Busy, Busy, Busy

Has it really been more than two weeks since I last updated? I can't believe how much time has passed. I've now been gone for two months, but it doesn't feel like it's been that long. It's crazy how much time flies here. Especially when I'm having so much fun.

So I guess I can start where I left off. On Thanksgiving, we met the other team and had an awesome dinner. It was really great. The next few days we went to Boulder and shopped for all the sales. We also went to Estes Park to hike and shop. I didn't buy much, but I did get to see the place from The Shining. It was a great long weekend.

The week of November 29th-December 4th we finished the house and worked outside too. It was a cold week. On Saturday we also worked, so we had the Monday after off. On Friday, we cleaned Bluebird boxes. It was not pleasant. There were a few old eggs and dead baby birds. They had been there since spring. Saturday was all about Christmas. A ton of people came in and got to cut down their own tree. I was inside with the kids. We played games and decorated cookies. It was a great day. That Sunday and Monday, we went camping on Calwood property. It was very cold, but we made a fire and all sat around it. We had smores and hot dogs too.

The week of November 7th-10th was all about slash, sanding, and chopping wood. It wasn't that bad. It got colder later in the week. It's been pretty good though. I can't believe I have one week left. We will leave for Denver on Thursday. I'm going back home on Saturday for two weeks. I can't wait, but I know I'll miss the team.

Picture #1: We took an ugly sweater picture for a Christmas card.

Picture #2: PT(physical training) for one Wednesday. We had to carry logs up a hill on our shoulders ten times. Then we had to carry it down the hill in our arms. It was a long and steep hill.

Picture #3: I was cleaning the Bluebird nest. We had to wear gloves and masks as caution.

Picture #4: The picture of our camping experience in the tent.

Crazy, Short Week

Monday, we all worked together. Cody went to Urgent Care for a sore throat. She was back before noon. We were working on building slash piles that would be burned in later winter. We may even get to see some at some point. After lunch, a couple members and I stayed in the lodge and cleaned it up and down. We washed the walls and ceilings, vacuumed the floors, and I even vacuumed the stuffed bears. It was a fun-filled day.

Tuesday, two more people went to Urgent Care. One went for a cornea scratch. Another went because her whole body is covered in bites. She started to get them since day one. She washed her sleeping bag, changed beds, even used the Calwood blankets and sheets, but she was still getting bit at night. For some reason, none of the others got bit once. The sponsor thought it may be bed bugs, but nothing was discovered in the cabins. A bed bug specialist even came to the cabins, but found nothing. We still don't know what it is. We are going to try to freeze out tonight because it is extremely cold. It is 6 degrees now. Hopefully they will be gone. Other than that, we skinned trees in the morning and some planted grass seeds in the afternoon.

Today, we went down to Jamestown to work inside on a house owned by Calwood. We are not allowed to work outside when it is below 25 degrees. We cleaned everything and painted. It took all day long and we are still not done. The house is for future Calwood workers or AmeriCorps NCCC members. It is 2500 sq. ft. and was $150,000. They only pay $600 a month on it.

Not much else has happened. We are sleeping in the Lodge tonight so we can freeze the cabin. Tomorrow, we are having Thanksgiving at Calwood with another team that is in Boulder. I'm excited!

Community Mapping

Yesterday, we went to check out Boulder for "Community Mapping". We also just hung out down there. A couple of members and I went to see Harry Potter. It was awesome! I can't wait for the other one. We then went shopping, ate lunch, and found a geocache. Later, we went back to Calwood to cook dinner for teachers that were here for an Outdoor Learning class. I also washed my clothes and a couple of us watched Lion King.

Today, we did Community Mapping again. We also went to Goodwill and Savers. We were looking for ugly sweaters to wear for a Christmas card we are making. It will be an amazing card. I'll be sure to post it when we do it. Later, we are going to watch a movie.

