent a day at a giant jungle gym posing as a city museum, explored some caves, and line danced very successfully with some senior citizens. For being in Missouri merely a month, the group had an amazing amount of adventures. While it may be surprising to some, cutting down weeds all day can become slightly monotonous, so for the sake of Water 4’s sanity their time in St. Louis only lasted a month. And where are we now? Back in beautiful Colorado. While it is only our second day on the project, the vibes are already great. We begin each day with a 2mile hike to the worksite, a great early morning wake up. On the worksite the team is striving to improve 4 mile trail in Poudre Canyon (pronounced “Pooter” -don’t even get me started). The projects main objectives are altering the trail to avoid erosion as well as adjusting the slope of the trail to a comfortable percent.  Already we have discovered trail maintenance and construction is much more technical than the average hiker would believe, truly keeps work interesting. Not only is the project site scenic, but always sunny with fresh 7,000 altitude air to breathe. After the work here the team will travel to Boulder for the last part of their project for more trail work as well as pond restoration. I can say without a doubt that I am not ready for AmeriCorps to end.

A quick update…

Sorry to all who care that I have not updatedy blog in a while, it has been a busy month down in Oklahoma. With continuing business, I have decided to compile a short highlights list to easier update with what has been going on…

-Went to the Professional Bull Riding tour, the one “sport” I can truthfully say I enjoy. Those guys are badass.
-Learned (roughly) how to side a house, that half of our group is in fact still working on. 10 unskilled workers + 1 supervisor= 1 huge undertaking, frustration with equal amounts of fun, and a lot of close calls on a ridiculously steep roof. Oh, and a lot of me hitting myself in the head with hammers, scaffolding, horseshoes….
-Began/finished framing a small apartment.
-Drove a Bobcat (not very well, but I was getting the hang of it toward the end!)
-Learned about Bull insemination during a ranch tour, I’ll say it again, only in Oklahoma.

Plus a thousand more things I don’t have time or energy to write about! And the gym is closing in about three minutes, cutting offy internet source. To all who don’t know my next project will be in St. Louis for one month, Boulder the other doing environmental conservation!

Chillin’ with the Okies

Something I thought I would never say… I love Oklahoma. Initially this is surprising, because honestly, what is there to do in Oklahoma? No offense to those who hail from the state, but I have always thought of the area as somewhat empty of people, excitement, anything of value really. I have never been more psyched to be wrong. My team has been here for about two weeks and so far the people and our new project are kickin’ butt. What are we doing here you may ask? Once again, drum roll please, we are tackling disaster relief. Last year Piedmont, Oklahoma (a small town about 20 miles away from Oklahoma City) was hit by an F5 tornado, which for those who don’t know is the worst kind of tornado possible. Travelling through Piedmont today there is still evidence of the mark left upon the community by the disaster. There are huge swaths of land with hundreds of felled trees, immense piles of assorted items thrown together by the tornado (including random crushed vehicles, furniture, etc.), and areas where all that remains of a home is the cellar families took refuge in during the event. The destruction spans for miles to the most rural areas of the town. Never having seen such destruction from one single event, I have been constantly astonished and humbled of the power of nature. In Texas many homes had water damage due to the hurricanes, but much of the poverty and damage we dealt with were already a part of the area. Piedmont is an entirely different story. In addition, with such a different culture and form of destruction the team has been working on an even greater variety of projects. Already I have dabbled in welding to install a new enclosure for horses, roofing (the tornado literally lifted this families entire roof right off and placed it back down, damaged and insufficient), and as always tasks including my new power tool friends such as the circular saw -haven’t cut my finger off yet!-, drywall drills, etc. Basically my point here is that I have learned a lot in a short amount of time. All of this education hasn’t been merely in terms of construction. Almost each day Water 7 interacts with a new homeowner or community member, discovering something new and meaningful each time. One homeowner, Vick, we have spent a few days with. One day I decided to ask if the thought of another tornado demolishing the new home he is currently building (to replace the last destroyed one) ever discouraged Vick. Vick looked at me in utter seriousness and stated that life constantly provides challenges, but that the duty of a human being is to rise above these challenges and pick themselves back up. The final thing Vick stated to me was that  “the day you fall down and don’t get back up, is the day you have given up at everything. The day you have failed.” I sure did not expect such a response from one simple question, but in this response Vick demonstrated the resiliency in the tornado victims. A determination that can be learned from and applied to all aspects of life.

