Spring Into Mindfulness

Cliché as it sounds, I am a pretty firm believer that everything in life happens for a reason. The path that I am on has taken me around the world, has presented me with necessary challenges that have taught me imperative life lessons, has introduced me to incredible individuals, and has given me a life of adventure, knowledge, growth, balance and pleasure.

That being said, I think it was no coincidence that while camping in the Arizona desert last month, I began rereading (for the fourth time, in a third language) one of my favorite books – Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love.” For those with a taste for travel, I highly recommend this woman’s pleasure seeking journey through food in Italy, yoga and meditation in India, and romance in Indonesia.

Anyway, as I was reading while enjoying a nice cup of coffee in downtown Tucson, a thought popped into my head – “I wonder if there is an ashram in Arizona.” Well, within an hour I was walking through a row of palm trees towards the Temple of Light. Within two hours I was partaking in an evening meditation, and within three hours I was planning my meditation retreat for spring break.

The following week we began our spring break, which was conveniently timed for the day after I was hospitalized for dehydration. (Public service announcement – when working with chainsaws eight hours a day in the Arizona desert, do not underestimate the power of water, Gatorade, and shade).

I arrived at the ashram just in time for their daily evening meditation, and all I could think about was the excerpt from “Eat, Pray, Love” regarding her arrival – she made her way to the ashram around three in the morning, just as everyone was beginning their morning meditation. She said she felt like a chicken that was placed into a new coup – apparently, when introducing a new chicken to a coup, one should not do it in the daytime, for the other chickens will attack the foreigner. One should do it overnight, while the other chickens are sleeping, so when they wake up they won’t remember the arrival, and they will think the new chicken was there the entire time.

Well, I didn’t quite feel like a chicken. If I had to choose an animal, it would be a mix between a lost puppy and an awkward turtle, confused, slow to make it to my place in the Temple and unable to sit still for more than five minutes. How is my team doing? Did I submit all of my paperwork? Did I leave them the food card? Will their tents survive the rain? Needless to say that out of the two hours of scheduled meditation time, my first evening at the ashram brought me about ten minutes of peace and quiet – a true sign of how far into a dark box I was able to shove my inner peace, covering it with a lid full of worry and stress.

I was housed in a beautiful, two bedroom home with a kitchen full of vegetables from the ashram’s garden (tended by an individual from another AmeriCorps program, small world), organic vegan food and a variety of tea that I didn’t have enough time to sample. The accommodations were incredible, especially after a month of living in a tent.

For the next four days, I spent my time attending group meditations at sunrise and sundown, reading, writing letters to my loved ones, getting creative with my vegetable recipes and enjoying every last second of much needed alone time.

Ah yes, alone time. As of late, I have really come to appreciate and cherish alone time, especially after joining the team-based NCCC program. We live in an age of information and task overload, constantly on the go and constantly surrounded by other people. Oftentimes I found myself doing things simply because others were doing them, simply because of social approval. However, the fulfillment and pleasure that resulted were minimal.

As parts of a group, we often neglect to tune in to the needs of the one person whose happiness and wellbeing we're fully in charge of, the one person who will always be there, and the one person that we often neglect to care for and treasure – you.

Meditation has been a growing part of my life, one that I have been exploring and learning about for quite some time. The practice has been my way of balancing myself, restoring my energy and revealing to myself my desires when they are not influenced by the people around me.

Yoga, running and physical activity in general help me clear my mind and center myself, and they’re an easy way of de-stressing (added bonus if they involve an adrenaline rush, i.e. skydiving, snowboarding, cliff diving, zip lining, etc.)

Reading, not too much I have to say aside from encouraging everyone to try it. If you don’t like a book, try another one, try a different topic, try a different genre, don’t give up on literature just because one author was unable to capture your attention.

Food, for me, has always been more than just a means of nourishing my body. Cooking is an art, something I find enjoyable in itself, even if the result is mediocre. Luckily, with the vast amount of recipes and ingredients readily available, the possibilities are endless.

Exploring the great outdoors. Whether it's hiking, biking, kayaking, hammocking, boating, surfing, or simply endulging in the amazing feeling of sunlight and wind hitting your skin, there's something majestic and soothing about being one with nature. We live on a beautiful planet, take in all that it has to offer.

Lastly, write. You'll be surprised by what you discover once you put your thoughts on paper.

Naturally, we’re all different. What works for me may not work for anyone else, and that’s okay. Perhaps that’s exactly why these are the activities that I do in my alone time. But no matter what it is that puts a smile on your face, don’t forget that you won’t see results unless you actually carve out time from your busy schedule and go do it.