First picture: The lodge

Second picture: A view from the trail

Hakuna Matata

I decided to post about who is on my team so I won't have to explain who everyone is if I post about them. There are five girls, five guys, and the team leader. The girls are Elise(Arizona), Lauren(New York), Christina(Nevada), Aly(Massachusetts), and me. The guys are Stephen(California), Chris(New York), Joel(Connecticut), Ricardo(Maryland), and Sam(Michigan). Cody(TL) is from Pennsylvania. That is all.
Yesterday, I split wood with Lauren. I split while she threw the split wood into a huge pile. We switched after an hour. After lunch, I was with Elise and Lauren. We put up three 35ft fences and repaired another. It was hard work. We had to slam the metal poles into the ground with a hollow metal tube-type thing. After dinner, we sat around the downstairs lodge knitting and singing to classic Disney songs.
Today, Lauren and I worked on skinning teepee logs all day. It was hard work. They were about twenty feet long and there were seven of them. After that, we played tag as pt. It was awesome. We also had a homemade dinner which was spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread. Lauren cooked it. It was really good. Later, we are having a movie night. We will watch The Lion King. I can't wait.

Working Hard or Hardly Working

I've been pretty busy lately. Yesterday I shadowed a worker with Ricardo (team member) in Calwood. His name is Demetrius. It was really fun. We went on a hike with the students and later had a scavenger hunt. While on the hike, it started to snow. It really snowed. I think it may have been 4 inches. The view was still amazing though. We are surrounded by mountains. We also learned about the Pine Beetle and Dwarf Mistletoe. They are harmful to the Ponderosa Pine Tree. Sun 1 later had team time. We played Pictionary. After that, Stephen (team member) and I went with a couple of the workers and had a snowball fight. It was rather awesome.

Today was more physical work. I went with four of my team members to stack chopped wood. It was easy, so we ended up wasting some time by having a snowball fight and messing around a frozen pond. After lunch, we went to load chopped wood on a truck. It was harder work. Many were covered in snow. My hoodie was wet and dirty by the time we finished. We loaded 5 truck fulls though. It was quite a lot. After work, Sun 1 had PT(physical training). We went for a hike and ended with stretching.

I am tired right now. I have posted new pictures on Facebook. There are some in my mobile photos too. Hopefully, I can update tomorrow!

PS- 1st picture: I'm very cold.

2nd picture: The cabins that we stay in.

Home Sweet Home!

I am now at Calwood and I love it! We had an orientation and not much after that. The guys have their own cabin. The girls are currently grouped in twos and roomed with 6 sixth grade girls. I am with Cody and we have a wild bunch. They will all be gone by Friday. Calwood has students stay in cabins for a couple of days while they have outdoor learning experiences. It is really awesome. I will be shadowing one of the leaders tomorrow. Dinner was good. It was enchilada casserole. I'm currently in the lounge with some of the group. I would post more, but I don't feel up for it right now. Feel free to ask any questions. I will get pictures tomorrow and post them. I will also post the mailing address tomorrow too.
PS- I don't get any cell service here. I will only get it when we go to Boulder on the weekends.

Not Too Long Now

I'm very tired right now, but this weekend has been awesome! On Friday, all of the corps members had to wear the AmeriTux(black pants, white polo, steel toes) for a NCCC photo and then went to Induction. It was nice. There was a slideshow of the time we've spent here, a presentation from a fellow member, and much more. I can now be considered as an official AmeriCorps NCCC member. That was all for the day.
Saturday was send off. We said goodbye to all the teams that left. Some teams didn't have to leave early because they are so close or local. Sun 1 will leave Monday morning. After the send off, Sun 1 and a couple of others members went to the REI garage sale. It was AWESOME! We were in line for an hour and I didn't get a thing. We spent about 4 hours there. I relaxed at the dorms later in the day and washed clothes. The halls were so empty.
Today, we went to another REI garage sale. It was a lottery though. I drew a blue ticket, which meant I went in with the third group. You can only be in for 20 minutes. There was a lot of stuff to look through too. I found an awesome REI backpack that was used once. I bought it for $20. It was originally $90. I think it was a great buy. We spent a total of 6 hours there. Don't ask me how, but we did. I still had a great time too. After that, I ate some Asian food and packed. My stuff is now loaded in the cargo truck we are taking. I also hung out with a lot of friends and we watched Role Models. I will be a little sad to be leaving campus, but I can finally start Spike. I'm excited!
PS- I may have some pictures, but I'm really tired. I will post some tomorrow when I get a chance.

Can't Wait Till Monday!

Hello all! I decided to post a blog although I haven't done much lately. Yesterday we all went to a community meeting to have a project introduction from each team. I enjoyed it. Some did a songs, some skits, and even little chants/cheers. Many are going to Texas, so keep a look-out for those government vans!

