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...

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

Ignorance is Bliss

My time as a Corps Member was slowly coming to an end. We spent the last three weeks of fourth round working at the Action Center, a human-service non-profit which provides food, clothing, household goods and counseling services to homeless and those in need. Our tasks included everything from unloading and sorting food and clothing donations to preparing food orders for the clients, from helping out at the clothing bank to preparing for the school supply drive.

A gift from the Action Center

Throughout my year in AmeriCorps, I truly enjoyed environmental projects for their calm, peaceful nature - after a year of working in international transportation and dealing with the stress US Customs and Border Protection brings, it was exactly what I needed.

However, it was the projects where I got to interact with those less fortunate, the projects where, if even for a second, I eased someone's pain, that made the biggest impact on my life. Listening to the heartbreaking story of an individual whose home was destroyed by the tornado; seeing tears and pain in the eyes of a person who lost a loved one in the elementary school that did not have a tornado shelter; handing fresh groceries to someone who has not eaten in days; giving a clean shirt to a person whose only possessions are the clothes on his back; rationing baby food to a mother who would otherwise be unable to feed her child; helping tornado victims locate donation centers which will help them begin to rebuild; presenting a homeless man with his very own bicycle, something he has dreamt about for almost 5 years.

"Ignorance is bliss."
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

The list of popular idioms and phrases that describe the idea of turning a blind eye to pain, suffering and evil in this world is endless. Of course, it is a lot easier for an individual to go through life in a worry-free bubble of happiness, rainbows and butterflies. However, what that bubble is missing is knowledge, and knowledge of suffering comes with a thick silver lining - a greater appreciation of your own life and all your blessings, and the incredible feeling of accomplishment that comes with the ability to help.

I would not trade my experience for the world.

Oh the Places You'll Go...

It is no secret to anyone that aside from my desire to serve, one of my big reasons for joining AmeriCorps was my love for travel. Pictured above is my life, in a nutshell - Born in Russia, raised in Latvia, moved to New York at 11, began learning Italian shortly after I mastered English and was lucky enough to call Florence, Italy my home for about 6 months.  Most of the places I have visited in between (the blue) were family vacations (like our roadtrip from Latvia to England when I was 6), summers spent exploring Europe with Gabriella, the best travel companion anyone could ever ask for, and my "Quarter Life Crisis Cross-Country Roadtrip" from last summer, where we spent 45 days traveling from NY to CA and back.

Since this is a blog about AmeriCorps, I should really shout out this program for allowing me to expand my horizons by allowing me to live in Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in a short period of just 10 months. And no, not in hotels or similar establishments which give you a false sense of integrating into local lifestyles - in wooden cabins in the Ozarks, trailer parks and summer cabins in Texas, and dormitories in Colorado and Oklahoma.

Growing up, after I decided that my dreams of being a ballerina and a dog trainer were not likely to turn into successful career paths, I decided it would be my goal to work at the United Nations. And so it was, for years, until it dawned on me that even in an organization with such an incredible mission there was government corruption, a hunger for power, and decisions that yielded maximum profit instead of maximum well being.

One afternoon, while indulging in a delicious triple portion of gelato on the steps of the Duomo (Florence, Italy), I did what I do best - multitasked between eating and people watching. Hundreds of tourists walked past - their noses in maps and iPads, missing the beauty that is around them; their ears occupied with headphones, passing on the sounds of nature to listen to their tour guide.

It dawned on me - what if there was a different kind of travel agency? One that allowed people to truly experience the place they are visiting? One where people could live, dine, and explore like the locals? Perhaps it's not the type of traveling that most people want, but it's one that I enjoy the most. Perhaps one day I will turn my travels into a career path and open my own travel agency... one day.

In all my travels, I have never owned a guide book, nor have I ever used the services of a tour guide. I like to explore, make my own schedule, and see where my adventures take me. Ask a local where the best place to eat is, because odds are, it won't be the fancy restaurant that got 5 stars in the "BEST GUIDE TO VENICE EVER" booklet - it will be the restaurant you stumble upon when you turn a corner to a small street, and one whose waiter will tell you all about an amazing masquerade that only the locals know about (yes Gabriella, I am talking about Pane & Vino!!)

Wander around aimlessly, absorbing the beauty that is around you. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of nature, the noise of a busy market, a conversation in a different language. I have found that often times, the best plan is not having one, and the best adventures result from spontaneity, open-mindedness and a little luck.

When asked why I can't just "settle down in one place" and sit still for a while, I have come up with only one answer - "Why would I want to?" It's such a beautiful world out there with so much adventure and excitement to offer, why would anyone want to miss out?

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
- Mark Twain

Moore, OK Tornado: May 21, 2013

"On the afternoon of May 20, 2013, an EF5 tornado, with peak winds estimated at 210 miles per hour, struck Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, killing 23 people (and an additional person indirectly), and injuring 377 others. The tornado was part of a larger weather system that had produced several other tornadoes over the previous two days. The tornado touched down west of Newcastle at 2:56 p.m., staying on the ground for 39 minutes over a 17-mile path, crossing through a heavily populated section of Moore. The tornado was 1.3 miles wide at its peak. Despite the tornado following a roughly similar track to the even deadlier 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado, very few homes and neither of the stricken schools had purpose-built storm shelters," (Wikipedia).

None of the images of tornado damage are my own - for obvious reasons, we have been asked to keep the photos we take in the disaster zone to a zero.

May 21, 2013 Oklahoma Tornado Path

Having been born and raised in Russia and spending the last 12 years of my life in New York, I have never experienced a tornado. I saw one once while on vacation in Pensacola, FL., but it was small and touched down on water. Aside from watching dozens of videos and looking through hundreds of pictures of the devastation, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I expected it to be bad, but in reality it was much, much worse.

We left Denver early on Memorial Day, and made our way to Kansas where we spent the night. A very stormy, windy night, but I suppose that comes with traveling through "tornado alley." We made it to Oklahoma City the following day, where we had to study up on FEMA's disaster relief course. I do have to mention here that as far as housing on disaster relief goes we got EXTREMELY lucky - Oklahoma University agreed to house volunteers in their honors dorms, give us access to all of their facilities (HUGE gym included, score), and feed us.

Honors dorm at Oklahoma University

The following morning we began with 6:30 a.m. breakfast followed by a 7 a.m. brief. For the first few days I was assigned to work at a donations warehouse on the Shawnee Absentee Tribe land, coordinating volunteers, unloading 18 wheelers full of donations that came from as far as NY (it was amazing to meet the FDNY disaster response team who was also one of the first teams to respond to 9/11), and sorting through piles and piles of donations. Clothing, toiletries, canned goods, baby items, medical supplies, the list is endless. Seeing a community come together after a disaster, neighbor helping neighbor, asking for nothing but a smile in return was truly touching. People drove from different states and set up tents on warehouse property just to be able to help out. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this experience.

Donations warehouse, Shawnee Absentee Tribe land

FDNY and fellow New Yorkers in Oklahoma!

Lunch is served, courtesy of the American Red Cross

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.