“Home” Sweet Home

Notice the parentheses in the title? Those are pretty much because I have no clue where I define my home as anymore. Monday was Water Seven’s last day in Texas, with the project ending on an adequate note. The team did their best to convey our frustrations with the project to our sponsor and while she didn’t quite hear us, we at least know we put our best foot forward. In no way does this mean I did not have an amazing first spike, I truly did. Directly working with those affected by a disaster is something indescribable. On our way home the team stopped in San Antonio for an afternoon. Not only did we channel our inner child through a kickass mirror maze, but also visited the site of the Alamo. Though I had heard of the Alamo, I never truly knew the story behind the military fort. As some of you readers may know I am a huge history buff, and therefore thouroughly enjoyed learning American History from a Texan point of view. This combined with the famous San Antonio riverwalk, something genuienly beautiful and unique, our short time in San Antonio was a perfect way to end my time in Texas. Upon returning to Denver I was pleasantly surprised at how relived I felt. I missed the Rockies, the crisp air, my friends back on campus, and the feeling I receive from the area as a whole. I don’t know how to accurately describe it… living in Denver has a certain feel to it, one which provides you with a sense of endless opportunities and adventure. Or maybe that is just me. So, you see my dilemna. Texas and Denver both feel as if they are my homes. Combine that with travelling back to my “real” home (I arrived back in Chicago at three today!), and you acquire one disoriented girl. I think I simply need to resolve myself with the fact that the older I become, the more places I will visit and therefore miss. My home is no longer a concrete place, but a varitey of areas that have each taken a piece of my heart. One piece will always lie in Batavia, somewhere I never thought I would miss. Guess there is nothing like visiting the place you grew up in.

No home to return to in Denver? Awesome.

Don’t you feel like just when life starts to go well, it throws another curve ball for you? Today’s curve ball is in the form of a flood to my campus dorm. Fortunately my specific floor wasn’t affected, but the rest of the building is in such a condition that all 300 of our belongings may be transported out of the building and we could conceivably be without a place to stay. Now I’m sure I’m being a bit dramatic, we will most likely find somewhere to go, but of what terrible luck that this happened merely a week before we were all scheduled to return to Denver. Fingers crossed everything is not as bad as it seems! Switching gears, the poverty I experienced today does not even compare to 50 dormitory floods. Last week I focused on construction for affected homes and this week I’m traveling to asses the homes FCDR will eventually be doing work for. I guess I learned things a little backward. It was a frigid day here in Texas terms, about 40 degrees ( I have no idea how I’m going to handle Chicagoland weather in ten days time), that I and four others on my team spent traveling through the colonias of the area gathering random bits of information for almost completed files. For those who do not know what “colonias” are, the best way to describe them would be as makeshift immigrant communities. While that may be a more official definition, it hardly characterizes the destitution of these neighborhoods. The homes vary from moderate (by colonia standards) to ramshackle structures put together of tin roofing and various other products. Each day I feel as if I have returned to Ghana, life down here is pretty darn close to third world. That is something I never expected to come across in the United States. Seeing and despairing at this made our task today pretty fuckin’ awesome, to put it in simple prose. Not only were we gathering information, but my four companions and I distributed over $2,700 worth of Wal-Mart gift cards to families. For homes in the area that have no steady income these were truly priceless gifts. I can not begin to describe the feeling I had when I finally saw the recognition and then gratitude in their faces (that tended to take a while due to my abysmal Spanish) as the home owners received the money. To bring someone to tears of happiness as we did today is not a light experience. Today was assuredly one of the most meaningful days of my experience in Americorps thus far.

