Week Two

Week 2(AUGUST 10 - AUGUST 16):
Monday started off with our second PT session. It was a little bit easier getting up this time and I felt like I had more energy :D After PT we headed to Rolling Fork, Mississippi where the whole Corps partook in our first official service project!! Rolling Forks is a town that has 2,000 people - 200 of which are enrolled in the K-12 school. The town is definitely hurting economically but they still remain optimistic - for example, many of their downtown buildings do not have roofs but instead of being depressed they paint the front of the buildings to resemble a set from a movie :D My team’s task was painting the gymnasium of the school. We had to wash the fake wooden walls, tape off areas, and then prime the walls and staircases. Instructions were far and few, but we still managed to complete the majority of the task without any complications. The people that sponsored us were very friendly - a few people from the town even baked us sweets :D While painting the gymnasium the 7th grade football team began talking to us. A few of the boys even mentioned that they appreciated what we were doing. Their gratitude caught me off guard because I didn’t expect a group of 7th grade boys to appreciate our service so quickly.

Tuesday night was our first room inspection. It was simple cleaning of rooms and bathrooms and my room passed with flying colors :D My unit leader actually said that our bathroom was one of the cleanest ones that he had seen that night. So glad my hospitality skills were put to good use.
I was also given a POC (Point of Contact) position for an ISP (Independent Service Project)this week. The POC acts as the team leader for the designated service project. As a corps member we have to obtain 1,700 hours while we are a part of AmeriCorps NCCC and 80 of the hours have to be ISP hours. The project that I was assigned to was a annual fundraiser for the local Courthouse Museum in downtown Vicksburg, MS. They raised money for the museum by having a clay sporting event. Each person had to pay $100 in order to play in the event. As the POC I had to contact the sponsor as well as find 24-30 corps members to volunteer for the event. Thankfully this was the very first ISP that we have heard of, so many Corps members wanted to jump on the opportunity!

Wednesday’s training session was definitely filled with emotions. The majority of the day we partook in a diversity training. The training’s main focus was for us to understand the meaning of trust, and to get us asking deeper questions of ourselves so that we could begin to get to know our team on a more personal level. A portion of the training was titled “Walk the Line”. The instructor would ask a question, and for each time we agreed with the statement, we had to cross over to the other side. The questions started out simple, then became more and more serious and thought provoking. By the end I had felt sad and empathetic towards the members in my team, as well as sad feelings towards things in my past that were brought up by the questions asked. Although the session made us reach outside of our comfort zones to answer questions, I felt like it was definitely a powerful session and I feel like I know each one of team members a little bit better :D

Thursday and Friday consisted of more training…surprise, surprise :D I understand that the training is helpful, but at this point in time it’s getting pretty monotonous. I think it’s harder for me to sit through it because I have learned many of the concepts before or the information is common knowledge to me.

Friday morning was also when we had our Base Line Test (insert scary music here). We had to run a mile and a half, and do as many crunches and push ups that we could do in a minute. That was oh so fun!!! :D My only hope is that I improve the next time we have to complete the test.
On Saturday 30 of us drove to Tara Wildlife (an old abandoned runway) and spent the day assisting the sporting event. A dozen of us manned the triggers for the machines/traps, and a dozen of us wrote down the scores. A few people also spent time helping with registration as well as refilling the clay machines. The guys (and a few females) that partake in these events are very serious clay shooters! Many of them even brought their own ATV’s and 4 wheelers to drive around the event. While volunteering, we met a very friendly local named Buddy who gave us get recommendations of restaurants to try as well as rides on his ATV :D Buddy even let me DRIVE the ATV! Oh goodness was I excited! I was squealing with joy the whole time I was on the ATV.

Sunday once again was a very relaxing day. Had breakfast and DELICIOUS coffee at McDonalds. I didn’t realize how much I missed good coffee until I had McDonalds. Mmm…it was heaven. The rest of the day consisted of lounging around and reliving the Disney childhood by watching Pocahontas and Beauty and the Beast. Later on in the day I had a group meeting where I found out the permanent position that I will have in my team. I assigned the Project Outreach Liason position. My role is to contact potential sponsors for NCCC, put to together a day of service for each round of projects, as well as find potential ISP projects for each round. The role will definitely keep me busy this year!

Now that I am two weeks into training I notice myself getting close to a group of people. My mindset before arriving was that of not wanting to get close with just a few people, but rather try and make friends with a variety of people. In reality making friends with all 144 people is hard to do. Granted each can be an acquaintance, but making a few actual friends is quite helpful. Definitely happy with the way that everything is playing out. I still firmly believe with all my heart that this is where I am supposed to me, and quite possibly may look into working for a non-profit organization after I graduate from NCCC.