Hey everyone. So I figured that it was time for me to post again. I have a ton of updates to mention here. It has been about two months since my last post! I cannot believe that it is almost December!
So to update everyone on the past two months:
First things first, and I need to mention how great Induction was in Vicksburg. It was a time where I felt very proud to be serving as an AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps Team Leader! I was able to walk alongside my fellow TLs and CMs and experience something very few Americans get the chance to participate in. The weekend right after induction I got to go somewhere that I've always wanted to go to. Y'all may think i'm a major redneck for this but all well. I was able to visit the headquarters of Duck Commander (as some would know better as Duck Dynasty). While there wasn't a ton to see, I still was able to pose for a photo op in front of the famous "Duck Commander, Buck Commander" sign. Turns out that West Monroe, LA where the headquarters is happens to only be about an hours drive from Vicksburg. It was well worth the trip. I got to get me a t-shirt to proudly represent and to remember the trip by.
Next the week following induction was one that I will never forget. We were in the midst of FEMA Academy which was the FEMA Qualification System (FQS) training where CMs would be trained in the various areas in which they are working out in the field. The areas range from Logistics, to Public Assistance, to Disaster Survivor Assistance. This is wonderful that our CMs are receiving the exact same training that FEMA Reservists participate in. The catch 22 of this was that it began and ran during the midst of the Federal Government Shutdown. It was a real challenge for everyone as the Southern Region Campus Staff was cut down significantly. The staff was cut down to less than ten people who were excepted individuals. The rest of the more than 30 people on staff were put on furlough. I have nothing but praise for the staff at the Southern Region for being able to work hard to provide for the Corps during the trying time. They did there very best in a time where it was needed.
Part way through that week things made a drastic change for me. On Tuesday of that week the Director of Unit Leadership who was my supervisor's (Unit Leader's) boss called me into her office. She told me that three of the STLs in Vicksburg were going to need to move to the Atlantic Region Campus based in Perry Point, Maryland. I initially was very hesitant to even consider this idea because I'd grown so very close to Team Green in Vicksburg! I came into the program hoping to make good friends and leaving would mean I would be leaving my Ameri-family that i'd grown very close to. Turns out with the furlough going on it was taking a toll on the Atlantic Region and they needed help because they were supposed to be in the midst of a major move of campuses from their current location at Perry Point, MD to Baltimore, MD which is about 45 minutes to an hour away from one another depending on traffic. Many reasons were cited why they needed support. When it all came down to it, when I found out that three of the STLs would have to either be moved, kicked out of the program, or dropped down to Corps Members, I knew that I needed to do the right thing and take the opportunity to have a new experience and prevent someone who was not from the East Coast to have to make this move. This was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I did not know that I would be moving until a little after noon the following day. At that point in time, we were told that we'd have to leave the following morning in order to drive the 1,100 miles distance by that same Friday before close of business (4:30 pm). The goodbyes that ensued were some of the hardest I've had in my entire life. It made me realize how close I had gotten to each and every one of the Team Leaders and even some of the Corps Members who I had become friends with. Regardless of whether or not i'm at Vicksburg, i'm still always going to be a Summit at heart! Hey summit where ya at? So thus the adventure began. Myself along with two other Vicksburg STLs were about to being a road trip that would take us 1,100 miles, across six states within less than two days.
Looking back on the move, it was one of the hardest things in my life and while I'm enjoying my time here at the Atlantic Region, I wish things had been done in a way that took feelings and the human end of things into account. To pull someone away from an already established group that had just gone through two long months of training, bonding, and norming was just not right. I hope that the organization never forces something like this to happen ever again! It is unheard of happening in the past and I believe that myself and the other two STLs may in fact be the first ever time this has happened.
Since arriving to Perry Point, MD I have driven well over 2,000 miles for various duties. I have taken on the Unit Support Team Leader role for the Otter Unit of FEMA Corps. To give a little background, each unit here at the Atlantic Region is named after an animal of the unit leaders choosing. For example the traditional NCCC units are Buffalo, Moose, and Raven. The two FEMA Corps units are Otter and Terrapin. The caveat to that is that once a Unit Leader leaves their position as a Unit Leader, the unit retires with the Unit Leader. Past units have included Wolf, Eagle, and Badger. Since my arrival here I have had the pleasure to meet a ton of great people. The staff here have been very supportive of me and that is great. The traditional NCCC STLs were so welcoming and I am truly grateful for their generosity and their kindness in welcoming us to Perry Point. Evan, Courtney, Stephanie, Chandler, Ben, Emily, and Laura were all great! I am so glad to have met them. I was able to go attend their graduation ceremony last week and they have since left to head home onto post AmeriCorps lives. They will be greatly missed!
I am currently working with the Director of Unit Leadership here on a great project. With the new building being renovated, I recognized the need for an Emergency Action Plan to be made for it. I have been slowly working towards this. I will be going down to Baltimore in the future to inspect the new building and brainstorm what may be needed to prepare the campus for the inevitable. I am also working on a project now with FEMA HQ that will eliminate some of the disconnect between the five FEMA Corps campuses. Team Leaders will have the opportunity to share resources and best practices to help make the difficult job maybe even just a little less challenging.
It is very likely that I will be doing a lot of traveling next round as I work to complete and refine the project I am working on with FEMA HQ.
One of the coolest things I got to do since I've been back to the East Coast was I had the opportunity to attend the New York State Governor's Conference on Emergency Preparedness in Albany, NY a few weeks ago. It was a great networking opportunity and an even better learning opportunity. I am pretty certain that my friend Matt and I were the youngest two people in the room.
I have acclimated myself with many of the teams and Team Leaders here. They are all great! I got to spend a little more than a week bouncing between two teams. They are both great and I am grateful for getting the chance to stay with them. Otter 2 and Otter 4 what up! During that mini-deployment I was able to visit college friends on Long Island and then work in New Jersey and New York working with teams on Post-Sandy recovery. During that time I even got the chance to participate in an Independent Service project working on a Habitat for Humanity house working with New Jersey Coastal Habitat which focuses now on rebuilding and renovating homes devastated by the storm last year.
I will be heading home this weekend for my two week break which will put my home at Thanksgiving and that will be a ton of fun seeing friends and family and getting the chance to jump back in the Ambulance. Two weeks home i'm sure will go extremely quickly. I suppose y'all should be able to expect more frequent posts now that you know i'm in the Atlantic Region and my blog has been resurrected from the dead.
So long for now...
