Corps Member Training Institute

Due to the government shutdown, Corps Member Training Institute was condensed from a month to two weeks. Fortunately, the staff worked extremely hard to ensure that all necessary trainings were completed in the short amount of time. Unfortunately, the new schedule left very little time for unit outings – hikes, museum visits, teambuilding and PT games. We did, however, get to take our temporary teams out to dinner for the first week, which gave us a chance to get to know them and sample some delicious local cuisine (nothing fancy, but I am a firm believer that the best conversation very often happens around food, so I was happy).

As always, we made the best of it.

AmeriCorps Next Top Model  (Uniform violations edition)

Unit time at Red Rocks Amphitheater

Chief Mountain, CO - elevation 11,709ft

Chief Mountain, CO

Classes, classes, and more classes. From Red Cross First Aid/ CPR certification to diversity training, from driver training to AmeriLympics, the shortened CTI was jam-packed with information as we prepared the corps members for induction and deployment. A week and a half into CTI we finally got our permanent teams, and I could not have gotten luckier. For our first round project, we will be working on disaster recovery in Lyons, Colorado, the hardest hit area in the September flooding.

My fantastic team all geared up for disaster recovery

Before we knew it, Induction Day was upon us. Before I knew it, I was holding one of my corps member's hand and tearing up as we listened to an incredible, inspirational reflection by Sun Unit's very own on challenges, perseverance, and turning obstacles into opportunities. The ceremony came and went, and the corps members of Class 20A were officially sworn in. A big congratulations, and best of luck to all!

Leadership of the Sun Unit on Induction Day

My amazing team on Induction Day!

First Day of Class 20A!

Two long, anticipation-filled weeks later the day was finally here - the Corps Members of Class 20A had arrived! As with many other long-awaited days that pass entirely too fast (i.e. graduations, proms, weddings), the memories of that day are now a blur of preparation, excitement, questions, laughter, delicious Portobello sandwiches (food is something I rarely forget) and lots of photos. Colorado Heights University felt empty no more.

Nearly three hundred individuals converged from all walks of life for one purpose - to serve. Different age groups, educational backgrounds, upbringings, beliefs, races, religions, and the like unite to work together, learn from one another, and to accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

One of my favorite aspects of NCCC is that alongside questions such as “where are you from” and “where did you study,” “where have you been” is also considered small talk. For the most part, everyone I have met in this program over the last year and a half has been worldly and well traveled, from study abroad programs to backpacking, from volunteering in other countries to vacationing and exploring, it seems that everyone has a story to tell.

Not only do people that travel instantaneously form a connection and have plenty to discuss, but I am also a firm believer that travel changes people for the better. It opens minds, broadens perspectives, and increases overall awareness in people – experiencing life in other countries often makes people more appreciative of what they have at home.

I will never forget my very first day in AmeriCorps, arriving in Denver with apprehension and doubt in my suitcase, questioning whether this program was right for me. A few short hours into the adventure, I made my very first friend, now my best friend – we sat together on the bus, I shared my Russian cookies with him and we chatted about all the places in the world we have traveled, all the places we want to go, and all the people we look forward to helping. I left my doubts and apprehensions at the airport – this was the perfect program for me.

We spent the first morning greeting all the new, excited, nervous, eager, confused, happy, lost, sad, enthusiastic corps members. ID photos, in-processing, campus tour, lunch, unpacking, dinner, and the very first evening meeting with the new Sun Unit.

Standing up on stage and introducing myself, wearing the green in front of a sea of gray, we were Team-less Leaders no more.

Campus tour extraordinaire

Government Shutdown

September 30th, 2013.

The team leaders gathered around their computers, watching the live streaming of the Congress debate. 10PM was quickly approaching in Colorado, meaning it was almost midnight on the East Coast. Midnight, the deadline for making a budgeting decision and passing a new continuing resolution. Hours trickled down to minutes, minutes to seconds... a two minute extension after midnight, then nothing.

The United States government shut down.

Over 800,000 government employees were furloughed. Being that AmeriCorps NCCC is a government program, so were we. The morning of October 1st, most of our staff went through an "organized shutdown," leaving us with less than a quarter of our staff memebers. I could go on for hours (or pages) discussing my thoughts and feelings regarding the shutdown, but there is a time and place for everything, and this blog is not it. If there is one thing that AmeriCorps has taught me, it's that it's not about me - there are hundreds of thousands of people who had it much worse than we did. In this program, and life in general, the only constant is change, and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and make the best of it... and we did just that.

So what exactly did the Team Leaders do during the shutdown?

They got some sun (Day 1)

They did PT at the park (Day 3)

They hiked (Day 5)

They helped out at the Boulder Community Food Share (Day 9)

They "Put the Beds to Bed" at Washington Park (Day 12)

They worked out, a lot (Day 14)

They cooked delicious meals (Day 14, and every day)

They helped build stairs on a train for the blind at Genesee Park (Day 15)

They kept their spirits up (Every day)

And they celebrated once it was all over (Day 16)

A Week in the Life of an AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader (In Training)

As some of you may have heard, "The most recent continuing resolution passed by the House would cut all federal funding for the agency that oversees [NCCC], the Corporation for National and Community Service, effectively wiping out AmeriCorps."