On my last evening at the ashram, I was able to meditate for nearly the full two hours, distracted only by the fire ant that decided to bite me.

Namaste.

Taxes Are Taxing

Winter break came and went, and it was time to go back to Denver for transition week. Except I couldn't, because a snow-pocalypse covered most of the Northeast in snow, delaying my flight by nearly a week. Upon my return, it was time to pack my bags and head out for my next project - tax preparation for low-income families and individuals in Kansas City, Missouri!

Our lovely home in KCMO, courtesy of the Salvation Army

Upon arrival, we received an intense, two day training. Following the exam on the third day, most members of the team received the Basic IRS Certification. On the fourth day, we started working with clients.

Even having had some background knowledge of taxes, I still found the training and exam challenging. That being said, I felt like a proud parent when my corps members passed the exam and excelled at doing returns.

Next Step, Kansas City office at the Full Employment Council

I can't think of a better way to sum up our work than with our accomplishment narrative: "With over 20% of Kansas City residents living below the poverty line, Next Step Kansas City works to promote financial stability in the Kansas City metropolitan area through multiple educational opportunities and services, including free tax preparation. Sun 2 served as the primary source of tax preparers during this tax season. Corps Members and Team Leader operated the free tax site at the Full Employment Council and occasionally 3 other sites, serving as tax preparers and greeters under the supervision of the sponsor. Sun 2 prepared over 1200 returns and returned over 2 million dollars to Kansas City residents. Beyond the quantifiable accomplishments, the team learned the importance of economic stability and was able to share this knowledge with the clients. Through the one-on-one, interview-based tax preparation process, the team was able to learn from the individual situations of the clients, while helping clients understand their taxing circumstances. Ultimately, the gratitude expressed by many of the clients was encouraging and uplifting, suggesting a lasting impact on the Kansas City community resulting from Sun 2’s hard work."

Outside of work, we made the most of our time in Kanas City. Having a sedentary project was balanced with daily morning work-outs at the local YMCA and zombie runs. In our free time we explored the city, its museums and nearby nature hikes, did a ton of team builders and had a LOT of movie nights (where I was introduced to Game of Thrones, highly recommend watching it!).

First time exploring downtown Kansas City

Web of gratitude team builder

Hiking in Kansas City, Missouri

MLK Day of Service at the Food Bank

Helping out at the YMCA triathlon (in exchange for free gym
memberships for two months!)

Day of the A

World War I Memorial, Kansas City, MO

Chalk Pyramids, Kansas

Humbling. That is the one word that comes to mind when reflecting back on my experience working with Next Step Kansas City. From veterans that have no home to mothers that support a family of five on three thousand dollars a year, from  unemployed college graduates drowning in student loans to individuals who lost their jobs and can't make ends meet, the wide variety of clientele that we worked with all had one thing in common - trapped in the hole economic hardship and nobody to hand them a ladder. Being able to help them was the best feeling in the world, because I knew that their tax return money would put food on their table, pay for another month of rent, and allow them to take a day off to go and interview for a better job.

 

The tears of joy, hugs and gratitude of those that we're able to help make it all worth it in the end.

 

Last Round... For Now

For our last round in AmeriCorps, we were assigned a local split project: for the first four weeks, we would help the Sand Creek Regional Greenway in Denver with trail maintenance and outdoor shenanigans. For the remained of the round, we would be working at the Action Center assisting them in their mission of providing an immediate response to basic human needs and promoting pathways to self-sufficiency for the homeless.

I was really excited to spend the last two months of this program in Denver - unlimited access to hiking in the magnificent Rockies, yoga studios on every corner, farmers markets with deliciously fresh goodies, great music venues, breweries, weekend getaways to nearby National Parks (Utah Arches, I am coming for you!), endless places to explore, museums and book stores, half off Sushi at Red Ginger, and very importantly, public transportation.

Our first day at work involved a brief orientation followed by a tour of the Greenway, which spans 14 miles throughout Denver and the surrounding area. With a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, a truly beautiful place to work.

Sand Creek Regional Greenway in Denver, CO.

For the next three days we did some trash pick-up, caged and painted cottonwood trees so the beavers don't eat them, and posed for quite a few pictures:

Painting cottonwood trees so beavers don't snack on them

After a long day of trash pick-up

In the wise words of our Unit Leader, "The only constant in AmeriCorps is change."