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
CTI
So I know it has been way too long since my last post. Corps Training Institute or CTI as we call it has been crazy for everyone. CMs arrived on August 26 and we have been going strong since then. TLT ended right before that. I have had the pleasure of working with some pretty awesome Corps Members since their arrival.
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I will not have a team throughout the year as I am a Strategic Support Team Leader. With that, I have had the fortune of interacting with a great number of Corps Members as I am not tied down to just one team (8-10 CMs). Part of this interaction has been wonderful. I even have a Team that nicknamed me Poppa Sean. I have cooked for a few different teams and gotten to really get to know a few of the CMs pretty well. The staff here at the Southern Region are by far some of the best people I have worked for and with in my entire life. Being at work each and every day does not really seem like work at all.
Induction is fast approaching! This Friday, September 27 all of us will be participating in the induction ceremony. Prior to that, I will be traveling with my Unit (Summit, where ya at?) down to Baton Rouge, LA to receive my FEMA ID and work out getting all of the CM's their Laptops, RSA Tokens, ID's, and Blackberry Smart Phones. Its going to be a very long day as I'll be leaving at 5:30 a.m. and returning very late at night.
Starting next week we will be going through FEMA Academy where we will be all learning about our specific jobs and what we will be doing over the course of the next ten months. After next week we will be deployed to various locations across the country. I look forward to discovering where I will be deployed to and the logistics behind Strat deployment. I will gladly update everyone when I learn more info. I will make a much better attempt at updating this on a weekly basis from now on.
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I will not have a team throughout the year as I am a Strategic Support Team Leader. With that, I have had the fortune of interacting with a great number of Corps Members as I am not tied down to just one team (8-10 CMs). Part of this interaction has been wonderful. I even have a Team that nicknamed me Poppa Sean. I have cooked for a few different teams and gotten to really get to know a few of the CMs pretty well. The staff here at the Southern Region are by far some of the best people I have worked for and with in my entire life. Being at work each and every day does not really seem like work at all.
Induction is fast approaching! This Friday, September 27 all of us will be participating in the induction ceremony. Prior to that, I will be traveling with my Unit (Summit, where ya at?) down to Baton Rouge, LA to receive my FEMA ID and work out getting all of the CM's their Laptops, RSA Tokens, ID's, and Blackberry Smart Phones. Its going to be a very long day as I'll be leaving at 5:30 a.m. and returning very late at night.
Starting next week we will be going through FEMA Academy where we will be all learning about our specific jobs and what we will be doing over the course of the next ten months. After next week we will be deployed to various locations across the country. I look forward to discovering where I will be deployed to and the logistics behind Strat deployment. I will gladly update everyone when I learn more info. I will make a much better attempt at updating this on a weekly basis from now on.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Sorry Everyone
Hey everyone sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. It's been a crazy last few weeks. I have not posted a single post since Corps Members arrived on August 26. The last two weeks have been filled with long but rewarding days.
Some things switched up big time for me. I am no longer going to have a team assigned to me. I am still a TL for Summit Unit, however I am what's called a Strategic Support Team Leader (Strat for short). I will be deployable anywhere in the United States and it's territories as a single entity and may not always get deployed with a team. It is possible for me to be deployed with multiple teams to a specific location. The majority of my deployments will be to JFO's, DRC's, and HQ offices within the FEMA network. I will have the opportunity to work with some high level people. I am absolutely stoked to be able to put my skills, knowledge, and experience to work and try to start off on a good foot with all of these experts within their fields. It will be a great opportunity for me to grow as a person and to affect positive change on the communities that I will be serving in throughout the course of the next ten months.
With that being said, a little synopsis of what I've been doing over the last few weeks would be great for everyone reading. On the day of move in, I was stationed at Jackson International Airport welcoming and checking in Corps Members as they got off their flights. I was there for the first half of the day and then came back to campus to assist in the move in process. The next day or so was extremely frustrating for me, however I quickly got over that and got right to work. I was concerned at first because I was a STRAT and did not have a temporary group and was not sure exactly what I was going to be doing. My concerns were quickly quelled by the staff here. They very quickly were able to get me assigned to specific tasks and keep busy. I jumped right into the thick of things. The first week was filled with a lot of small tasks that were able to assist the rest of the TLs who were very busy with their groups.
The first weekend on campus with CMs around was an extremely interesting one for both good and unfortunate reasons! I had the pleasure of spending the day Saturday with my fellow TL Yusra's group. They are a great group of people! We were able to visit some fun places in Vicksburg, enjoy a lunch together, and I spoiled them by cooking a great dinner Saturday Night. The next day a few of us ventured to Jackson, MS to get some delicious food at Two Sisters Kitchen!
Then Monday came. Oh Monday! Well we had planned to play some sports that afternoon. I had a fun game of Ultimate Frisbee planned with a bunch of people, but as I was walking over to the field I was alerted by one of the other TL's that one of our TLs had dislocated his shoulder in the gym. I was not far away from the gym so high tailed it there. I arrived to see an obvious deformity to the right shoulder. My EMT skills kicked right in and was able to assess the situation, I had someone fetch my first aid kit from my room and my wallet. I determined that immediate transport to the ER would be required. I stabilized the extremity and ensured that he was stable. That was my first visit to the ER that week. We got to the hospital and they took great care of him and got him in really quite quick. As much as I hated to see him hurt, it was great to be able to step up and I was glad I was in the right place at the right time to ensure that care was provided to him.
The rest of the week went very well. I volunteered to handle the development and execution of the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region FEMA Corps Team Reveal event. It was by far one of the most extensive projects that I have ever worked on in that it would directly affect about 200 Corps Members, 32 Team Leaders, and all of the Staff on campus. With many long days, the help and motivation from many fellow TLs and Staff members I was able to make the event a true success. It was one of the greatest feelings ever seeing something go so well that I had planned! I also learned that I absolutely love to program and organize large scale events. I never realized that I enjoyed it so much. I cannot wait to get the chance to do it again.
I have a few plans up my sleeve and am working with a few of the staff members to keep busy for the rest of this week helping organize a few events for CMs to gain some insight of the First Response / local level of Emergency Management and response as well as what first responders do on a daily basis.
I am extremely excited to see what comes over the course of the next few weeks! From here on out I will try and make an attempt to post at least once a week at the very least. It is way too much to remember and type out for two weeks of events. I was able to only provide a spattering of details of what occurred over the last few weeks on here.
Good night all, time to go to bed and be ready for PT at 6 am tomorrow.