Today was a chill day too. Sun Unit watched a 20 minute documentary. I liked it. Sun 1 then discussed food and grocery stuff. We also checked out our tools and took a group photo for our team brochure. We usually give them to the sponsors of our projects to introduce ourselves. The photo was awesome. It was an action shot of the team jumping in the air. We had our J-A-M-E-S-T-O-W-N-! shirts on too. I'm the M. I'll be sure to get a copy of the brochure to post at some point.

Tomorrow is a day off!

Spike Preparation and Other Fun Stuff

Yesterday I went to the Denver Zoo with an AmeriFriend. It was free for the weekend. I had a good time! I saw many animals and it was very busy. I'm sure there were children getting lost everywhere. They had a lot of baby animals too. I saw the baby tigers and giraffes. We also went downtown after the zoo since it wasn't far. We walked around and ate at Johnny Rockets. The burger was really good.

Today has been a rather long day. It was a good one though. It all started out with a fire alarm at 3:30am. It was not a drill. Apparently, the heater on the third floor had a problem and started to smoke. It was freezing out and we had to wait for an hour outside. After six firetrucks, an ambulance, and many cop cars declared the dorm safe, we could go back to bed. It happened again sometime in the afternoon because of the same problem. I don't think that heater will be turned on anymore.

Sun 1 had a briefing in the morning. The Unit Leader (Vaughn- the BEST Unit Leader) said in was really good for a first brief. I'm glad it's over with though.

That afternoon, we had some one on one time with Cody(TL). I liked it. We talked about the spike and I asked some questions about the portfolio.

After that, I went to Target and Hobby Lobby with some of the team. We needed acrylic paint for some long-sleeved shirts we found in the extra clothes room. We got enough for the whole team. It's for tomorrow. We have to present where we are going to all of NCCC. We put a letter on each shirt to spell out J-A-M-E-S-T-O-W-N-! I have M. I think it will be fun.

When I got back, I then went to Walmart with my AmeriFriend. We also ate at a really cheap Asian food place for dinner. It is $1.25 per scoop. The scoops are HUGE too. I still have a lot left.

The talent show also happened tonight. It started at 7:00pm and ended around 9:30pm. There were a ton of people that did it and all of them were really good. It was awesome! I didn't have my camera though.

I'm going to sleep now. It has been a very eventful day.

Garden of the Gods

Today was a fun day. Sun 1 went to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. There were HUGE rocks everywhere. We went hiking on all sorts of trails and even non-trails. I had a blast. We eventually ended up on the top of a hill/boulder. It was pretty high. The view was nice. We sat down and talked more so we could get to know each other. All together it was about a three hour hike. When we went back to the van, we saw rock climbers climbing up the huge rocks. It looked hard, but they made it.

We then went to downtown Colorado Springs. We ate lunch and explored some more. Some people went to different places. I went with a couple of girls and Cody to a vintage/retro resale shop. I liked it. I didn't buy anything though.

Tomorrow is a day off! I'm glad. I think I need to rest a bit.

Job Training

Each member on every team should have a job. Some might end up with more than one. The picture to the left will show the different jobs and a little description. I am interested in the Portfolio Editor or the Yearbook Rep/Photographer.

Today, I went to the meeting for each. I am excited to start!! After the meetings, Sun 1 met outside. We discussed the spike and our brefing we will have to do on Monday. I'm in charge of the Allergies and Medications section. Luckily, we all don't have any.

After the disscusion, we went to Hobby Lobby where I bought some more yarn for knitting. I may start some of that later.

SUN 1!!!

So today was the day. The Sun Unit started off with CPR and First Aid training. We did CPR on dummies and even bandaged people as a learning activity. At the end, we took a little test. I passed and am now certified in CPR and First Aid. I have cards to prove it.

After that long session, we met up in a field where we were lined up. The TLs put us in "fake" groups and then blindfolded us. I was drag along everywhere. At one point, I had to skip to get to the next destination. Once we were all jumbled up, I was finally taken to a van. I got in and waited for the rest of the members and the TL. When all the members were there, we all talked to each other to find out who was who. Then someone got in the van, tuned some music on, and drove us to a park. That's where we were allowed to take off the blindfolds. I then saw that my TL is Cody! She was one of my first choices. I am now in Sun 1.