Source: An AmeriCorps Alum Defends The Program Against Republican Defunding Threats

Time and time again I have heard people refer to my life as a "permanent vacation." I suppose it's an easy assumption to make if you base your judgment on the photos that I post without ever actually having a conversation with me. Sadly, we're human and that's what we do - we judge without investigating, we stereotype, we assume and we put people in boxes.

But here's the thing - most of the time, we're wrong.

Yes, I travel, I travel a lot. Unfortunately, travel and vacation are not synonymous. I am, however, fortunate enough to have a job that allows me to explore new places on a monthly basis, acquire new skills, work with and learn from amazing individuals, and get unlimited satisfaction from helping those in need.

So, what exactly do I do for a living? Well, I suppose there is no better way of answering that question than recalling the last week (and a half) of my life.

Wednesday: Partnered with the American Red Cross and answered
phones at the Rocky Mountain PBS telethon, raising $1,066,061
to aid the victims of Colorado Flooding

Thursday: Chainsaw training to prepare for future
environmental projects

Friday: Helped out flood victims with Boulder CareConnect, mucking,
gutting, and cleaning out basements       

Saturday: Volunteered at the Denver River Sweep,
clearing out invasive weeds along the bank

Thursday: Teambuilding Ropes Course, helping my roomie
get over her fear of heights

Thursday: Teambuilding Ropes Course

Friday: Partnered with Operation Blessing to help clear debris in 
Lyons, CO, one of the hardest hit areas

Friday: Trailer park in Lyons, CO destroyed by the flood

Friday: Assisted in clearing mud from a home devastated by a
flash flood in Lyons, CO

Friday: Mucked and gutted a home of a flood victim in Lyons, CO

Yes, I am lucky enough to have a job that does not always feel like work. However, what AmeriCorps NCCC members get done for communities throughout the United States is priceless. If I could have a dollar for every time that I heard "Thank you AmeriCorps, this would not have been done without you," perhaps I could fund this program myself...

Home Sweet Home

At some point during my service, the Denver Campus hosted a Life After AmeriCorps Day, where representatives from potential future jobs, university and military recruiters, and even a guy with a tarantula (can't remember what organization he represented but I do remember the cold sweat and nerves when he let me hold the spider) gather to offer us some sort of peace of mind after graduation.

Sidenote: I tackled two of my phobias last year, spiders and snakes, by holding them. Not the easiest way, but definitely a very effective one. If you have a fear of heights and want to talk skydiving, I am an experienced amateur with 13 jumps, feel free to leave a comment.

Lucky for me, I already knew what I was going to be doing - I was going to be a fancy, all-knowing and all-powerful Team Leader (for those of you who are reading my blog and do not know me, my apologies for the sarcasm, I have been trying to curb it). That's not the point I was going to make though...

One of the LAA seminars was an alumni panel. I don't remember much, but I do remember two things: one, my roomie and my jokester friend giving me a broken chair and my falling for it (pun intended), bruising my behind, and the laughter that followed; two, one of the alumni describing her first weeks following graduation (which she highly anticipated) - two weeks of laying on her couch, reminiscing, and crying.

Lucky for me, my friends and family had my short five week vacation planned out to the minute, giving me zero time to mope. Since this blog is about my experience in AmeriCorps and not my life outside of the bubble, I won't go into too much detail about my summer. However, the photos below could serve as a Pinterest board of ideas to decompress after 10 months of steel-toed boots, physical labor, and very little "me" time.

Celebrating my mama's 3000th skydive

"Auntie Ali" spending time with her precious angel

Baby shower for a beautiful mama-to-be!

First attempt at fishing

13 years after moving to America, finally got my US passport!

Electric Adventure at Six Flags with a bum knee... But finally conquered Kingda Ka!

Keepin' it country at Zac Brown Band concert

Dominican Republic with my best friend!

10 days of pure bliss - Dominican Republic

Never underestimate the calming power of the ocean

The End of the Beginning

Graduation day. Tears, laughter, gifts, hugs, and the bittersweet realization that the first part of my AmeriCorps adventure was coming to an end.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened," - Dr.Seuss

Second Spike - Lake Ouachita State Park / Hobbs State Park, AR

I could spend hours, perhaps days, reminiscing about all the amazing memories I made in my time of service. But you know what they say, right? A picture is worth a thousand words, and I believe these encompass how incredibly blessed I was with my team, my projects, and a few handfuls of lifelong friends that I look forward to sharing my future with. The biggest of thank yous to every single one of the magnificent individuals for touching my heart, knowing you makes me a better person.

Corps Member Training Institure

First Spike - Alamo, TX

Lake, ukulele, and great friends during transition week

My very first AmeriFriend, my AmeriProm date, and my biggest support system

I'm thankful for chiggers because they brought me to you :)

The only way to overcome your fears is to dive in head first

Third Spike - Granbury, TX. Sun 3 V. 3, thank you for all the laughs

OK Strong

Fourth Spike - Disaster deployment to OK following the tornados

Welcome to the 24 club, Kat!

In the wise words of Luke, ARCHES!!!

Fantastic evening with fantastic friends

Love <3

Cheesy but I have to do it - "you're on my heart just like a tattoo"

Sun 2 Family

It's not goodbye, it's see you later