Some things switched up big time for me. I am no longer going to have a team assigned to me. I am still a TL for Summit Unit, however I am what's called a Strategic Support Team Leader (Strat for short). I will be deployable anywhere in the United States and it's territories as a single entity and may not always get deployed with a team. It is possible for me to be deployed with multiple teams to a specific location. The majority of my deployments will be to JFO's, DRC's, and HQ offices within the FEMA network. I will have the opportunity to work with some high level people. I am absolutely stoked to be able to put my skills, knowledge, and experience to work and try to start off on a good foot with all of these experts within their fields. It will be a great opportunity for me to grow as a person and to affect positive change on the communities that I will be serving in throughout the course of the next ten months.
With that being said, a little synopsis of what I've been doing over the last few weeks would be great for everyone reading. On the day of move in, I was stationed at Jackson International Airport welcoming and checking in Corps Members as they got off their flights. I was there for the first half of the day and then came back to campus to assist in the move in process. The next day or so was extremely frustrating for me, however I quickly got over that and got right to work. I was concerned at first because I was a STRAT and did not have a temporary group and was not sure exactly what I was going to be doing. My concerns were quickly quelled by the staff here. They very quickly were able to get me assigned to specific tasks and keep busy. I jumped right into the thick of things. The first week was filled with a lot of small tasks that were able to assist the rest of the TLs who were very busy with their groups.
The first weekend on campus with CMs around was an extremely interesting one for both good and unfortunate reasons! I had the pleasure of spending the day Saturday with my fellow TL Yusra's group. They are a great group of people! We were able to visit some fun places in Vicksburg, enjoy a lunch together, and I spoiled them by cooking a great dinner Saturday Night. The next day a few of us ventured to Jackson, MS to get some delicious food at Two Sisters Kitchen!
Then Monday came. Oh Monday! Well we had planned to play some sports that afternoon. I had a fun game of Ultimate Frisbee planned with a bunch of people, but as I was walking over to the field I was alerted by one of the other TL's that one of our TLs had dislocated his shoulder in the gym. I was not far away from the gym so high tailed it there. I arrived to see an obvious deformity to the right shoulder. My EMT skills kicked right in and was able to assess the situation, I had someone fetch my first aid kit from my room and my wallet. I determined that immediate transport to the ER would be required. I stabilized the extremity and ensured that he was stable. That was my first visit to the ER that week. We got to the hospital and they took great care of him and got him in really quite quick. As much as I hated to see him hurt, it was great to be able to step up and I was glad I was in the right place at the right time to ensure that care was provided to him.
The rest of the week went very well. I volunteered to handle the development and execution of the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region FEMA Corps Team Reveal event. It was by far one of the most extensive projects that I have ever worked on in that it would directly affect about 200 Corps Members, 32 Team Leaders, and all of the Staff on campus. With many long days, the help and motivation from many fellow TLs and Staff members I was able to make the event a true success. It was one of the greatest feelings ever seeing something go so well that I had planned! I also learned that I absolutely love to program and organize large scale events. I never realized that I enjoyed it so much. I cannot wait to get the chance to do it again.
I have a few plans up my sleeve and am working with a few of the staff members to keep busy for the rest of this week helping organize a few events for CMs to gain some insight of the First Response / local level of Emergency Management and response as well as what first responders do on a daily basis.
I am extremely excited to see what comes over the course of the next few weeks! From here on out I will try and make an attempt to post at least once a week at the very least. It is way too much to remember and type out for two weeks of events. I was able to only provide a spattering of details of what occurred over the last few weeks on here.
Good night all, time to go to bed and be ready for PT at 6 am tomorrow.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Quick Update
Well this is just going to be a quick update. The weekend was a blast! I had a great chance to spend time with my fellow Team Green members in NOLA. Great experience in such a cool old city.
Tonight when I got back I had to prepare a few last minute items for the morning. I have to be up at 5:45 am to head off to the airport and leave by 6:15 to start checking in Corps Members as they arrive on various planes. The chaos ensues tomorrow. I'm ready for it!
I will update y'all in a bit when I have more time as my FQS position (my specialty position) has changed greatly. I am no longer going to have a team and will instead be a Strategic Support Team Leader and am deployable as an individual rather than as a team throughout the country. This is designed for projects that may only need or or two people to work on versus an entire time. I will also be working in JFO's and HQ and other offices supporting what teams are doing in the field. More of an explanation and update soon.
Bed time for me as I have to be up in less than six hours.
Tonight when I got back I had to prepare a few last minute items for the morning. I have to be up at 5:45 am to head off to the airport and leave by 6:15 to start checking in Corps Members as they arrive on various planes. The chaos ensues tomorrow. I'm ready for it!
I will update y'all in a bit when I have more time as my FQS position (my specialty position) has changed greatly. I am no longer going to have a team and will instead be a Strategic Support Team Leader and am deployable as an individual rather than as a team throughout the country. This is designed for projects that may only need or or two people to work on versus an entire time. I will also be working in JFO's and HQ and other offices supporting what teams are doing in the field. More of an explanation and update soon.
Bed time for me as I have to be up in less than six hours.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Hands of Peace and Such
Well last week finished off with a few sessions that really gave insight into the situation Team Green will be facing over the course of the next ten months. Our FEMA POC(Point of Contact) A.C briefed us on what we should expect. We also were able to get some insight from a former Team Leader who now works at CNCS HQ in Washington, D.C. It was great hearing what she had to say, as she is a seasoned TL and received recognition as the Southern Region FEMA Corps T.L of the year last year. Aside from that I learned one of the most important things I've learned all year!
I am now proud to say I'm a Team Leader for Summit in charge of a Mass Care mixed team. I'm extremely excited for the next few months and look forward to always being on top! (Summit motto for now)
This past weekend was a blast for me! I got to head over to the Vicksburg National Military Park and check that out. It was so cool seeing the park and noticing the vast difference between Gettysburg and Vicksburg parks. I had previously been to Gettysburg a few years ago. The park does a remarkable job at memorializing both the Union and Confederate Armies efforts. I spent two hours there with a friend and it wasn't even nearly enough time to see everything I wanted to see! I will post pictures later, sorry guys I'm pressed for time now :-(.
The training sessions this week have been great for the most part. The stress is starting to get to some of us. Its only a matter of days before the Corps Members arrive on campus! They all arrive on August 26 (next Monday)! I am going to apologize in advance, because my blog posts will become much more sporadic from here on out. Life is about to get really crazy for me! I have already been working hard preparing for my members to arrive. I called each and every Corps Member who will be assigned to my Temporary Team and welcomed them and gave them a chance to ask questions and a person to serve as a POC. I am really beginning to allow these acronyms flow off my tongue now.