We went and sat down in the grass to discuss some things. We did a little ice breaker and learned of our spike. We are going to the Cal Wood Education Center in Jamestown, CO. It is snowy there. We will be working mostly on trail building-type projects. There is also a chance we may work in the center. I can't wait!! It's about an hour from campus and we will be staying in two cabins. I heard that we have the nicest living quarters. There is even a gourmet kitchen. There's no phone service, but there is internet. I'm super excited to finally start this stuff! Email me if you have questions or want more information!!!

PS- The link for Cal Wood is www.calwood.org. It may give you a better idea. I also posted pictures on facebook of my spike information.

Snow Day

Today was all about hiking. The Sun Unit went to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was awesome! A couple of friend and I went to Bear Lake and took the Nature Path. It had snowed sometime earlier in the week, but it wasn't really cold. We were slipping and sliding all over the path. It was hilarious! There were icicles and all. I made some snowballs and threw them in the lake, but it was frozen over. When we got to a steep path, we sat down and slid on the ice. It was really fun. The view was amazing too. I would like to go again. It took 2.5 hours to get there and we only had an hour to hike. The TLs had to get back to a meeting at 3:30pm.

After the hike, I sat down to eat my lunch. There were some birds that kept flying near me. They were really close. I got to hand feed them some bread. It was awesome. We then headed back to campus.

Earlier, I went to Art Club. It was about knitting today. I finally learned how to do it. I started on a scarf. It's blue.

I can't wait till tomorrow! I can finally find out my team. I may

also find out my spike project. Not much longer!!

Picture #1: The awesome view.

Picture #2: I'm on ice.

Picture #3: Some friends sliding down the icy path.

So close!!

Yesterday and today have been lecture days. Yesterday, the Sun Unit learned about healthy lifestyles. It was more interesting than other lectures. We also had baseline later in the day. Baseline is a way to measure our physical fitness. We had to run 1.5 miles and do as many push-ups/sit-ups as we could for 1 minute each. I did pretty good with the push-ups and sit-ups. The running wasn't my strong point.
Today, we learned about diversity. We did many games and activities to make it more lively. It was fun.
I'm excited about Thursday coming up. I can finally find out what my permanent team will be! It's so close! Then we will be leaving for spike next week!!!

An ISP Weekend

Yesterday I went with some NCCC members to the Boys and Girls Club. We took down a haunted house. I was the only Sun Unit member there. They fed us pizza for lunch and it was great! I got a total of 7 hours. I went to Wal-Mart later with a friend. The bus ride was $1.00 to the lightrail station! We then walked to the Wal-Mart, which took about 5-10 minutes.

Today was quite awesome. I slept in till 9am. I had to be ready by 12:30pm for an ISP at the Denver Police Department. They had a haunted house, a haunted bus, and a whole bunch of other things that gave children a chance to get candy. The reason the police did it was because it wasn't a safe part of town and they didn't want children knocking on random doors at night. They ended up giving 2 tons of candy away! All the volunteers had chili for lunch and/or dinner. It was really good. My job was to take pictures of the children with police officers. I even got a picture with one. It was fun. I got to see all kinds of costumes. At 7pm we helped pack up and left at 8pm. I got 8 hours today! I now have 24.5 hours. 55.5 more hours to go!

Like a G6.

Today the team went rock climbing!! It was indoors, but it was still awesome. We were there for about two hours. I did it and went all the way to the top! I couldn't do the harder ones. They were slanted and there were ledges. I had fun though! That's all we did today.

Later there was a Halloween Party. I didn't dress up, but it was fun. There were a lot of different costumes. One of my favorite events that happened were when The Greasers and The Barbershop Quartet had a dance off. The Quartet were members and The Greasers were team leaders(TLs). Another favorite was when two Sun Unit TLs stripped in the middle of the dance floor(not completely). They were wearing skin tight outfits. Brandon was green and Matt was yellow. I have an ISP tomorrow, so I left early. I'm off to bed!

Work, work, work!

Today has been pretty good. First, the new team went to the Boys and Girls Club to do a service project. I was putting "instant asphalt" down and raked leaves. The asphalt was for a spot in the parking lot that had a big crack. It had to be packed down once it was leveled correctly. A couple of members and I went to the front of the building to rake leaves. There were a lot of leaves. We ended up having about ten trash cans full.

