It's Over, It's Done

Despite the fact that I fell off the blogging wagon, I still feel the need to complete my experience with a blog about my final thoughts on NCCC.

It's been almost a week since graduation (July28, 2010), I'm home, slightly unpacked, slightly lonely, potentially a mildly depressed, and in utter disbelief that NCCC is over.

At times I really wanted it to be over. It's hard to say the least. One Team Leader described NCCC as concentrated Orange Juice. It's so much in one condensed form. Which makes the highs extremely high and the lows excruciatingly low. But then there were times when I genuinely didn't want it to end.

And now it has.

I didn't think I was going to be weird about NCCC being over until today. At church today there was a mini-celebration of my accomplishment (earning the US Congressional Award - Bronze Medal) and completing a year of national service. I was incredibly uncomfortable with this "celebration" and I couldn't adequately articulate why.

My first thought was that, I didn't do any of this for recognition. It wasn't a big deal. It wasn't a huge sacrifice. I wasn't ready for grad school, I didn't just want to sit at a desk, I knew I wanted to do something productive, and I like non-profit work. I never, ever, saw NCCC as "community service". In fact, I realize now that I hate that word. I hate all the connotations a behind it. I hate it because it is a very passive word. It signifies, haves helping the have-nots, and that's not what this was.

I never once thought about the good I was doing for the "community." Instead, I was mesmerized by how the "community" was help, changing, and inspiring ME. Everyone at the Oregon Garden helped reveal a new eye-sight for nature and the environment that I never had before and now that I do, I'm ashamed that I didn't have it my whole life. The children at Larchmont showed me just how easy it is to be kind and trusting, and how much a smile can really brighten even the darkest days (and how to Jerk). Baton Rouge showed me just how important family is and how that family doesn't have to look like everyone else. A family is a group of people that work together, help one another and love and care about each other. And St. Bernard Project and the entire City of New Orleans, showed me A) how important it is to keep you head up in face of adversity B) and how to celebrate each and every day for the beauty that it is.

And then there was my team. A Team that in the beginning seemed like a hodge-podge of misfits who never should have lived together and now, they are 9 people I couldn't imagine my life without.

The end of the AmeriCorps pledge states, "I will carry this commitment with me this year, and beyond..."

My earnest prayer is that I will.

Round 3: Habitat for Humanity Greater Baton Rouge

YES!

The project I've been waiting for! I've had a love affair with HFH for years now. I love the concept, the theology of the hammer is one of the greatest evangelical Christian doctrines I've read, and to top it all off, HFH is just so darn cool! Before I began NCCC I contemplated doing my AmeriCorps year with HFH but for better or worse, I never got around to submitting an application before NCCC selected me

Never the less, HFH and I were destined to spend some quality time together.

Our round three project was spent doing construction with HFHGBR. Also something new and different for our team. This meant we packed up our 15 passenger government van, drove for 5 days (stopping at mi casa in Clear Lake) and finally arrived at University Presbyterian on April 15. The very next day we began construction. Pre-building (nailing all the necessary studs together that would later be used to build the walls which would be raised the following week). We then had orientation the following Tuesday morning and set out for a wonderful 6 weeks of construction.

In retrospect, it would have been nice to blog throughout the entire round, given that I <3>

Our housing was fantastic. University Presbyterian was located right on LSU's campus (a school I've come to love almost as much as my own alma matter). Baton Rouge the city is not only the capital of Louisiana but the quintessential southern, Louisiana city. Large enough for a division one football stadium (aptly named DEATH VALLEY) but small enough to show you what it's really like to live in the South. Things like crawfish boils, Raising Canes, lakes, plantation homes, and southern hospitality. While New Orleans might steal the Louisiana spotlight, Baton Rouge aka Red Stick is still a great southern city.

Our work was unbelievable. We had the luxury of working at two different sites for our round one on Chinn street and one in a cute Habitat neighborhood called Rosewood. Chinn street started three homes while we where there which meant lots and lots of framing, hammering, wall raising, hanging trusses, and traditional construction fun. The Rosewood houses were in the finishing stages which meant lots of painting, cabinet installation, installing baseboards, tile, trim and LOTS and LOTS of caulking. While I spent more time a Rosewood than I did Chinn street, I enjoyed both of them tremendously.

So, while I can't give you daily reflections, I can give you some pretty sweet photos (courtesy of my teammates!)

