Urgent Message

So I just have a few minutes again but have an important message for anyone who is keeping track of the tax cuts being deliberated in Washington right now.  As of March 7 the entire Americorps program could be shut down or significantly cut all across America.  Republicans in the house are trying slice our programs, NCCC included, because they think what we do is no longer necessary in America.  While I support the need to reduce our national debt this is a bad idea on many fronts.  In 2005 Americorps NCCC was on the verge of being cut but because of hurricane Katrina America realized the need for service members to be prepared for such disasters and community volunteer work.  This has kept us alive for five years now but once again we may be seeing the last of our program.  Current Americorps' members hands are tied - we cannot participate in the campaign to keep the program because of our non-political stance but if anyone is looking to help please call your local representative and tell them America needs funding for volunteers ready to help their neighbors through Americorps Vista and NCCC.  We spend only 2.5 million dollars on our local campus every year while trillions of dollars have been spent on unnecessary and illegal wars in the Middle East.  Tell your representative that the little we spend on these programs creates armies of volunteers ready at the drop of the hat to work for peace.  I'll let everyone know what happens after the bill is passed and is sent to the White House.  Thank you for your help!

I thought I would have all the time in the world to get online and keep up with my favorite TV shows, music and this blog but it turns out I'm filling every minute of my time here.  This is a good thing.  These past several months have been a recovery from many years of sadness and down time.  Now I am taking up responsibilities like the people I once envied and it feels great, all-be-it exhausting.  It even hurts a little to be typing this because my arms are so sore.  Yesterday, per routine, I woke up at 5:00 A.M. and ran two miles with my fire teammate outside, another two inside and then weight lifting for about 45 minutes.  Americorps NCCC picks a handful of women and men from the 213 to be trained as woodland firefighters.  I tried out, wrote a letter of interest and got in which means I have to work out every day to be fit for assignments we receive throughout the year.  We hear that several from the team end up working for the DNR or Fish and Wildlife Refuge as firefighters.  Apparently it pays well.  Immediately after my morning training I eat a quick breakfast, fix my lunch and jump in my team van which takes us to a local community center.  Here we are being trained under the Red Cross for how specifically to set up, run and take down shelters in case of disaster.  This runs all the way to 4:00 P.M. and includes lectures and several exercises that give us hands on experience before we actually go out and participate in disaster relief.  We get back at 5:00 and my team immediately has PT (physical training) so I run up and change, run back and work out for another 45 - 60 minutes.  Make and eat dinner while doing laundry.  Clean up. Then each team member has individual meetings with my team leader for positions of leadership from 8 - 10:00 P.M.  I stay up and make lunch for today and then head to bed only to wake up again this morning at 5:00 and start the whole routine over again.  Time is precious.  There is none.  Training is still another three weeks from over before we go out on Spikes, or long-term community/disaster projects.  But we still are involved in the community and are busy getting in ISP (Independent Service Projects) hours, 12 this week for me.  Somehow I have to fit this into a schedule that has no holes.  Also this weekend my team is joining four others in going to D.C. to work with intercity youth at a swim meet.  Monday is off for President's Day but I have already signed up for an ISP having something to do with Legos (I don't know) so in all reality there is never time off, never time when we are not involved in training or community projects.

The people here are a surprise from my first suppositions.  The faculty and team leaders are, for the most part, very chill and in general our age (mine is younger than me - weird) so they are easy to get along with and are busier than we are.  The NCCC volunteers, 213, are a mix of about every personality.  A solid handful are either here because their parents made them come or are brought in from Job Corps.  Americorps policy is to be completely open to anyone coming in as long as they have the ability to work hard.  This is very good but very bad at the same time.  It allows those who otherwise might not be able to do this kind of work to be accepted but also lets in a lot of rotten apples.  It becomes very frustrating when the days become long but I've tolerated a lot in these past few years and so keep my peace.  I have a good group of friends now that are nothing short of brilliant, entertaining, forward thinking, individuals that push me to work harder and become a better person.  They are inclusive and uplifting - as a phrase recently picked up, they don't yuck my yum.  A lot of volunteers who have never lived in close quarters or done hard work or even lived outside of high school tend to complain quite a bit about the living circumstances or people they don't get along with, but these friends of mine are always looking for the virtue beyond complaint and I have decided to carry that baton with them.  I am just getting used to my new team which I will have for the rest of the year.  Two teams actually, my main team which I'll be going on spikes with and my fire team which will be going to further training in North Caroline on March 12 and then doing prescribed burns or fire fighting out West if disaster happens to strike this year.  My personal team is pretty solid and relaxed which I am thankful for and my fire crew is nothing short of phenomenal.  I will really enjoy our training together.  I have also signed up for special roles within my team that I will find out if I got in today at some point.  We are doing driving exercises and some other training today that I cant remember.  I have to keep a schedule on me during the day to keep up with everything but left it in the room to come get the ever so rare internet signal to write this and check my email, facebook, etc.  Every day is a new lesson, new friend and new experience and I can't remember them all but they are exciting and I have no idea what each day will bring.   I've gotten my punk ass off the streets.

Americorps NCCC

This is just a quick update to keep in touch with my latest journey.  Last summer when things were so bad I signed up for Americorps NCCC under the direction of a friend.  After going through all the paper work and waiting all I heard back was that I was wait-listed and would find out soon if I was getting in.  Months passed and I chose the internship at Agape Community instead.  Last Tuesday I unexpectedly heard from Americorps again.  Apparently there was a grant that allowed the program to hire on almost a hundred more members for the East coast branch of NCCC.  So one week later and I find myself sitting at the end of the hall of an old VA hospital wing in Perryville, Maryland wondering how things can change so quickly.

NCCC stands for national civilian community corps, a group of 18 - 24 year olds who are trained in natural disaster, CPR, firefighting, education and various other specialties.  The last group who came through here aided in the Katrina rebuild and other national efforts when they weren't here in Eastern efforts.  There is an impressively diverse group of people here that have kept me on my toes.  I've already started picking up a lot of sign language on account of a deaf kid in my barracks.  It's not even 24 hours later.  So I can't say what to expect but it looks like I'll be here for a few weeks in training and then head out to who knows where.  I could be living out of a tent for the greater part of this year.  The pay is decent and I'll get a lot of money taken off my student loans not to mention free room and board.  I think I'll use it to save up for this Winter, maybe move to California or look into the Peace Corps.... anywhere but the absurd world that tells you to pay this and do that.  I'll be working hard here and that should be the price of life.

There's a sergeant telling me it's time for lunch now... more later.