After all that was done, we went back to campus. I ate dinner and later went with a group to 13th Floor Haunted House. They had thirteen levels of scariness. On special days, you can get your money back if you go all the way through. That wasn't today though. We waited for about an hour and a half to get in. It was really awesome! I didn't get scared, but many others did. One guy was terrified. There are more pictures, but I have to get them from someone later.

Uneventful Days

Yesterday was boring. All the Sun Unit did was learn about safety and tool safety. It wasn't much more than that.
Today, was a little more eventful. Just a little. The Sun Unit had media training in the morning. In the afternoon, we had an Intro to Projects and Service Learning lecture for FIVE hours. UGH. We switch teams after the lecture by playing a game.
Later I went with a group to Hobby Lobby. I was teaching origami in Art Club today, so I had to get a few things. Art Club started at 8:00pm. It went on till 11:00pm! I knew the earrings would take a while and only three people were able to finish them. Some people even joined in although they aren't in the Art Club. It was fun! Now I need to go to sleep. I've stayed up later than usual.

Training

This week is all about training. Today was more American Red Cross(ARC) training and also training from Save the Children(STC). It wasn't as boring as other lectures.

The Sun Unit started with ARC training. We were to participate in a simulation to get the idea of things. We were victims of a fire in an apartment building. ARC had a shelter set up for us to use(in Stage II). We registered first. After I registered, I went and registered another person so I could get a better understanding of things. It continued on until everyone did it. When I was done, I went into the "shelter" and set up cots. These are not your normal-type cots. They are extremely hard to put together. It was faster once I got the hang of it. I had fun though. We sat through a presentation and learned more of what to do at the shelter.

After that, we went upstairs and learned more of shelter work. We got to split up into teams and pretended we were responding to a disaster. There were many roles and I took on the role of Dormitory Management. I was in charge of setting up cots, bedding, making sure the clients knew the sleeping hours, and having them keep their items together. I liked the job.

After lunch, we went back to Stage II and met with a woman from Save the Children. STC worked with ARC and focused more on the children. They made big care packages for 20 children that could last up to 5 days. There were things for younger and older kids. We learned on what to do if there were children at the shelter. They have to find a good playroom and make sure it is safe enough, but fun. They may even remodel some rooms. The kids have to be potty-trained to play in the playroom. If they aren't, the parent can join them in the playroom. The same goes for the more serious special needs kids. There are many precautions for the children as well as the volunteers.

When the lecture was over, we did another simulation. We split into two groups and had to find a good area for a playroom. Once we found one, we had to set it up. Each team received a care package so we could decorate the area and put in certain stations(crafts, games, physical activities, reading). Everyone enjoyed it.

Today was a good day. It rained some time before lunch and then got really cold. It's freezing every time I go outside. I might need to start wearing gloves since winter is almost here.

PS- The picture is from my window. I put my hand on it and it fogged immediately.

The Butterfly Pavilion

I had today off. Instead of sleeping in and resting, I volunteered with a group at the Butterfly Pavilion for an ISP. ISP stands for Independent Service Projects. We have to have a total of 80 hours of ISP. It has to be volunteer work with a non-profit organization. I think I earned 10-12 today.

At the Butterfly Pavilion they were having a Bug-A-Boo event. The kids came dressed up and got a chance to get candy, play in a maze, and other fun stuff. There was a section for butterflies, spider/arachnids, and sea creatures. I saw mostly everything. Some of the cockroaches participated in a race.

We arrived at 8am and got to look around for an hour. We had a thirty minute orientation on what to do and then we started. My first job was to greet the guests and give the children a bag for treats. I did that till 1:30pm with a lunch sometime in between. After that, I went to the Spider Myths table. I gave candy to anyone who participated. While there, I held a Rosie Tarantula and a Hissing Cockroach. The Rosie Tarantula can live for around 30 years. I want one.

It closed around 5pm and we cleaned up. The whole exhibit was awesome. I would like to go again. The group took one last picture with the praying mantis in the front.

Mullein

Today was awesome! We left campus around 7:30am to go to Cherry Creek National Park. It was about 30 minutes away. It's HUGE. Once we were there, we walked to our destination by using the trails. It was quite a walk. Everyone had to wear their steel-toed boots too. I should have broke them in earlier. My feet were killing me.