Round 2: Project Accomplishments

Quantifiable Data

Railroad Museum
Acreage of grass mowed 1

Bridges restored 4

Feet of track ballasted 240

Feet of trench dug 180

Feet of trench filled 180

Picnic tables painted 9

Pounds of debris cleared 2650

Pounds of trees removed 2400

Structures painted 2

Trees removed 4

Community Volunteer Day

Community gardens started or tended 2

Neighborhood cleanup activities organized or conducted 1

New trees or shrubs planted 80

Playgrounds constructed or repaired 2

Volunteers recruited or coordinated 70

Larchmont Elementary

Elementary students mentored 380

Elementary students supported in an out of school program 75

Elementary students tutored 380

Elementary students tutored in reading 380

Existing programs expanded or improved 3

Hours spent in tutoring elementary school students 1763

Corps Member and Community Benefits

The Benefits Blue 2 gained from our experience working at Larchmont Elementary were innumerable. All of us feel as though we have gained a sense of responsibility from being a role model for children. We have also come to hold ourselves to a higher standard of accountability and professionalism. Having children watch and model everything you do is defiantly a good motivation for good behavior (not that we wouldn’t behave normally, we were just more conscience about it in the school setting). We have also had the benefit of knowing that what we were doing at Larchmont was needed by the students, greatly appreciated by the teachers and staff, and thoroughly enjoyed by our whole team. A lot of the Blue 2 team members grew enormously during our time at Larchmont, and we would like to thank the children for giving us that experience.

The community benefits that Larchmont School received from Blue 2 are mainly having a presence that they can count on being there every day, and having a sense of routine and normalcy. The students also received one on one time with us, whether it was them reading to us, doing math flash cards, or just asking how their weekend was. We all feel as though we got to know many of the children and that they each had a friend in us. Another benefit that Larchmont received from us is the Community Volunteer Day (CVD) that we did at the school. We planted two gardens in the school, painted the line in the center of the hallway, and played lots of games with the children. Our CVD was a huge success and it was really great for all of the parents to have the chance to meet us.

Round 2: Executive Summary

Larchmont Elementary School, located just north of Sacramento in North Highlands, is a kindergarten through sixth grade facility and part of the Twin Rivers Unified School District. Larchmont has been open since 1955 and now serves approximately 380 students of varying backgrounds, including three Special Day classes. The student population at Larchmont is 38% Hispanic/Latino, 32% Caucasian, 16% African-American, and 14% other. Many of these students are faced with outside challenges to their education, such as single-parent or foster homes, drug abuse, and bullying. Furthermore, many of the students at Larchmont come from Spanish speaking homes and know very little English. Despite these obstacles, the staff at Larchmont works every day to fulfill the school’s mission statement, which is “to inspire each student to extraordinary achievement every day.”

Apart from the mission statement, Larchmont also outlines a set of beliefs for their school, with one being: “The education of each child is the shared responsibility of the entire school community: parents, guardians, school staff, local agencies, and service organizations.” This sums up the project mission for Blue 2; the team was expected to help educate the students not only in the classroom, but also in life in general.

Blue 2 was the second AmeriCorps team to serve at Larchmont for the 2009-2010 school year, so the team’s role was basically to follow in the footsteps of the previous team and act as the best possible role models for the students. The team was also expected to help the students achieve their potential in the classroom through one-on-one and small group tutoring, and after school programs for grades two through four. Every teacher had different expectations for how the corps members would assist in the learning process of their classes, ranging from grading papers and assignments to leading reading groups or small group sessions with students who needed extra help. Blue 2 was also expected to interact with the students during recess in an effort to cut down on bullying and citations, which included leading games, talking to the students, and encouraging fair play and respect.

Throughout this project, benefits were seen both in the children and in the members of Blue 2. All of the corps members formed strong bonds with the students that will have a lasting impact on their lives, and the students at Larchmont consistently showed their appreciation and love. Members of Blue 2 were able to gain many skills in tutoring children, as well as a more vast knowledge of the California education system and the profession of teaching in general. The team is leaving with a newfound respect for the desire, determination, and patience it takes to be and educator, and hopes that Larchmont Elementary will continue to thrive despite the many obstacles they face.

Round 2: ?

Remember when I was blogging daily, and that turned into three times a week, which turned into once a week, which turned into never?

Obviously a lot has happened since then and the only way to truly do that justice is to insert excerpts from our Round 2 portfolio as blog post (which I feel I can do since I was the editor for this round) and also because the idea of rehashing everything would just be too daunting.