With all that is going on, I have begun working with three fellow Team Leaders on a project that I will disclose at a later date. It's very exciting and directly related to Emergency Preparedness and Management. It's taking up a great deal of time but i'm so very excited to see the end result and how it will benefit our campus we call home for the next ten months of our lives.
The next two days will be spent by preparing for the arrival of Corps Members and final training sessions and a Team Leader Training wrap up and final debrief. We as TL's also are tasked with presenting a debrief to the NCCC staff tomorrow about our Positives, Even Better If's, and Suggestions regarding the TLT.
The best yet however is against better judgement, I'm going to have an amazing weekend with great people this weekend in NEW ORLEANS! It will be a great cultural learning experience for me and a ton of fun with great new friends! Pictures will come I'm sure.
Well time to get food and head off to bed. Good night everyone!
I am now proud to say I'm a Team Leader for Summit in charge of a Mass Care mixed team. I'm extremely excited for the next few months and look forward to always being on top! (Summit motto for now)
This past weekend was a blast for me! I got to head over to the Vicksburg National Military Park and check that out. It was so cool seeing the park and noticing the vast difference between Gettysburg and Vicksburg parks. I had previously been to Gettysburg a few years ago. The park does a remarkable job at memorializing both the Union and Confederate Armies efforts. I spent two hours there with a friend and it wasn't even nearly enough time to see everything I wanted to see! I will post pictures later, sorry guys I'm pressed for time now :-(.
The training sessions this week have been great for the most part. The stress is starting to get to some of us. Its only a matter of days before the Corps Members arrive on campus! They all arrive on August 26 (next Monday)! I am going to apologize in advance, because my blog posts will become much more sporadic from here on out. Life is about to get really crazy for me! I have already been working hard preparing for my members to arrive. I called each and every Corps Member who will be assigned to my Temporary Team and welcomed them and gave them a chance to ask questions and a person to serve as a POC. I am really beginning to allow these acronyms flow off my tongue now.
With all that is going on, I have begun working with three fellow Team Leaders on a project that I will disclose at a later date. It's very exciting and directly related to Emergency Preparedness and Management. It's taking up a great deal of time but i'm so very excited to see the end result and how it will benefit our campus we call home for the next ten months of our lives.
The next two days will be spent by preparing for the arrival of Corps Members and final training sessions and a Team Leader Training wrap up and final debrief. We as TL's also are tasked with presenting a debrief to the NCCC staff tomorrow about our Positives, Even Better If's, and Suggestions regarding the TLT.
The best yet however is against better judgement, I'm going to have an amazing weekend with great people this weekend in NEW ORLEANS! It will be a great cultural learning experience for me and a ton of fun with great new friends! Pictures will come I'm sure.
Well time to get food and head off to bed. Good night everyone!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Flexibility
The definition of flexibility is defined as being: 1.capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent: aflexible ruler. and 2. susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable: a flexible schedule
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This is something that we've come to get used to hearing our entire time here. Even more specific, the term FEMA-Flexible is commonplace. We had to be flexible the last day or so. I mentioned a few days ago that we'd be heading up in a Black Hawk helicopter. Well that wasn't able to happen today unfortunately. Mississippi is gearing up for the potential landfall of a Tropical Storm. Our plans for today initially included flying in the Black Hawks and visiting the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency office in Jackson, MS. Both of those plans were quashed with the coming of the storm. The state is preparing for the tropical event to make landfall within the next week or so and therefore they did not have time for us to visit.
Instead of that though we did something else that was pretty darned cool! We visited the largest Nuclear Power Plant in the United States that is only a few miles from Vicksburg. It was so cool seeing the EOF (Emergency Operations Facility) for the plant. We were able to get a little bit of insight into what is involved in preparing for a more man made disaster that could occur.
After going to the plant, we then headed off to a Military Park that was right down the road. I got to see the Mississippi River for the first time ever today! It is huge! Also while at this park, we got the chance to walk around and view the historical artifacts present.
Backtracking a bit, Wednesday was a day full of a lot of vital information. I learned my Myers-Briggs personality type which will help me compare myself to my CM's when they arrive and figure out who is most fit for specific positions. The best part of the day was the late session we had. We had the pleasure to hear Retired US Army Brigadier General Robert Crear, a native of Vicksburg, MS. Click Here for a biography of the General. He is truly inspirational. He did a full 360 degree turn around in his life, beginning his life in Vicksburg as a child and returning here as a Colonel and Brigadier General commanding the Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg Division as well as serving as the President and Commander of the Mississippi River Commission that controls the entire Mississippi River and its tributaries from the Canadian Border to the Gulf of Mexico. He served as President during the Hurricane Katrina disaster that struck Mississippi and Louisiana. He gave so many insights on leadership that I can not get into completely right now. A fun fact that he gave us was that Coca Cola was invented here in Vicksburg! That's a fun fact. He also gave us some insight on how it was to grow up in the deep south during the implementation of the infamous Jim Crow laws. It is a huge part of understanding the past and the history of the place that we call home for the next 11 months. It has given me the initiative to really research and learn more about the City of Vicksburg and the surrounding areas from a historical perspective.
Ok well time to go enjoy a new food for dinner tonight. What-a-burger will be new and supposedly very good! So much for eating healthy. I guess I can take one day off from it. Anyways tomorrow shall be an exciting day as we will find out our Unit Assignments! I cannot wait. I hope to be placed on a Mass Care team! I will update everyone tomorrow.
For now I bid you all farewell for the night.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Diversity
When you hear the word diversity what what do you think of as a definition? According to Merriam-Webster, diversity is defined as "the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety; especially : the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization."
The definition of diversity is much more in depth than just describing it as being the inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization. Diversity is much more than that to me and to many other people. It is so simple to say that in order to be diverse you need to include all people, but in reality it is much more than inclusion. It is much more about fostering and generating understanding within the community that you live in. The community one lives in is much more broad than the geographic community they reside in. An individual is a part of more than one team. If someone works at a place of employment they are a part of the community within the employees within that place of employment. At the same time they are part of a different community within their network of peers and friends.