Once we were at our destination, we were taught of some tool safety and more of what we were doing. The teams split into two. On my team, there were five people. After we got organised, we were brought 400 six graders that would help us. They had to walk about a half mile from their school. Five students joined our team. Their names were Yanni, Tasha, Bommi, Elan, and Sarah. We did an awesome ice breaker that they taught us. It was called Ninja. Then, we were on our way to start our mission.

The Sun Unit was going to, as they called it, "thrash" Mullein. Mullein is a weed that is taking over the park and keeping other plants from growing. It can be up to 6ft. tall. We first cut off the top part that held all the seeds and put it in trash bags. We then cut the stem from the root and just left it in the field. It helps prevent it from growing more. All the teams were assigned a specific spot. I must say, ours was the biggest. It was more than twice the size of other teams. We cleared it all out though. It was awesome! We had a total of 7 bags filled. The students did a great job. They also had a lot of fun.

At lunch, we went back to the main area. After eating, the students had to go back to class and the NCCC members had to finish the trail building. It was originally assigned to a different unit, but they didn't get to finish. We had it all done within an hour. I can't believe it. We were filling wheel-barrows with dirt in 3 seconds! I wish you could have seen the team work.

We got back to campus before dinner. I was glad that I finally got to do more than just sit through presentations all day. It was a great experience.

Day of Meetings

Today was full of meetings and presentations. They were each about an hour or longer. The first was with all the units. It was about a project we are doing tomorrow. I will tell more of the project in tomorrows post. The next speaker talked to us about disaster awareness. I don't feel the need to mention more. After that, we all split up into our units. The Sun Unit went to Stage 2 were we met Vanessa Davis. She told us about the Education Award. I also got to ask her some questions about things I had some problems with online. We got it all figured out.
After lunch, we went to the East Dining Hall were we learned about getting college credits and some awards. I can get a total of 9 hours. The credits are for Service Learning and Diversity in Service. The last one, called American Humanics, requires a course online. If a non AmeriCorps NCCC member tried for this, they would have to have 300 hours of internship as well as a couple of very long portfolios. When I finish the course, I would receive a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. It is very helpful when applying anywhere that deals with nonprofit organizations.
The fourth meeting was about sexual harassment. Need I say more? The last was about the history behind AmeriCorps. When we were all done, we said the AmeriCorps NCCC pledge. And that's all!!! I went to dinner and will be going to Wal-Mart in a bit. I have to wake up super early tomorrow.

PS- The picture above is my upcoming schedule.

On Track

I finally feel like we are starting to get on track with everything. Today, we all had to cram into the Little Auditorium for three hours. It was hot in there. The first speaker was a police officer. He told us everything we need to be aware of in Denver and what to avoid doing. The second speaker was a woman from Planned Parenthood. She talked about sex education and all that jazz. The last speaker was a woman from American Red Cross. She had done AmeriCorps NCCC in Denver too. She told us her stories and experiences she had on spikes. One of her roles while on spike in Louisiana was to talk to the important people(governor, mayor). After leaving AmeriCorps NCCC, she was offered a job with American Red Cross. Now she's in charge of the Mile High Center.

After that, we were sent to a parking lot with the team leaders and their vans. We were taught everything we need to know about the van. My team leader named hers Beatrice. We checked everything to make sure Beatrice was running good and dent free. We even changed the tire and put chains on the back tires for the icy-type weather we may encounter. It was awesome! I had fun getting my hands dirty for once. I felt like we were finally getting this show on the road. I'm ready to start building houses!

I had fun today. I'm glad we are getting things started. It was about time. I found out some people are being sent home tomorrow because they failed the drug test. -sigh- I just don't understand some people. I also went to the Art Club. It is great! I get to teach origami next week.

PS- The picture above is my schedule for the first two weeks. Feel free to comment if you'd like more information on what something is. Also, if you click the picture, it will enlarge.

Boulder

Okay. So, today the Sun Unit went to Boulder. It's a really awesome town. The University of Colorado at Boulder was giving me some new ideas. We went to the shopping area on Pearl Street. I stopped at a couple of bookstores. I couldn't buy much because I don't get paid till November. I still had a good time though. After that, we went hiking up in the mountains. There were a couple of trails. I didn't go all the way up to the top. It was long and we only had an hour and thirty minutes to hike. From where I stopped, the view was amazing! You could even see Denver in the distance. I'm worried I may not want to leave Colorado.

