First of all I would like to apologize for how sporadically I have been updating this blog. I know when most people think of moving out to California they think of beaches, movie stars, adorable outfits and overall independence. But I have not quiet had the leisure most think of. My usual 63 hour work weeks haven’t left a lot of time for emotional sharing or blog updating.
As I mentioned in the previously, I am currently in the process of completing my 10 month term of service with AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps. (By choice, I am not on parole or part of any disciplinary entity as some people may think when they hear the words “term of service”. Check it out at Serveayear.org)
Since the end of February, approximately 100 others and I have been training and working to aid in either disaster relief or preparedness. We have been working countless hours wearing combat boots and cargo pants, have seen an unexpected amount of Corps mates go home, and dealt with every obstacle from having the crappiest internet service to hotel rooms infested with ants and sleeping on the floor of moldy basements. People that we grew strangely close to in just month’s time have been scattered across the country in cities spanning from Sacramento and Seattle to Atlanta and Philadelphia.
My team, Gold One, has experienced an almost absurd amount of obstacles during the first round of our service year. Going from a team of 8 to a team of 3 in just a few months has definitely taken a toll on the remaining members’ morale. Whether it was for personal or disciplinary reasons, watching your team pretty much evaporate can definitely make you rethink your purpose somewhere. We move locations at least every two weeks… and although that sounds super exciting, it’s really not a lot of fun having to pack all of your stuff into a 15 passenger van 4 times a month. You don’t really get a chance to settle anywhere because the moment you feel comfortable it is time to move again.
Currently, 3 other grown women and myself are sharing one hotel room that is actually meant for 3 people. (We know this by the amount of towels, toiletries, chairs… all signs point to the room being too small.) We have all pretty much come to the conclusion that as much as we all love and care about each other, having 4 girls in a room for an entire month is pretty much lethal. One mirror, 2 beds, minimal outlets for hair appliances. Like I said… lethal.
But with the many ill-fated situations my team and I have found ourselves in, there is one thing I can say we have gained that out weights all of our misfortune. And that thing is resilience. While cleaning out our van earlier this morning we came across our “Team Charter” that we made and signed almost 3 months ago during our training period. We stood there in disbelief staring at all the rules and standards we had set for ourselves, along with the signatures of all our former teammates. And although we all couldn’t help but experience an overwhelming feeling of defeat, I couldn’t help but feel a surprising amount of pride. Our situation may not have turned out the way we all wanted when we came out to California. But we followed our team charter to the best of our ability. We have given 100% effort, we have supported each other during dark times, we have been through it all. We have held ourselves and each other to a standard set by those that couldn’t even hold it themselves.
One of the points mentioned in our team charter was “taking things with a grain of salt”. Taking things for what they are, good or bad. And I can genuinely say that the 3 women I am now living with have pretty much mastered the art of taking something with a grain of salt. Today while moving hotels, we drove through some of the steepest mountains in California, with no guard rails, while a bike race was under way, in the pouring rain. That’s right, California is in a crippling drought, and the day we have the most dangerous drive, the skies open up. And why the road wasn’t closed for the bike race, we will never know. As one biker decided to daringly pass our oversized vehicle, we realized that most people would have seen the situation as the pathway to instant death. Most people would have coward at the thought of the adventure we were embarking on. And although we too figured we were about to face our certain demise, I don’t think I have ever laughed harder in my entire life.
Somehow the idea of rolling off the side of a mountain in a 15 passenger suddenly seemed equivalent to waking up in a new Bugatti. Because we have already dealt with so much crap in the past few months that taking this situation with a grain of salt was the only way we were going to make it out alive… literally.
With all the things that have gone wrong, I genuinely think I have seen it bring out the best in the people around me. (Sometimes the worst, but we can’t all keep it together all the time). So as we tackle this new obstacle of our less than ideal living conditions, we just have to think of these hotel rooms as a rainy, biker filled mountain that could lead to our untimely deaths. If we don’t take everything with a grain of salt, we might not make it out alive from here either!
Our team charter may have felt like it was all for nothing today but in reality it still is everything. It may not have kept everyone together but it kept together those willing to follow it. And if we keep building our resilience, giving 100%, supporting each other and finding humor in even the scariest things, I know that we can make it to the end of this program.
And on that note, I’m going to end this entry with another song. (I try my best to keep this thing entertaining.)
