SANCTE GENESIUS

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.