With that being said there are many factors that go into an individuals understanding of what diversity means. As I am from a small rural community in Northern New York, the understanding of diversity is much different by the general population than what it would be in somewhere else (i.e. a larger metropolitan city). Where I come from, the population is above 90 percent Caucasian, English speaking, Christians. Speaking with one of my good friends here who is African American and is from the U.S. Virgin Islands mentioned that where he is from Caucasian is within the minority and African American,Afro-Caribbean, and Hispanics being the clear cut majority. This just adds perspective to the issue at hand. Diversity and its understanding is all situational and based on vastly different levels of background and understanding (or mis-understanding in some cases).
The last two days we focused on going through diversity training. As a group Team Green learned a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a team as a whole. We all come from vastly different experiences. We all have different backgrounds and upbringings. Some of us are from cities, some from rural areas, some of us are one religion, others are of a different religious belief, while others are spiritual but do not identify as being a particular religion. Some of us have vastly different exposure and experience with issues surrounding the LGBT community. While we all have had varying levels of difference and diversity in those aspects, we also have vastly different levels of exposure to other cultures and other beliefs than what they were brought up with. Even though we have all come from many different places and backgrounds we have all managed to come together and have worked so well together and are constantly learning from one another. It is truly inspirational working with this diverse group of people I am proud to call part of my Team Green family now.
I am extremely grateful that I pushed myself and I exposed myself to a vast number of diverse cultural, religions, and geographic experiences that allows me to be much more open-minded than what some people are that are from small communities. Lets work together to break stereotypes. An inspirational quote I took away from the day and a half of diversity training is as follows:
"Saying that you are color blind is not the right approach to go with, we need to understand that part of who a person is, revolves around their varying ethnic, demographic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds."
People are who they are today because of who they were in the past. Everyone learns from their past experiences and takes a little bit out of each life experience.
While I learned a great deal of material while in this training which included conflict management, meeting facilitation, becoming an ally, and so many more little things. The most important take away from this experience was not the material but the experience and the exposure to the astounding amount of courage was exhibited by so many people in this training. Even further than that, I feel as if I have so much greater of an understanding of everyone who I am lucky enough to work with over the course of the next 11 months. I also feel much more understanding of some of the pieces that go into this puzzle.
I have a much greater understanding of the great people that I am going to be working with over the course of the next 11 months. I'm so impressed with each and every person's willingness to try new things and open up to each other. We have come together to form a united front in Team Green! I look forward to what the future holds for us.
The definition of diversity is much more in depth than just describing it as being the inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization. Diversity is much more than that to me and to many other people. It is so simple to say that in order to be diverse you need to include all people, but in reality it is much more than inclusion. It is much more about fostering and generating understanding within the community that you live in. The community one lives in is much more broad than the geographic community they reside in. An individual is a part of more than one team. If someone works at a place of employment they are a part of the community within the employees within that place of employment. At the same time they are part of a different community within their network of peers and friends.
With that being said there are many factors that go into an individuals understanding of what diversity means. As I am from a small rural community in Northern New York, the understanding of diversity is much different by the general population than what it would be in somewhere else (i.e. a larger metropolitan city). Where I come from, the population is above 90 percent Caucasian, English speaking, Christians. Speaking with one of my good friends here who is African American and is from the U.S. Virgin Islands mentioned that where he is from Caucasian is within the minority and African American,Afro-Caribbean, and Hispanics being the clear cut majority. This just adds perspective to the issue at hand. Diversity and its understanding is all situational and based on vastly different levels of background and understanding (or mis-understanding in some cases).
The last two days we focused on going through diversity training. As a group Team Green learned a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a team as a whole. We all come from vastly different experiences. We all have different backgrounds and upbringings. Some of us are from cities, some from rural areas, some of us are one religion, others are of a different religious belief, while others are spiritual but do not identify as being a particular religion. Some of us have vastly different exposure and experience with issues surrounding the LGBT community. While we all have had varying levels of difference and diversity in those aspects, we also have vastly different levels of exposure to other cultures and other beliefs than what they were brought up with. Even though we have all come from many different places and backgrounds we have all managed to come together and have worked so well together and are constantly learning from one another. It is truly inspirational working with this diverse group of people I am proud to call part of my Team Green family now.
I am extremely grateful that I pushed myself and I exposed myself to a vast number of diverse cultural, religions, and geographic experiences that allows me to be much more open-minded than what some people are that are from small communities. Lets work together to break stereotypes. An inspirational quote I took away from the day and a half of diversity training is as follows:
"Saying that you are color blind is not the right approach to go with, we need to understand that part of who a person is, revolves around their varying ethnic, demographic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds."
People are who they are today because of who they were in the past. Everyone learns from their past experiences and takes a little bit out of each life experience.
While I learned a great deal of material while in this training which included conflict management, meeting facilitation, becoming an ally, and so many more little things. The most important take away from this experience was not the material but the experience and the exposure to the astounding amount of courage was exhibited by so many people in this training. Even further than that, I feel as if I have so much greater of an understanding of everyone who I am lucky enough to work with over the course of the next 11 months. I also feel much more understanding of some of the pieces that go into this puzzle.
I have a much greater understanding of the great people that I am going to be working with over the course of the next 11 months. I'm so impressed with each and every person's willingness to try new things and open up to each other. We have come together to form a united front in Team Green! I look forward to what the future holds for us.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
What a Week!
Well last week was quite a week for all of us down here! We started off the week with a bang and learned a great deal about the campus we call home. Please take a look at my last post for that update. Tuesday was an incredibly long day for all of us, however it was completely worth it and necessary. We were able to really learn a lot more about what we're going to be doing over the course of the next 10 months. The person in charge of training for FEMA was our guest speaker / trainer for the day. She is one of the nicest and most down to earth people I've met so far. She put our role in FEMA much more into perspective for all of us as a result of this training. I now better understand where exactly we fit in now. Who know that FEMA was really not that large of an agency. I was able to really gain a better understanding of what it is we'll be doing and what positions I could aim for. Different teams of FEMA Corps members will have different specialties that focus on different areas of Natural Disaster response, recovery, education, and mitigation. I also understand my role as a Team Leader much more now. I understand that as a TL I will have a much more hands off job. I will be primarily responsible for maintaining administrative functions within my team and will not have a specific assigned FQS position as my members will have. With that being said when I am not concentrating on administrative tasks, I really can focus on learning as much as I can and making the most out of the time I spend with FEMA.