As we were finishing up work Thursday afternoon we got a call from our Team Leader about an urgent meeting when we get back. At the meeting, our expectations were confirmed: we were getting deployed to Oklahoma City on disaster relief following the May 21st tornadoes.

BOONDANGLE! I'm Back in Texas!

New team and new team leader on board, we departed for Granbury, Texas on April Fools Day... which, I would say, was great foreshadowing to a round where I spent most of my time laughing.

My third round in AmeriCorps was spent working at Camp Fire USA Camp El Tesoro in a small town about an hour West of the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Before I go into the details of six weeks where I found out that I am really awful at prank wars, that Southern hospitality goes way longer than a long way (and that being vegan in Texas is extremely difficult), that chainsaw fuel in your eyeballs is kind of painful, that morning CrossFit is the best way to start your day and that Linda is pretty much the most amazing individual on this planet, let me summarize our project mission:

"The team's main focus will be teaching various curriculums for the Outdoor Education Program which includes fossils, ornithology, tree ID, wildflowers, grasses, animal habitats tracks and signs, maps, compasses, and geocaching, as well as Dutch over math and archery. Our goal is to inspire a sense of wonder in the natural world and establish stewardship, following along the lines of "We only protect what we love, love what we understand, and understand what we're taught," while making sure that the objective of FUN is not lost amid the chaos. Between schools we'll have a host of maintenance inspired activities to put to rights."

Sun 3 Version 3!

After two days of travel, Sun 3 Version 3 arrived at our new home for the next 6 weeks - a camp cabin situated in the middle of Camp El Tesoro, a very beautiful and GREEN children's camp.

Our cabin

We spent the first week learning all the different curriculums while trying to stay warm - Texas surprised us with a chilly welcome that none of us were prepared for (all I packed were shorts and t-shirts, good thing the BDUs allow for layers). Learning, or rather having my memory refreshed, on earth science curriculums was a lot of fun, especially since we played a bunch of games while doing so - "Screaming Pirate" quickly became a favorite. Also, the TL and ATLs (Alex, Kat and myself) got trained to drive the Ranger.

Having taught before, I thought I knew what to expect and I felt pretty prepared before our first group arrived. However, the difference between teaching one class a day and spending a day setting up classrooms, teaching six one hour classes in a row, serving the kids dinner, cleaning up after dinner and then taking down the classrooms is... well, pretty much everything. The days were long, but as I had mentioned before, I got very lucky with my team and team leader - we all worked hard and kept the spirits up through endless jokes (and picking on me, typical).

Teaching the kiddies about photosynthesis

Through the "Mug of Fate," our names were selected at random and we then picked which classes we wanted to teach. In my time at camp, I taught Dutch Oven Math, Geocaching and helped Kat out with the Tree ID nature hike. Fun fact of the day: I am awful at identifying trees and plants, and pretty much every tree looks like an oak to me... As we found out, however, Kat is awesome at identifying trees (and getting asked on dates by 5th graders!), and Pete is a natural when it comes to birding.

Learning the art of archery

BOONDANGLING!

All frustration aside, I really enjoyed teaching kids about the importance of outdoor education. I know I am not the first to point this out but have you seen the obesity rate trend in the United States, and I am pretty sure that it has something to do with the steady decrease in time kids spend playing outside, and the steady increase in time they spend on the couch playing video games. Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some Super Mario Smash Bros, but you get my point. Seeing how happy the kids were to go on a nature hike or run around trying to find Geocaches reminded me of my childhood - running around playing with my brother and his friends, when the biggest problem in the world was the sunset, which meant we had to go inside.

Outside of work, the round was filled with lots of laughter, delicious vegan cooking, country music, dancing, lots of working out and a prank war that Ruthie and I definitely lost. We also got to go kayaking and canoeing, and got a few days of sunshine and delicious margaritas. We took a trip to Dallas for a day after volunteering at a Habitat ReStore, visited Forst Worth for an ISP at Mayfest, and after helping out with cutting brush off a fence at a Safari they let us drive through it for free. Thank you Sun 3 V 3 for an awesome round!

Feeding an African Antelope

Did I mention that I got picked on this round, a lot?