And that was most of my day! I did laundry earlier. It took a while. Some of the other people waiting played Phase 10 with me to pass time. A couple of guys even brought an Xbox in and played that. It was interesting.

On the Road Again

Today was a rather slow day. The Sun Unit switched teams. I'm still warming up to them. Everyone had to watch a driver's safety video as well as listen to a safety speech. It was very long. After that, the leaders took their new team to have some driving tests. The test was optional. I didn't take it. I don't even have a licence. About 5 people did it. We drove around Denver with each person taking about thirty minutes. We even went to the top of a mountain where Buffalo Bill's grave is. It was interesting. Not much else happened. I went to a book club meeting earlier. We decided to read "I, Lucifer" by Glen Duncan. It sounds like a good read. I need to buy it though. I'll have to make a trip to The Tattered Cover later this week.

PS- I put the link up if you'd like to see more pictures. It's called Americorps NCCC Pictures. Check them out.

Exploring and More

So I thought it over and decided that I will update more while I'm in Denver. While on spike, I will try to update about once a week. It all depends on where I am. The picture to the left is the campus that I'm staying on. It is really nice. You can even see the bell tower from the Light Rail Station and a little ways off. It's mostly AmeriCorps NCCC members on campus, but every now and then you may see a few students.

Today was fun! I had the day off, so I went downtown with a couple of friends. We took a bus to the Light Rail Station and then a Light Rail to downtown. In total, I spent $4 for transportation. It would have been $2 if I had my student id. We also walked to the capitol, but it was closed. Luckily, there was an event going on right across the street. It was called Rock n' Roll Marathon. Rock music played on the radio and by bands while the marathon went on. It was pretty cool. We went to the gate and hi-fived the runners as they were about to finish. There were a lot of people there. We walked over to 16th Street Mall which can also be known as an outside mall. It's really awesome! We went to some souvenir shops and REI. We had to get back by 5pm to have our tb shot checked. I was all clear! I don't think anyone has it. I planned to do laundry today, but I'm so tired. I'm still adjusting to the altitude, I guess. I know I'm doing better than some others.

As for the days before this, not much happened. I did a drug test and got my tb shot. There was a team tour of downtown Denver. We had a meeting that was VERY long about everything in the member handbook. There isn't much else. Tomorrow is going to be more eventful.

So long for now! I'm going to put up a link to my AmeriCorps pictures if you would like to see more. Email me if you have any problems seeing them.

My oh my.

So it's the second day. I must say, it has been VERY long. I'll start with the yesterday first.

Yesterday was pretty good. There was a slight flight delay, but only by about thirty minutes. I arrived to the Denver airport around 1:30pm and arrived on campus around 3pm. I checked-in at the front office in Welsh Hall and received my key and room number. My roommate was not here at the time, so I unpacked and got my boxes that I had shipped earlier. After that, I went to dinner around 5pm. The cafeteria food is pretty good, but the team leaders said that food on spike is better.
At 8pm there was a unit meeting where we went over rules, regulations, etc. It was kind of long, but it was interesting. Everyone introduced themselves and we all talked of how we discovered AmeriCorps NCCC. I even saw some familiar faces from when we had talked on the Denver campus Facebook page. When it was over, we had a quick team meeting then we were done for the day.
I was tired and jet-lagged. I wanted to go to sleep right when I got back to the dorm, but I didn't get to. My roommate showed up sometime later. She's 24 and from Arizona. We talked for a little while she prepared her area. We went to bed shortly after. I slept like a rock.
Today has been long. I started out with breakfast and went to a meeting shortly after. It wasn't long. We broke up into teams and did everything we needed to do today. I got my uniform, turned in paperwork, listened to more presentations, and more. I can't believe it's only the second day. Sometime in between all that, I had my first ride in a team van. A few members and I went to Target to get some last minute items. When everything was finally done, there was free time. The older members went to a bar down the street. I'm not quite sure what I want to do, but I know I'm tired right now. It may be the altitude change. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

That is all I have right now. I will try to update as much as I can. Tomorrow we will take a tour of the campus and Denver, so I'll post some pictures soon.

All About AmeriCorps NCCC

So I'm going to tell about everything one may need to know about AmeriCorps NCCC. Or at least about what I know so far.

