This is why I enjoy Regina Spektor...

Randomly put these words on this page. Taken from her song "On The Radio." I just really like these lines. enjoy = )

This is how it works:

You're young until you're not

You love until you don't

You try until you can't

You laugh until you cry

You cry until you laugh

And everyone must breathe

Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works:

You peer inside yourself

You take the things you like

And try to love the things you took

And then you take that love you made

And stick it into some

Someone else's heart

Pumping someone else's blood

And walking arm in arm

You hope it don't get harmed

But even if it does

You'll just do it all again.

And scene...

So we are officially done with AmeriCorps and have been now for two weeks.  I am back in Quincy, which is definitely an adjustment.  It is great to see everyone back at home.  The last week of NCCC was very difficult with all of the goodbyes that needed to be said.  This is probably why it has taken so long to write on this blog again!  I was lucky to have had an unforgettable experience with many amazing people who I hope to keep in touch with a long time from now.  It would be impossible to sum up the incredible time that I have had with this adventure in this little blog, but I hope that I was able to share at least a small bit will all of you.  Nothing is perfect, including AmeriCorps NCCC.  There were many times I questioned administrative decisions and other various things that came up this year.  Sometimes there were just no answers I liked and became frustrated, but if anyone was to ever ask me if it is worth having a program like AmeriCorps I would say YES.  The good this program does outweighs the areas where it needs improvement.  

So, with the end of this fun adventure I'm looking to see what's next. who knows... maybe paying off some school debt?  What a thrilling adventure that is... thanks for those of u that have been reading (and not been too critical of my lack of writing skills haha).  Hope to see u all soon = )  after all, it is that holiday time of year now. woohoooo  Below is the last pic we took as a team.  It's at the awards dinner.  We discovered this beautiful set up for a wedding so we married off Beth and Drew. haha 

Some of the best people i know from this program, Badger 5 from left: Erik Villy Hansen (Biffle), Jordan Lundberg (Jordypants), Drew Larson (DrewLars), Tyler Burns (Tylah), Beth Stewart, (me), Nicole LaBranche, Tawna Bowman

See you soon NOLA....

Yesterday was our last day of working with the St. Bernard Project (SBP).  I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop, Envie, once again.  The weather is BEAUTIFUL!  Almost 80 degrees.  Sorry, i know all of you in the Northeast are a lil bit colder than that.... I'm in for a shock when I head home.  

I worked on two houses while with SBP.  Most of the time I was at Richard Nagle's house, which was a great time.  He came by almost everyday so I had the chance to really get to know him.  With my volunteers, we finished the drywall, mudding, and sanding of his house.  The next step is texturing the walls and then those finishing touches of flooring, trim, and whatnot.  If I was only here another month then I would get to see him move back in!!!  Richard promised me that he would email me picture updates.  Below is a picture of us and some of the volunteers that worked on his house with me. It was great meeting volunteers each week.  This group, in particular, was full of energy and a lot of fun to work with.

I worked on Reverend Ray and Marion Smith's house only for a week and a half.  In that time we did lots of mudding and sanding!  Most days, Ray was working on the house right along with us.  The volunteers always enjoyed working with Ray.  I was real sick with a cough while working on Ray's house.  His suggestion was to drink a hot toddy.  Since I had NO CLUE what that was, Ray was kind enough to explain it.  Apparently it is tea with some whiskey, lemon, and honey.  It definitely sounds like something that would help.  I was sent back to Richard's house after working with Ray.  Last time I checked in, though, the floor, doors, and trim were all up. He will be moving in very shortly!! This is especially exciting since Ray told me how he had just bought the house right before Katrina hit and then never had the chance to completely move in. If you go to the link below, then you will see me with Ray and you will have the chance to read more about his story.  This is one great aspect of SBP.  I am happy to have a place like their website to go and get updates on all the houses I have worked on.  

http://www.stbernardproject.org/v158/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=413&Itemid=4

I have 12 more days left with NCCC.  Yikes. 

I will definitely be back to NOLA sometime.... so, See you Soon NOLA.

Halloween, NOLA style

This Halloween was definitely a memorable one.  I think New Orleans is the best place to celebrate halloween in this country.  All of the AmeriCorps teams were on Frenchmen Street last night.  The best costume I saw was a group of people as mario cart characters.  I loaded the picture on here so you can all check it out. It was great!  I went as Pippi Longstocking.  Hopefully you all remember those books and movies.  Tawna worked her magic and did my hair.  It was such a fun night!  I still can't believe we are almost done with everything.  This is our last week with St. Bernard Project.  I have less than a month with NCCC.  Then I head home and try to figure out my next plan. (any suggestions!?)  I hope everyone had a fun Halloween.  I'm interested in seeing pictures of everyone's costumes when I get back. See you all soon!

St. Bernard Project

It has been awhile since I have written on this blog.  We are back in New Orleans for our last round with NCCC.  Internet is not really accessible all the time.  Right now I am sitting in a lovely coffee shop in Chalmette called Da Parish Coffee Shop.  We are staying in St. Bernard Parish, which is fitting since we are working in the Parish with St. Bernard Project.  This nonprofit works to rebuild homes that have been destroyed.  Taken from their site, here is a brief description: 

"St. Bernard Project’s Rebuilding Program rebuilds homes for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families with children who can not afford to have their homes rebuilt by contractors. For clients who can afford supplies, the St. Bernard Project provides supervised volunteer labor. For clients who can not afford supplies, the St. Bernard Project buys the supplies and provides the labor."   