Volunteering at Mayfest in Fort Worth

Time to Shuffle

My ten weeks in Arkansas have come to an end, but this beautiful state gifted mewith many new experiences: using a chainsaw, eating venison, attempting to fell a tree (and accidentally creating a hazard zone while doing so, oops!), overcoming my fear of snakes, swimming my very first half mile, an MRI (which, sadly, still did not help identify what exactly is wrong with my knee), building firelines for a prescribed forest burn, playing Magic (a very addicting card game), building trail stairs and bridges, perfecting delicious recipes (if you want good spaghetti carbonara, I am your girl!), splunking (exploring caves), and above all, living in a wooden cabin in the gorgeous Ozark woods with eight amazing individuals.

Beautiful park in Arkansas, right before we went splunking (caving)!

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL :)

It was now time for our second transition week, a week where all AmeriCorps members return to the gorgeous Colorado Height University to debrief, catch up with friends from other teams, watch some incredible sunsets up on the hill, frequent 4G's an average of... every evening, test their skills at the bowling alley, test their lungs at baselines in mile high elevation, and above all, RELAX.

Nature, however, decided to throw us a curve ball on our travels back to Texas. A huge snow storm which grounded all the vehicles right outside of Colorado due to poor road conditions. Thankfully the storm came and passed, but not before getting our van stuck in the snow (yes, I am blaming it ENTIRELY on the snow because I have already had enough people laugh at me for getting a 15 passenger van stuck in 2 feet of snow... Tip for future NCCC members: AmeriRumors spread fast!)


What can I say? Just because I am from Russia doesn't mean I know how to drive in snow!

At the Denver campus, the third round is something we refer to as "shuffle round," meaning all the corps members get shuffled from their original teams. It gives us the opportunity to pick a project based on our own personal preference rather than ranking them alongside our team. It also means that we will be taken out of the comfort zone of living and working with the people we have spent the last 4 months with and adjust to something new. This, of course, made me very nervous. This, of course, was very silly, because I got EXTREMELY lucky with my shuffle team!

Over transition week, we spent some of our days in meetings, some of our days catching some sun taking naps outside (my favorite!), and on Kat's (my AMAZING new teammate and girlfriend!) birthday we headed to Golden, CO, a beautiful town at the foothills of the Rockies to go on a hike and then check out the Coors Brewery. It was an amazing day full of friends, laughs, good FREE beer and a most delicious veggie burger (vegan for Lent once again)!

Out With the Old, In With the New

Seven weeks, three trail bridges, two sets of trail stairs, nine tent pads, a dozen fires, endless laughs and a whole lot of brush cleanup later, it was time to say goodbye to Lake Ouachita State Park. The staff held a farewell breakfast in our honor and I am proud to say that for the first time in this program, I did not cry. No, it had nothing to do with not being completely distraught about leaving - Kyle, our favorite trail crew friend, taught me a new trick: when you're about to cry, squeeze your butt cheeks!

Sunset over Lake Ouachita

 Our next destination, Hobbs State Park, was about five hours northwest. Upon our arrival we were welcomed with warmth and kindness - typical Arkansas. Our new home is a beautiful, five bedroom cabin in the middle of the woods. Fireplace, a living room with recliners, a laundry room inside the house. Did I mention that I have a room that I share with only one other person? With closet space? AND a door? AmeriCorps has completely redefined the word "spoiled" for me.

On our first day at Hobbs State Park, we attended a celebration held in honor of Aldo Leopold. For those of you unfamiliar with this brilliant man, Leopold was an American author, scientist, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac (1949). At the celebration, we honored the magnificent nature writer by reading passages from his book. My team was asked to participate, and I volunteered to be one of the readers.

“We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect,” ― Aldo Leopold

Inspirational, beautiful writing with a tragic twist that sought to remind us about the fragility of nature, the vitality of learning to appreciate it and the importance of preserving it. Being surrounded by dozens of people who all saw Leopold as a role model, who spent their lives fighting his cause made me realize that throughout my life I have not been doing enough to help preserve and protect our planet.

Yes, reading up on what can be done to help is important, but "it's effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum," ("Sunscreen Song" reference, please have a listen). The problem with today's society is that each day, fewer people are providing direct aid to causes. We get bombarded with offers from others to help out FOR us - money donations, petition signatures, Facebook "likes" (the latter is just silly if you ask me, yet you still see thousands of people "liking" photos to provide prayers for dying children).

Rather than donating money to Green Peace, why not go out and plant a tree? Trust me, the feeling of accomplishment you get when you give something life with your own two hands is worth the dirt under your fingernails. And who knows, if planting trees will make people feel a deeper appreciation for nature, maybe they will stop destroying it.

Planting my very first tree!