A crazy couple of days…

It seems the longer I’ve been in Texas the crazier everything has become. Everyday is a new adventure in finding out what we are going to do. Our project sponsor is pretty much the most scatterbrained person that has ever lived. Today she just flat out didn’t show up for work . Luckily Roland, the construction supervisor, improvised and had the ten of us (who are often split up during the work day) start repairing a hurricane affected home. I spent the majority of my day putting up insulation and drywall as well as taking periodical breaks to dance and use the chalk line (a pretty sweet tool) to draw avatar designs on each other. While I may have fiberglass embedded in my skin and ALL of my clothing, it was a pretty great day despite our rough start (that we’re kind of used to anyway). I realized last night that I only have two weeks left in Texas, pretty crazy. So my evaluation of our project so far? Truthfully I’m a little frustrated. The area we’re in is amazing, we’ve done some very rare things (did I mention I was able to meet National Geographic editors filming Border Wars?), and of course I can’t complain about the 80 degree weather everyday… but I just wish we had been able to do more. Coming into this I hadn’t realized how impoverished this part of the United States is, but whilst travelling through a majority of the neighborhoods down here I’ve truly felt as if I’m in a third world country. That’s how bad the povery and living conditions are.  Seeing that and not being able to help as much as I had hoped, for numerous reasons (number one being that volunteering in situations like this are just plain messy), is disheartening. Despite these feelings though there are still two weeks left to do amazing things! Hope everyone is well out there and cant wait to see my friends back in Denver as well as everyone else at Christmas!

Usually I don’t like Starbucks but…

For all of those who have lived in dorms, had roommates, or have experienced any variation of living with peers 24/7 you know how frustrating it can sometimes be. Especially if your room consists of four very uncomfortable cots, sheets as a wall, and dresser space as the floor. Therefore in reference to the title of my post, I LOVE Starbucks right now. For the Midwesterners reading this, I’ve always been a proclaimed Caribou snob. However, the Starbucks I’m currently at leaves me with small room for pickiness considering it is the SOLE coffee shop in Texas. In addition to that, it provides me with solid internet access and some much needed quiet/alone time.  I really shouldn’t be complaining because in all honesty the past few days have been heaven compared to the 15 hour ones we’ve been putting in lately. Though I was bummed to be spending Thanksgiving away from my family, for the first time ever, the church we are volunteering with made us a wonderful turkey day lunch that my team and I greatly enjoyed. Also, being away from my family made me truly realize how lucky I was to have them, as well as how much they mean to me. While I love being away from home and seeing new places, part of my heart will always lie in Batavia and the people I love. Cheesy much? Perhaps. But it’s true. Lately all of this reminiscing has led me to put some deep thought into what I want to do next year. So many opportunities have presented themselves, conservation in the Amazon, couch surfing in Europe, and I’m still only into my second month. Then there’s always college, the ever present factor on my mind. Is it so bad that I don’t want to tie myself down yet? I still want to see and do so much in the world, and for some reason I have a fear that once I go to college and graduate I’ll end up stuck somewhere. I can’t really define why I feel this way, I guess I’ve just seen it happen to others. I’ve been reading a book lately called The Essential Transcendentalists that really emphasizes self reflection. One of my (so far) favorite passages spoke of directing your eye inward and thus finding a thousand regions in your mind to travel and become an expert in. I’ve found that by doing this I sometimes end up with more questions than answers. Questions such as these are truly influencing me to ponder what avenues I will end up exploring in the coming years.

What I’m Thankful for, a little early

Well…today was rough to say the least. As if the whopping 1700 service hours we have to complete for Americorps is not enough, the program requires eighty additional Independent Service Project hours upon graduation. Initially this number may not sound too high, I scoffed at it upon entry to the program, but factoring in transportation and coordination they frankly are not that easy to get. For me at least, and I think I can say the same for many other Corps Members, completing our ISP hours has been a constant itch in the back of our minds since our first informational meeting that told us to get them done and to do it FAST. Why am I filling you in on all of this? Because today I am proud to say my team completed a 15hour ISP day. 15 freaking hours!! We woke up at 330 Am, to none other than Adam Volk serenading on his trusty guitar, and didn’t arrive back home until about 7 Pm. So if I seem a tad out of it in this post, its largely because I am. While todays work consisted of an inhuman amount of driving from town to town, we finally were able to see the fruits of our labor this past week. For the better part of our time in Texas we’ve been running to and fro food banks with various churches and dropping off Thanksgiving-esque meals to random locations. Today we re-visited all of these areas and discovered that the food we (okay I) had felt we were meaninglessly carting around actually had a purpose. And what was that purpose other than Thanksgiving dinners to all of those in need! Despite having to wake up at an ungodly hour, being abused by a drunk volunteer (I wont go into more details than that-he was not Americorps to all wondering), and dealing with some very prominent sexism in Texas when it comes to lifting heavy things (especially certain Turkeys), seeing the faces of the families receiving their meals made the stress of the day all worth it. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of “What I’m thankful for” Facebook posts, and to follow the trend I can tell you this troops: I’m thankful for a great team of people to work with everyday that sometimes, okay all of the time, isn’t afraid to yell at each other for being stupid yet still knows how to have fun. I’m thankful for a family that loves and supports me. I’m thankful for the fact that I grew up in a home constructed with more than twigs and some posterboard (yes there are houses in Texas made of those materials and worse). I’m thankful for great friends that I’ve made in the past month as well as the ones that I’ve had for a lifetime. Most of all though, I’m thankful that today I was able to make a small difference in the messiness that is our world. While I may not win a Nobel Peace Prize, today I feel content.