Each member of my team has a different job on the site.  We cover areas in the office, the warehouse, mold remediation, and site supervising.  My job with this nonprofit is working as a site supervisor.  (above is a pic of Dan and I during training. I was happy to complete putting up the drywall in that room.)  I lead volunteers in putting up insulation, drywall, and then mudding.  I have had the chance to meet multiple homeowners who always express their utmost appreciation and are so willing to share their stories.  As much as we are helping them, they have directly impacted my life.  It has truly been a unique experience.  With all of the work we are doing, there is so much that still needs to be done. Progress is made with volunteers and donations.  Below is the link for their website if you want to check out the St. Bernard Project.  

http://www.stbernardproject.org/

     SBP holds events throughout the year.  Two that Badger 5 was able to take part in were The Nuns Build and Women's Build!  Nuns from across the country came for the week to volunteer.  These women, all over the age of 60, came to help in any way possible.  They also hope to leverage more volunteers when they go back home.  We just finished with Women's Build this past week.  This is where teams of women across the country come down for as many days possible in the week and help with the rebuilding process.  Men are welcome, too, of course.  It is just a way to encourage women to get out and rebuild as well!  I met so many amazing women of all ages this past week.  If home this upcoming year, I am looking into possibly putting a team of people together for next year to come down to NOLA and participate.  If you are interested then let me know.

We are already half way done with this round.  I have three more weeks here and then a final week back at Perry Point.  It is all coming to and end so fast and I am still trying to figure out my plans for after AmeriCorps.  One thing I am sure about is how much I've missed everyone and can't wait to catch up on what others have been doing this past year.  

Team Mansion

Since Badgers 1, 5, and 6 participated in the Summer of Service project this summer, we were off track with the rest of the AmeriCorps' schedule.  To get back on track for round 4 we had a few mini projects.  One project involved helping Greater D.C. Cares with their Service Projects for 9/11 National Service Day.  We put kits of supplies and tools together for each of the projects and then we all split up to lead the different projects.  There was a big variety of projects.  In the morning Emma, Eric, Joe, and I went to a school where beautification needed to be done.  We lead volunteers in planting, weeding, and just making the area look nice.  In the afternoon Emma and I went to work with DC Scores.  This is a nonprofit that interested me right away.  It incorporates sports (soccer specifically!), creative expression, writing, service learning, and teamwork to provide youth in urban areas an after-school alternative.  The kids commit to literacy workshops every other day.  On the other days they have soccer practices and develop leadership skills.  DC Scores is a branch of America Scores.  There are currently 14 cities affiliated with this program.  It was a great day where we had the chance to work with the kids and understand more about what the program is about.  Below is a video of the team doing their cheer, which they made all of us learn.  Though, it's easy to say I think they do it best : ) check it out.  (u might see this on Real World DC at some point because the cast happened to be working at this event, too. haha)  Though I am happy with the work that was done in this week, I wish that I had taken a little more time for myself to reflect on the day.  I think it is still a struggle to really take in what happened that day and what people have been going through since then.  I encourage everyone to remember to take time and reflect on what it means to you.

The following week we mixed and split up our three teams again.  The firefighters were a team and then the rest of us were split into two teams.  Zach took over my team, now known as TEAM MANSION, while Tyler went with the other team (known lovingly to us as team weedwack.)  This was such a fun week.  We were in Virginia at the Mason Neck State Park.  We called ourselves team mansion because of our amazing housing in the state park which looked out in the water and had eagles flying all around us.  This state park is also known to be an eagle reservation.  While we helped to rebuild their trail and the trail steps, they provided us with some education about the area.  Zach was particularly good at spotting the seagulls.... not so much the eagles though.  So many funny moments in such a short time span.  This was a great time and the team that has this project long term in the future is lucky.

San Diego!

Beth and I decided that for our vacation we would head out to San Diego.  We stayed with Chris, who is on our other favorite team Badger 6.  We also spent a few days with my friends Jeremy and Kim (who are now engaged apparently. congrats!!!!). The whole week was such a nice break from a CRAZY (and HOT) summer.  I revisited a few places that I went to last year and also scoped out a few new spots, such as the Wave House by the beach.  I don't remember what beach it was near, but they had this wave simulation machine where people try to surf while others laugh when they wipe out.  We stuck to just watching and laughing.  It was cool to see some really good surfers go up and do flips.  There was the most amazing sunset while we were at this place.  It's not hard to see why people like living there...

Chris's family was kind enough to let us stay with them.  We made a few stops for delicious tacos and Carne Asada.  We also went to the Stone Brewery, which I suggest for anyone heading that way.  We were also able to hit up the Wild Animal Park because Chris's grandmother gave us passes.  It was a great day for going to the park.  We were able to see the cheetahs being fed, which you can catch in the video I added.  The lions, like the one in this picture, were beautiful.  The weather was so nice out there!