I probably do not say this enough, but I am thankful for AmeriCorps - it has given me the opportunity to feel not only a deeper connection with nature, but also a sense of purpose when it comes to helping it.

Sundays With Morrie

Sadly, our time at Lake Ouachita State Park was coming to an end. The last few work days were spent burning large piles of wood, putting finishing touches on tent pads that we built, and cleaning. On our last weekend at the park, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and make one last use of the marina - Sunday morning, I kayaked to an island to spend some time with one of my favorite books, Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie."

For those of you familiar with the book, I am sure you understand my obsession; for those of you who are not, below are some of my favorite quotes from the story (and my favorite quotes of all time, for that matter) that will hopefully spark your interest.

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

“Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We're teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it. Create your own. Most people can't do it.”

“We've got a sort of brainwashing going on in our country, Morrie sighed. Do you know how they brainwash people? They repeat something over and over. And that's what we do in this country. Owning things is good. More money is good. More property is good. More commercialism is good. More is good. More is good. We repeat it--and have it repeated to us--over and over until nobody bothers to even think otherwise. The average person is so fogged up by all of this, he has no perspective on what's really important anymore.

Wherever I went in my life, I met people wanting to gobble up something new. Gobble up a new car. Gobble up a new piece of property. Gobble up the latest toy. And then they wanted to tell you about it. 'Guess what I got? Guess what I got?'

You know how I interpreted that? These were people so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. They were embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back. But it never works. You can't substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship.

Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. I can tell you, as I'm sitting here dying, when you most need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling you're looking for, no matter how much of them you have.”

Weathering the Storm

One of my favorite things about AmeriCorps is, unsurprising to those who know me, the traveling. With every new project comes a new state, with every new state come new cities, and with every new city come dozens of cool places to explore.

Living in Mountain Pine, Arkansas, we're only about 100 miles away from Little Rock. We made out first trip to the city on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, where we got to visit Central High School, one of the first schools in the United States to become integrated. It was very overwhelming to walk on the same steps that the Little Rock Nine, the nine brave men and women who were the first black students at the school, once walked. Reading their stories was truly inspirational - faced with harassment from other students, protesting crowds and a complete lack of support from the National Guard, the nine heroes did not give up. Their fight for equality was incredibly difficult, but their victory proved worthy, serving as an example to schools nationwide.

Little Rock Central High School, one of the first integrated schools in the United States

Our second time in Little Rock was this past Monday, on President's Day. As some of you may know, President Bill Clinton was born and raised in Arkansas. He was born in a small town called Hope, but grew up in Hot Springs, our closest "big" city. Since we had the holiday off, the team and I decided to visit the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, located in downtown Little Rock. The museum, filled with everything from his daily schedules to presents from leaders of other nations, gave us an inside look into the life, campaign, and presidency of one of our nation's leaders. My favorite part of the museum, however, was the AmeriCorps display - AmeriCorps was founded in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service and Trust act into law.

AmeriCorps display at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center

For the remainder of the week, we truly got to experience why so many Arkansans say, "If you don't like the weather in Arkansas, wait an hour." Tuesday was a beautiful day, sunshine, warm breeze and not a cloud in sight. Come Wednesday, we were pulled off the work site three hours into our day. The reason? An ice storm. We were bound to the cabin the next two days but I cannot complain - it gave my knee injury much needed healing time. Once the storm passed, Casey and I went on a five mile hike and photographed the beautiful remnants of the storm. Just like rainbows after it rains, the beautiful, ice covered branches were yet another way of nature reminding us that things do get better, we just have to be strong enough to weather the storm, just like the Little Rock Nine once did.

Word of the Day: Ambition

The biggest difference between our projects in Arkansas and Texas is definitely the feeling of accomplishment that they bring. In Texas, we were basically told that our work is very much appreciated, but there are enough salt cedar trees to cut down to last the next 25 years. What we did for them was important, but when put in perspective, it was miniscule.

In Arkansas, on the other hand, we have a list of projects that, when completed, have tangible results. From building stairs on the trail to clearing park areas and starting giant fires, from building tent pads and bridges to cleaning up tools and the maintenance shop, our progress can be seen throughout the park. For the very first set of stairs that we completed, I was lucky to be there from beginning to end. When we finally finishes, I compared the feeling of accomplishment to having received my Bachelor's degree. I know it sounds pretty crazy, but building something from the ground up, something that people will use for years to come, something that I can point to and say "I made that," brings a great sense of accomplishment.