With all the time we spend together driving around; we have acquired a lot of “team songs”. But more than usual, I think this song really applies. This one goes out to you Gold One… my warriors!
As I mentioned in the previously, I am currently in the process of completing my 10 month term of service with AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps. (By choice, I am not on parole or part of any disciplinary entity as some people may think when they hear the words “term of service”. Check it out at Serveayear.org)
Since the end of February, approximately 100 others and I have been training and working to aid in either disaster relief or preparedness. We have been working countless hours wearing combat boots and cargo pants, have seen an unexpected amount of Corps mates go home, and dealt with every obstacle from having the crappiest internet service to hotel rooms infested with ants and sleeping on the floor of moldy basements. People that we grew strangely close to in just month’s time have been scattered across the country in cities spanning from Sacramento and Seattle to Atlanta and Philadelphia.
My team, Gold One, has experienced an almost absurd amount of obstacles during the first round of our service year. Going from a team of 8 to a team of 3 in just a few months has definitely taken a toll on the remaining members’ morale. Whether it was for personal or disciplinary reasons, watching your team pretty much evaporate can definitely make you rethink your purpose somewhere. We move locations at least every two weeks… and although that sounds super exciting, it’s really not a lot of fun having to pack all of your stuff into a 15 passenger van 4 times a month. You don’t really get a chance to settle anywhere because the moment you feel comfortable it is time to move again.
Currently, 3 other grown women and myself are sharing one hotel room that is actually meant for 3 people. (We know this by the amount of towels, toiletries, chairs… all signs point to the room being too small.) We have all pretty much come to the conclusion that as much as we all love and care about each other, having 4 girls in a room for an entire month is pretty much lethal. One mirror, 2 beds, minimal outlets for hair appliances. Like I said… lethal.
But with the many ill-fated situations my team and I have found ourselves in, there is one thing I can say we have gained that out weights all of our misfortune. And that thing is resilience. While cleaning out our van earlier this morning we came across our “Team Charter” that we made and signed almost 3 months ago during our training period. We stood there in disbelief staring at all the rules and standards we had set for ourselves, along with the signatures of all our former teammates. And although we all couldn’t help but experience an overwhelming feeling of defeat, I couldn’t help but feel a surprising amount of pride. Our situation may not have turned out the way we all wanted when we came out to California. But we followed our team charter to the best of our ability. We have given 100% effort, we have supported each other during dark times, we have been through it all. We have held ourselves and each other to a standard set by those that couldn’t even hold it themselves.
One of the points mentioned in our team charter was “taking things with a grain of salt”. Taking things for what they are, good or bad. And I can genuinely say that the 3 women I am now living with have pretty much mastered the art of taking something with a grain of salt. Today while moving hotels, we drove through some of the steepest mountains in California, with no guard rails, while a bike race was under way, in the pouring rain. That’s right, California is in a crippling drought, and the day we have the most dangerous drive, the skies open up. And why the road wasn’t closed for the bike race, we will never know. As one biker decided to daringly pass our oversized vehicle, we realized that most people would have seen the situation as the pathway to instant death. Most people would have coward at the thought of the adventure we were embarking on. And although we too figured we were about to face our certain demise, I don’t think I have ever laughed harder in my entire life.
Somehow the idea of rolling off the side of a mountain in a 15 passenger suddenly seemed equivalent to waking up in a new Bugatti. Because we have already dealt with so much crap in the past few months that taking this situation with a grain of salt was the only way we were going to make it out alive… literally.
With all the things that have gone wrong, I genuinely think I have seen it bring out the best in the people around me. (Sometimes the worst, but we can’t all keep it together all the time). So as we tackle this new obstacle of our less than ideal living conditions, we just have to think of these hotel rooms as a rainy, biker filled mountain that could lead to our untimely deaths. If we don’t take everything with a grain of salt, we might not make it out alive from here either!
Our team charter may have felt like it was all for nothing today but in reality it still is everything. It may not have kept everyone together but it kept together those willing to follow it. And if we keep building our resilience, giving 100%, supporting each other and finding humor in even the scariest things, I know that we can make it to the end of this program.
And on that note, I’m going to end this entry with another song. (I try my best to keep this thing entertaining.)
With all the time we spend together driving around; we have acquired a lot of “team songs”. But more than usual, I think this song really applies. This one goes out to you Gold One… my warriors!