After the all day training on Tuesday with the FEMA contact, Wednesday was a little bit of a change in pace. Wednesday we focused on learning the policies and procedures that govern our Southern Region Campus within the NCCC community. Following that we learned about processes in place to help facilitate member development. Small pieces of time were also spent on learning what happens during transition periods (the period of approx a week between spikes [deployments]) and what specialty roles can be assigned to CM's while serving. After training, we spent about an hour getting ready to leave and then departed for Camp Shelby where we were to spend the night. We drove down there and spent the night at the military installation. It was certainly a new experience staying in military barracks.
The following morning (Thursday) we woke up bright and early to begin the Leadership Reactionary Course at Camp Shelby. The premise behind the Reactionary Course is to put leaders up to a challenge and test their leadership ability. There are specific tasks that have a military objective (makes sense as they are on most military bases :-)). Anyways I have linked here a YouTube video to show some examples of what the reactionary course is. It is not the exact one at Camp Shelby, but it is one similar. Reaction Course Link There is both a dry side and a wet side that tests one's leadership ability. Each separate element a different member of the group is put in charge to be briefed and come up with a plan and then execute the plan to achieve the end result of completing the task. It was a great learning experience and will help all of us in the future. It was absolutely exhausting doing this in the 90+ degree heat of the day, but was completely worth it in the end.
After the day out on the course was complete, we packed up in the 15p's and headed up to Jackson, MS for a traditional ropes course experience. Friday would begin very early for us. We were awake and started the course at a little after 7 am! We were able to build a little bit off of what we learned the previous day. Yay Fighting Mongooses, we Fight! That was the team name of the group of fellow TL's I worked with that day on the Ropes course. We even had our own chant we made. I got to rock climb for the first time. It felt great getting up to the top and looking down to see what I had just accomplished. Plenty of firsts for a lot of us here throughout the experience. We all opted to work right through lunch so that we could go out to lunch in Jackson! Goodness it was worth it! We went to a place called Two Sister's Kitchen for lunch. It was an all you can eat buffet of real southern food that included a dessert! Had some spectacular fried chicken, fried catfish, grits, mhmm so good! Best part was that dessert came with it. Got some wonderful bread pudding drizzled with chocolate and bourbon sauce! Best dessert I've had in a lot time. Two Sisters Kitchen We had the greatest view from our seats. It was a great view of the Mississippi State Capitol.
Following that we all finished up lunch and headed back home to Vicksburg. We were all exhausted and needed to wind down after a long week. I have really come to appreciate any down time we have. Well the weekend went by swimmingly and its time to go eat. Looking forward to what this next week has in store for us. Thursday is going to be the best as we'll be going up in Blackhawk Helicopters! I can not wait for this! It will be one of those experiences of a life time! Till next time...
After the all day training on Tuesday with the FEMA contact, Wednesday was a little bit of a change in pace. Wednesday we focused on learning the policies and procedures that govern our Southern Region Campus within the NCCC community. Following that we learned about processes in place to help facilitate member development. Small pieces of time were also spent on learning what happens during transition periods (the period of approx a week between spikes [deployments]) and what specialty roles can be assigned to CM's while serving. After training, we spent about an hour getting ready to leave and then departed for Camp Shelby where we were to spend the night. We drove down there and spent the night at the military installation. It was certainly a new experience staying in military barracks.
The following morning (Thursday) we woke up bright and early to begin the Leadership Reactionary Course at Camp Shelby. The premise behind the Reactionary Course is to put leaders up to a challenge and test their leadership ability. There are specific tasks that have a military objective (makes sense as they are on most military bases :-)). Anyways I have linked here a YouTube video to show some examples of what the reactionary course is. It is not the exact one at Camp Shelby, but it is one similar. Reaction Course Link There is both a dry side and a wet side that tests one's leadership ability. Each separate element a different member of the group is put in charge to be briefed and come up with a plan and then execute the plan to achieve the end result of completing the task. It was a great learning experience and will help all of us in the future. It was absolutely exhausting doing this in the 90+ degree heat of the day, but was completely worth it in the end.
After the day out on the course was complete, we packed up in the 15p's and headed up to Jackson, MS for a traditional ropes course experience. Friday would begin very early for us. We were awake and started the course at a little after 7 am! We were able to build a little bit off of what we learned the previous day. Yay Fighting Mongooses, we Fight! That was the team name of the group of fellow TL's I worked with that day on the Ropes course. We even had our own chant we made. I got to rock climb for the first time. It felt great getting up to the top and looking down to see what I had just accomplished. Plenty of firsts for a lot of us here throughout the experience. We all opted to work right through lunch so that we could go out to lunch in Jackson! Goodness it was worth it! We went to a place called Two Sister's Kitchen for lunch. It was an all you can eat buffet of real southern food that included a dessert! Had some spectacular fried chicken, fried catfish, grits, mhmm so good! Best part was that dessert came with it. Got some wonderful bread pudding drizzled with chocolate and bourbon sauce! Best dessert I've had in a lot time. Two Sisters Kitchen We had the greatest view from our seats. It was a great view of the Mississippi State Capitol.
Following that we all finished up lunch and headed back home to Vicksburg. We were all exhausted and needed to wind down after a long week. I have really come to appreciate any down time we have. Well the weekend went by swimmingly and its time to go eat. Looking forward to what this next week has in store for us. Thursday is going to be the best as we'll be going up in Blackhawk Helicopters! I can not wait for this! It will be one of those experiences of a life time! Till next time...
Monday, August 5, 2013
The Beginning of a Great Week!
So today was the beginning
of what I think is going to be a great week. Today started off with the
lovely surprise of not having PT until the evening so I was able to get an
extra two hours of sleep! Sleep is an important commodity around here!
The first session this morning was extremely interesting, as we were able to
learn about some of the rich history of the place that we call home for
the next eleven months. It turns out that the Southern Region campus sits
on the grounds of the Episcopal Church's All Saints School. The Episcopal diocese of the states of Mississippi , Arkansas , and Louisiana
The school opened in the early twentieth century as an all girls private faith based liberal arts prep college/high school. Well after its inception, in the 1970's the school became co-ed. In the 1960's the school did away with its college portion and just kept its status as a high school. This will be especially interesting to know for Ms. Evans :). Anyways the school ran as a private high school up until 2006 when enrollment hit a low of around 80 total students. At this point the Board of Directors decided to close its doors because they were no longer breaking even financially. Shortly thereafter this point in time it so happened that AmeriCorps was in the midst of searching for a new location to house its Southern Region Campus. Following the destruction cased by Hurricane Katrina in theMississippi and Louisiana Gulf
After learning a great deal this morning we switched into learning about the 'Pillars of Service' that have been adopted by the Southern Region. This activity just goes to show how diverse a group of people we have here and despite that we come together to do great things! I'm outstandingly impressed with the progress our group has made over the last past weeks. We will continue to understand each other and really become a homogeneous and well oiled Team Green! Also I cannot forget to mention that Team Green is now up to full strength! Woo go Team Green! Our final two TL's arrived today and they're already fitting in very easily. They're awesome and will have no problem adjusting to this new environment with so many great individuals surrounding them.