So, I'll leave with my reflection form Round Two...

I could mention teaching methods, grammar rules, my newly formed impeccable quick multiplication skills or the confusion that is JiJi Math, but the two things I will always remember from my time at Larchmont are resilience and the power of love. It doesn’t matter what went on in the homes of the kids, what happened on our team, or how we disciplined the children in the classroom, when it came time for recess, it was always smiles, hug, freeze tag, and Four Square.

Despite the situations they face in life, these kids truly are innocent and have effortless mastered the art of forgiving and forgetting. I may have taught them math and language arts, but they reminded me how to truly love with an open heart. Somewhere along the road to adulthood I believe we all lose that ability and I am forever grateful to the students at Larchmont for opening their hearts to me and loving me unconditionally.

Mid Year Transition

Our Mid year transtions turned out to be very interesting.

After spending that last two months with basically no one but our team and select members from other teams, having the entire first floor to ourselves --in addition to Nelson's room (equip with his roommates TV, X-Box and Guitar Hero), our very own kitchen and permanent dining location in 943, seeing all 300+ corps members was a shock and a half.

It's amazing how just 6 months before, seeing 300 18-24 year olds living, working and playing figuratively on top of each other was the norm, and now it seems awkward. Just goes to show you how fast you adapt to new situations and how fast NCCC becomes your life.

Mid year transition was chalk full of lots of down time, debriefings, briefings, picnics, pod reunions, The AmeriVagina Monologues (directed by your's truly), and Life After AmeriCorps Day.

It's the latter that I want to expand upon.

It's weird to thing that I'm half way through with my AmeriCorps term and I'm already forced the think about what I'm going to do next. Even more weird is that I already decided I wanted to do another year of AmeriCorps. I graduated college with the 5 years plan that involved two years of AmeriCorps, one as direct service and another more VISTA or office like, and three/four years of graduate school. So, while I didn't NEED the Life After AmeriCorps resume building, interviewing skills, or potential job opportunities, it did get me thinking...

One of the main reasons I joined NCCC was to figure out which avenue of the non-profit/governmental world I could see myself working in. With two rounds down, one in the environmental realm and the other in education, my experiences couldn't have been further from each other. I'm also no closer to my answer than when I started.

I do know...

• I like work that let's me know I've accomplished something
• I enjoy recognition and praise
• I really enjoy handling tough tasks on my own
• I like pretty things
• I don't mind being messy (as long as I have the opportunity to get clean)
• I REALLY ENJOY COPY MACHINES
• Coffee is a must. And LOTS of it
• Working with a boss who's flexible and understanding is something I really thrive under
• I don't like working when people aren't pulling their own weight
• I have an amazing capacity to latch on to things I never thought would become part of my life
• I enjoy working with interesting, hard to use, awkward tools
• I like variety in the work day

May that's enough... for now.

The AmeriVagina Monologues

After being in or in support of The Vagina Monologues (TVM) for the past 4 years of my life, I couldn't imagine a V-Day season without seeing fabulous women reading these powerful monologues.

So, I decided NCCC needed to do their own monologues.

A lot of red tape was cut through because traditionally TVM is an advocacy event that raises money for to help stop violence against women and children, but as a governmental program, NCCC cannot raise money for an organization. Luckily, the V-Day ladies we're very on board with the education aspect presenting TVM to the corps members would have and thus allowed us to put on a production at no cost.

Recruiting and auditioning the ladies was very interesting as all but 6 of the teams were away from campus. There were both on campus auditions and off campus skype/phone auditions, and after weeks of preparation, TVM took place during Mid Year Transition.

The show was very well received. I gather anywhere from 100-130 people were in attendance, and everyone throughly enjoyed the show. My teammates, friends, and those I don't even know all gave praise to the cast.

Even more rewarding than that was seeing the cast come together. We had last minute changes, doubts and fears, but once the show began, it was obvious these ladies realized they were part of something more powerful than they ever imagined.

But perhaps the most profound experience within in this Vday was my own personal growth.

The past year has been a very intense, emotional, and unfathomable one for the issues the monologues tackle. I along with one of my best friends from college had a hell of a year and I never really gave myself time to deal with any of those issues. So the monologues became my therapy, or to quote a line for the the show, my "politically incorrect savior."

Hearing these monologues again gave me the courage and strength to begin to let go of my past and look forward.

And for that I have Eve Ensler and The cast of the AmeriVagina Monologues to thank.