Our first staircase project at Lake Ouachita State Park

We spend the days working in a beautiful state park, the backdrop for our project sites ranging from views of Lake Ouachita to the parts of the forest that were destroyed by the 2010 tornado. Even then, it's still amazing to be outdoors, in the sunlight, making coal baked potatoes for a snack. In addition to having a variety of great projects to work on, we also have the best trail crew and maintenance crew I could have asked for. They're helpful, funny, and they have yet to judge me on how I have absolutely no idea what I am doing with power tools 95% of the time. However, five weeks into the project and I have used a chainsaw, chopped wood, used drills and a whole variety of saws, and am an expert on ensuring things are level!

Typical Sunday morning - chopping some firewood

The last few weeks have really made me realize how unfit I am for the cubicle lifestyle that seems to be shoved down our throats as the only option for success. It takes the people in the white collar workforce years to have an office with a window, and they will be lucky if the only thing they see is not the wall of another building. In the blue collar world on the other hand, you get to work in a relaxing environment, set your own pace, and avoid the stress that comes with your boss breathing down your neck.

Finishing up our first trail bridge :)

First bridge and second staircase, completed

Interestingly enough, making half in an entire day than I used to make in an hour, I am happier than I ever was. I suppose a part of it has to do with the absence of work-associated stress, but most of it can be credited to a constant shift in my priorities. Those who know me best know that I was never one to think that material things will bring happiness, but I never had a chance to truly attempt that lifestyle until now. Living on the strict AmeriCorps budget while paying student loans has brought my weekly allowed spending to around $20 - enough for a cup of good coffee in exchange for some free wi-fi, some sour patch kids, and one item I decide to splurge on. Last week, it was a yoga mat and a new deck of Magic cards (yes, I am now a nerd). This week? We'll see.

Another question that remains unanswered - why does society dictate our lives in a way that makes us believe that we have to be cubicle slaves to be successful? Why are so many people turned into zombies that go about their daily lives without experiencing all the beauty this world has to offer?

Namaste :)

Sweet Home Colorado

My new back yard, Rocky Mountain National Park

It’s 3:30 in the morning and the sound of my alarm brought me out of the daze of an attempted sleep. Three hours until my flight. Can’t I just hit the snooze button one too many times and miss it? I turned on the lights and looked around my room – photos of friends and family, post cards from around the globe, my favorite books, paintings of palm trees and the ocean… The mirror across the room reflected the sign above my bed – “La Vita è Bella,” “Life is Beautiful” in Italian.

Life is beautiful. Life is full of adventure, life is unpredictable, life is challenging, life is a roller coaster, life is terrifying, but beautiful nonetheless. Whatever life was about to bring, I was ready.

I climbed out of bed and gathered my belongings – 10 months of clothing packed up in one single suitcase. I sat down for my last breakfast at home with my mom and brother. I don’t remember much of what was said over breakfast, I don’t remember hugging my mama goodbye, I don’t remember the drive to the airport with my brother. All I remember from that morning is holding back tears and the woman charging me 90 dollars for my bag being 3 pounds overweight. I had lost the key to the lock on my suitcase on the way to the airport so I could not take anything out. Bummer. When I told her that she was charging me more than I would be making in a week, she told me that since I was doing community service, the money would eventually come back to me tenfold… Still waiting.

I got on the plane and was asleep before takeoff. When I opened my eyes, a beautiful panorama of the Rocky Mountains opened up before me. Even though only two months had passed since my last time in Denver, when I passed through on my cross-country road trip in July, seeing it from the sky was truly breathtaking.

When I got off the plane I was greeted by an AmeriCorps NCCC staff member who directed me to the check-in booth. I waited in line and made small talk with the people around me. “Where are you from? How old are you? What unit are you in?” Wait, unit? I suppose having been accepted only two weeks prior to the program’s start gave me a bit of a disadvantage, but nothing that wasn’t fixed within hours of my arrival.

I was assigned to the Sun Unit, and told to wait in the airport lobby alongside about fifty other people – people from all over the United States, ages 18 to 24, high school graduates and people with their bachelor’s degrees, a diverse group of people with the desire to serve, help others, and figure out the next step in life bringing them all together. Two hours of waiting, introductions and conversations later, we were on the bus heading to campus.

On the ride, I made my very first AmeriFriend  – Dylan, a fellow East Coaster who graduated from UConn, had an extensive travel resume and wanted to take the next year to figure out what he wanted in life. Yes, I was finally home.

Sunset over the Rocky Mountains - view from the dining hall of my new home, Colorado Heights University