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.