"I'm Sean and I need help." The next activity that we did directly affected many people despite the simplicity of it. The activity centered around helping each person understand the importance of asking for help and not just saying "nah I'm good I got this." We are Team Green we are the leaders and part of being a leader is to recognize when help is needed and in turn have an idea as to whom you should reach out to in order to obtain that help. By granting us a chance to practice to ask for help I feel it made everyone realize that we really are each others resources and that we need to know when to ask each other for help. Joseph one of the counselors on this campus is wonderful! His response when asked what the Team Leaders had in place as a support mechanism, he replied "they are their own support group." This is inherently true and we will come to understand this over the course of the next ten and a half months.
I was able to really get into my comfort zone today and participate and facilitate some adventure based learning activities. It's crazy to think how long it'd been since I've had the opportunity to do so but I was grateful to be given the chance and I was able to just slide right back into the mindset and it felt great. I will gladly be a resource to any fellow TL that comes to me and wants help.
By far though the coolest part of this day was a briefing of what is to come over the course of the next week. We will be traveling Wednesday night to Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center for the US Army National Guard and Reserves and also is known as a prime M1-Abrams tank training ground. We will be going through the Leadership Reactionary Course there that will test us and we will be evaluated and given feedback on how we can become better leaders. This will be challenging but rewarding. With every great learning experience comes a great challenge. After that we will be traveling back up to Jackson, MS to attend a Ropes Course that will allow us to come together as a team.
Last but certainly not least I found out that next week at some point in time the TL's will be split up into two groups and will be going up in Black Hawk Helicopters! This is going to be insane! We're going up to tour the Mississippi River Delta region as well as fly over the Tornado affected areas of Yazoo City and get as close as we can to a Nuclear Power Plant to also get an idea of the potential for a human created disaster that is very close to us here in Vicksburg. This is going to be an experience of a lifetime going up in not just a helicopter but a Black Hawk, one of the most well known and historical helicopters in military history. I cannot wait for what comes.
Well getting close to bed time, I've become an old man now and want go to bed by midnight each night. Will catch up with everyone again Friday.
The school opened in the early twentieth century as an all girls private faith based liberal arts prep college/high school. Well after its inception, in the 1970's the school became co-ed. In the 1960's the school did away with its college portion and just kept its status as a high school. This will be especially interesting to know for Ms. Evans :). Anyways the school ran as a private high school up until 2006 when enrollment hit a low of around 80 total students. At this point the Board of Directors decided to close its doors because they were no longer breaking even financially. Shortly thereafter this point in time it so happened that AmeriCorps was in the midst of searching for a new location to house its Southern Region Campus. Following the destruction cased by Hurricane Katrina in the
After learning a great deal this morning we switched into learning about the 'Pillars of Service' that have been adopted by the Southern Region. This activity just goes to show how diverse a group of people we have here and despite that we come together to do great things! I'm outstandingly impressed with the progress our group has made over the last past weeks. We will continue to understand each other and really become a homogeneous and well oiled Team Green! Also I cannot forget to mention that Team Green is now up to full strength! Woo go Team Green! Our final two TL's arrived today and they're already fitting in very easily. They're awesome and will have no problem adjusting to this new environment with so many great individuals surrounding them.
"I'm Sean and I need help." The next activity that we did directly affected many people despite the simplicity of it. The activity centered around helping each person understand the importance of asking for help and not just saying "nah I'm good I got this." We are Team Green we are the leaders and part of being a leader is to recognize when help is needed and in turn have an idea as to whom you should reach out to in order to obtain that help. By granting us a chance to practice to ask for help I feel it made everyone realize that we really are each others resources and that we need to know when to ask each other for help. Joseph one of the counselors on this campus is wonderful! His response when asked what the Team Leaders had in place as a support mechanism, he replied "they are their own support group." This is inherently true and we will come to understand this over the course of the next ten and a half months.
I was able to really get into my comfort zone today and participate and facilitate some adventure based learning activities. It's crazy to think how long it'd been since I've had the opportunity to do so but I was grateful to be given the chance and I was able to just slide right back into the mindset and it felt great. I will gladly be a resource to any fellow TL that comes to me and wants help.
By far though the coolest part of this day was a briefing of what is to come over the course of the next week. We will be traveling Wednesday night to Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center for the US Army National Guard and Reserves and also is known as a prime M1-Abrams tank training ground. We will be going through the Leadership Reactionary Course there that will test us and we will be evaluated and given feedback on how we can become better leaders. This will be challenging but rewarding. With every great learning experience comes a great challenge. After that we will be traveling back up to Jackson, MS to attend a Ropes Course that will allow us to come together as a team.
Last but certainly not least I found out that next week at some point in time the TL's will be split up into two groups and will be going up in Black Hawk Helicopters! This is going to be insane! We're going up to tour the Mississippi River Delta region as well as fly over the Tornado affected areas of Yazoo City and get as close as we can to a Nuclear Power Plant to also get an idea of the potential for a human created disaster that is very close to us here in Vicksburg. This is going to be an experience of a lifetime going up in not just a helicopter but a Black Hawk, one of the most well known and historical helicopters in military history. I cannot wait for what comes.
Well getting close to bed time, I've become an old man now and want go to bed by midnight each night. Will catch up with everyone again Friday.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Second Week Finished
Well we all successfully completed the 2nd week of TLT. We're half way done with the TLT training. I feel like the second part of this past week we all really came together as Team Green! On paper at first sight the training scheduled for Thursday and Friday did not seem like that much fun or that cool. After delving into the details though it ended up being one of the most important training sessions that we've had so far. It really allowed us to learn about one another and whom we will work best with under certain circumstances and who to go to for varying situations.
As a result of that we understand each others personalities much more than we had previously. I really am glad that it happened this way. The trainer we had was outstanding. Cole McMahon is a charismatic and engaging speaker that made a day and a half presentation much much better than it could have been.
Another thing I forgot to write about the other day was my first experience trying Alligator. It was surprisingly good. The saying "it tastes like chicken" really does apply to it except it tastes similar to chicken but ten times better! I also got to eat some good ole southern Cat Fish too! That's some good stuff dang!