Also to make a certain guitar playing Peruvian feel important, I would like to let the world know that I did not in fact discover Bananagrams on my own but was introduced to it by the one and only Dan Farfan.

Fourth Day in The Lone Star!

Ok so long story short, I JUST wrote this beautiful, articulate, and just plain amazing first post and deleted it on accident because technology hates me. Especially Mac computers. Therefore I’m going to need to make this post short because my (wonderful) team is just about finishing our second official dinner together. We’re super cute, I know. For those who don’t know I’m currently working through Americorps in McAllen, TX (near SanJuan) and living in a sweet little home a few towns away in Harlingen. We’re pretty much 15minutes away from the border here, every night there’s a new drug cartel rolling through town shooting at things. Okay just kidding, that’s probably not funny but hey it’s really a possibility in this area. Did you know that the counties down here in Southern Texas are the POOREST in the United States? Never would’ve thought huh? At least I didn’t. So what is Americorps? I work with NCCC, a branch of Americorps (the best one might I add), and our main focus is on disaster relief. However there aren’t always enough disasters to be “relieved” so we also focus on energy/environmental conservation, rural and urban development, and any type of helpful infrastructure improvement. My team of ten, including our fearless leader Katy, was fortunate enough to land a disaster recovery project first round spike. Side note: throughout these posts I’m going to be using a fair amount of Ameri-lingo, so bear with me as I try to define everything for you. Rewind two sentences to the word SPIKE. NCCC members go on four long term spikes a year completing projects in the aforementioned categories. My team and I belong to the Southwest region of Americorps meaning we’re responsible for all of the Southwest states (duh) such as Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and good ol’ Kansas. Us down here in Texas are currently repairing/rebuilding homes affected by hurricanes Alex and Dolly as well as case management, which is just a fancy way of making filing sound exciting. Our activities thus far have consisted of running to food banks, dry-walling a house, and designing a brochure for our project sponsor (Faith Communities for Disaster Relief). After work today we also had the privilege of visiting the McAllen Border Control, apparently the largest border control center in America. Not only was it interesting, but I got to see a room full of bad ass guns. That’s a pretty successful day in my opinion. Before I go, heres a quick run through of my accomplishments in the past month:

-Was CPR certified! (that’s right, I can save your life now)

-Attended Zombiecrawl, YouTube it. That shits crazy.

-Joined a gym for $10 a month, and ran two miles yesterday. Who have I become?!

-Hiked up a gargantuan mountain in Boulder which is by the way one of the hippest places I’ve ever been, excluding the fact I really haven’t been to that many places

-Discovered Bananagrams (look it up, its a great game)

-Experienced Occupy Denver

-Visited the Columbine Memorial

-Built a trail at Red Rocks, grandiose protruding pillars of geological matter to which even the sky can hold no boundary (description courtesy of Adam Severance)

-Took a three day car trip to Texas and truly realized the meaning of the middle of nowhere

-Saw the slums of southern Texas that I hadn’t previously known about, it’s almost like a different country down here

Alright y’all that’s it for today! Hopefully I’ll be able to write again soon depending on who lets me borrow their computer as well as the shaky internet connection we may or may not be stealing from our neighbors. Shout out to my friends all over the country whether you’re in a call center, winterizing orchards, or pursuing your education!