1. Overview (from Welcome Packet)
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is a residential national service program for men and women between the ages of 18 and 24. Approximately 1100 members serve nationwide annually.

For 10 months, members serve on teams to meet urgent community needs through projects that support the environment, infrastructure improvement, energy conservation, urban and rural development, and immediate and continuing disaster response, which is our priority project area. AmeriCorps NCCC has responded to every national disaster since the program began in 1994. Projects operate through partnerships with non-profit organizations, state and local agencies, and other community and faith-based groups. Teams will work on a series of different projects, allowing members to experience a variety of service work as well as different communities and cultures.

2. Units and Teams
There are four units. They are Earth, Fire, Sun, and Water. The name has no relation to what projects are assigned. Each unit will probably have about 7 teams with 12 members in each. The teams are all assigned a certain number (Water 4, Sun 2). Some teams are specialized to fight the forest fires, but I didn't want to do that. I got a call about two days ago and found out that I'm in the Sun Unit. I will probably stay there through the whole program.

3. Corps Training Institute (CTI)
During the first four weeks I will be stationed in Denver. While in Denver, I go through specialized training. I will learn MANY different things that I will use while on spike (see below).

4. What is a SPIKE?
From Welcome Packet- A SPIKE is when a team undertakes a service project which is more than a one hour drive from campus. You will not be housed in the campus dormitories while on SPIKE. SPIKE accommodations have included staying at community centers, churches, military facilities, youth hostels, camping, etc. If you are without a bed you will be provided a sleeping bag and sleeping mat. You may or may not be cooking your own food. You may have to share a single bathroom or shower facility among your teammates. Come prepared for any of the above and beyond. SPIKES usually last six to eight weeks.

The first spike will be shorter than the others. There are usually 4-6 spikes during the service year. I kind of hope we won't have to go to the Texas coast, but if I have to then I will get over it. The southwest region is mainly what the Denver campus covers, unless a major disaster happens.

5. Miscellaneous
Packing- UGH!!! That was one of the most time consuming of all. It was a LONG list. I had to pack for all seasons as well as the different weather conditions. I've never even had to really worry about cold climate before. I got it all done with the help of friends and family members. I really appreciate it.

Process- Ever since that day I turned in my application about a year ago, I have been standing on pins and needles. Flexibility is a must. First, was the interview in March. The service projects I did in high school really helped with that. Next, was the waiting period. A very long waiting period. That waiting period ended up with me on the waitlist. -sigh- Finally, in July I hear from them. I had been accepted. That was the ONLY information they gave me. Where was I going? When would I find out? I ended up calling the next day. I was on hold for an hour and transferred through many people till finally I was told that I was assigned to Denver and will leave in October. All the stuff after that involved paperwork, more paperwork, and some more phone calls.


I really am excited to finally start this new adventure. I will try to post when I can. Thanks to all who are reading this and continue to read. Please comment or send an email! I hope to hear from any of you!

5 Days?!

Things I've Done/Accomplished Before Departing
-I got my hair cut. It's very short.
-I found out that I'm in the Sun Unit! I believe it's only temporary.
-Received my itinerary. Only a two hour flight! AND it's a direct flight.
-I shipped my boxes.
-I finished getting EVERYTHING that I may need.

That's about it right now. 5 more days! I can't wait!!

Handsoaps

Here are some of my handmade soaps I've been working on recently. They have the scent of Fresh Linen. I plan to make more and take them with me to Denver. Only 36 more days!!! October is getting closer!

39 days!

I'm counting down the days! I'm really excited. I have gathered up almost everything I need. It feels like I'm packing so much though. I'm definitely having some things shipped up there. My comforter is huge, but I guess it will be good for those cold/freezing nights.

I'm debating on what craft items to take. Probably a loom and maybe some origami paper. Definitely a sketchbook. I wish I could take the Cricut. I will just have to live without it for a while. I'm in the process of making soap to take too.

PS- Today, I just found out my handmade oatmeal cinnamon soap made first place in the fair! As did my origami earrings. I need to make much more so I can start selling on Etsy again. I could work on the earrings while I'm in Denver too!

54 Days!

I've finally turned in ALL of my forms. Yesterday, I received an email confirming my place in the program, so I am all set. I leave on October 13 for Denver! It has been a little strenuous recently, but since I've completed all the forms I can relax a little. Now I just have to get everything I need.