Well the weekend is here now and it's time to relax and recoup for a bit in order to prepare for the busy week we have next week. Next week we should be learning what our final Teams and Units will be. We will have the assignment and will obviously have to wait to get the team members assigned to us part way through CTI. I'm ready to get out on the road. Its going to be a lot fun next week!
As a result of that we understand each others personalities much more than we had previously. I really am glad that it happened this way. The trainer we had was outstanding. Cole McMahon is a charismatic and engaging speaker that made a day and a half presentation much much better than it could have been.
Another thing I forgot to write about the other day was my first experience trying Alligator. It was surprisingly good. The saying "it tastes like chicken" really does apply to it except it tastes similar to chicken but ten times better! I also got to eat some good ole southern Cat Fish too! That's some good stuff dang!
Well the weekend is here now and it's time to relax and recoup for a bit in order to prepare for the busy week we have next week. Next week we should be learning what our final Teams and Units will be. We will have the assignment and will obviously have to wait to get the team members assigned to us part way through CTI. I'm ready to get out on the road. Its going to be a lot fun next week!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
What a Day!
Well today was a very long day for all of us FEMA TL's. Our day began with waking up before 5 am for our a little over 3 hour drive to Baton Rouge, LA. At 5:30 sharp-ish we departed for the FEMA Recovery Office to receive our 1-1-1 assignments. In other words we received our Blackberry Bold FEMA phones, our FEMA issued laptop (what a brick this thing is), and our encrypted key to access the FEMA DHS network for when we are working in the field.
Overall I think things went relatively smoothly especially for this being the first time this office has handled our issuance of equipment. There will be some things to learn from it however I'm sure the kinks will all be worked out for when we come back in a month to do the CM equipment issuing and ID card issuing. Today was the day I also got my official .gov email address! Movin' on up!
Today was the first of many long trips we'll be taking in the 15P vans. It was a lot of fun getting to chat with everyone and listen to some jams on our way down and back. I was also able to chat with Justin one of the awesome UL's we have on the way back. I was able to get a much better idea of what the different teams will be. I'm starting to hope that I am able to work hard and prove myself enough to be on one of the Fast Action teams that will go into disasters right away and provide Rapid Intervention. That would be awesome!
Today starts an interesting series of about seven days as the Traditional NCCC Corps began to arrive back to campus for their transition week (the week they have between SPIKES[deployments]). Campus is going to be packed! Also because we arrived back so late in the evening, the planned PT was cancelled and the UL's asked all of us to do some sort of PT between tonight and Thursday night to make up for it. A good crowd of us played basketball for a good hour to hour and 45 mins. Its great getting back to playing again and it's even better to be around a group of motivating people that get me back into the grove of things. Motivation is all many people need and this great group of people is what gives it to me!
The rest of the week should prove to be crucial training, as we're going to be receiving some training on supervisory skills and other skills that we'll have to apply on a daily basis. I'll update y'all when I have more time. I think it's time for early bed for me.
Overall I think things went relatively smoothly especially for this being the first time this office has handled our issuance of equipment. There will be some things to learn from it however I'm sure the kinks will all be worked out for when we come back in a month to do the CM equipment issuing and ID card issuing. Today was the day I also got my official .gov email address! Movin' on up!
Today was the first of many long trips we'll be taking in the 15P vans. It was a lot of fun getting to chat with everyone and listen to some jams on our way down and back. I was also able to chat with Justin one of the awesome UL's we have on the way back. I was able to get a much better idea of what the different teams will be. I'm starting to hope that I am able to work hard and prove myself enough to be on one of the Fast Action teams that will go into disasters right away and provide Rapid Intervention. That would be awesome!
Today starts an interesting series of about seven days as the Traditional NCCC Corps began to arrive back to campus for their transition week (the week they have between SPIKES[deployments]). Campus is going to be packed! Also because we arrived back so late in the evening, the planned PT was cancelled and the UL's asked all of us to do some sort of PT between tonight and Thursday night to make up for it. A good crowd of us played basketball for a good hour to hour and 45 mins. Its great getting back to playing again and it's even better to be around a group of motivating people that get me back into the grove of things. Motivation is all many people need and this great group of people is what gives it to me!
The rest of the week should prove to be crucial training, as we're going to be receiving some training on supervisory skills and other skills that we'll have to apply on a daily basis. I'll update y'all when I have more time. I think it's time for early bed for me.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Early Morning Tomorrow
Well its the night before we ship off between 5:30 and 5:45 for a day long trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the FEMA office to receive all of our government issued equipment (laptop computer and blackberry cell phone). This is going to be a long day as it's a 3 hour drive down there and then 3 hours back once we receive all of our equipment and briefings on said equipment while there.
The last two days were filled with peeing in a cup for the drug test and doing the rest of the health screening and other trainings. Yesterday and today we completed the driver's training regiment and I am not a certified 15P (15 passenger van) driver. Its important to listen to these trainings as everyone will be spending a lot of time on the road this year traveling to and from SPIKE locations.
It's also great to know that I'm getting in a lot better shape now from doing PT 3 times a week as well as doing various other physical activities with everyone on other days. For instance today a group of us played basketball in the gym (the 96 degree gym might I add). We played that for a good hour and a half and it felt great but we all looked pretty gross! Right after that we played a game of Ultimate Frisbee which is awesome. We were all beat from the basketball game so only managed a quick game. I'm excited to keep this up and get back into shape (or at least a shape other than round).
Checking out for now. More to come after I go through our travels tomorrow.
The last two days were filled with peeing in a cup for the drug test and doing the rest of the health screening and other trainings. Yesterday and today we completed the driver's training regiment and I am not a certified 15P (15 passenger van) driver. Its important to listen to these trainings as everyone will be spending a lot of time on the road this year traveling to and from SPIKE locations.
It's also great to know that I'm getting in a lot better shape now from doing PT 3 times a week as well as doing various other physical activities with everyone on other days. For instance today a group of us played basketball in the gym (the 96 degree gym might I add). We played that for a good hour and a half and it felt great but we all looked pretty gross! Right after that we played a game of Ultimate Frisbee which is awesome. We were all beat from the basketball game so only managed a quick game. I'm excited to keep this up and get back into shape (or at least a shape other than round).
Checking out for now. More to come after I go through our travels tomorrow.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Week 1 Done
Well I managed to survive the first week of NCCC FEMA Corps TLT (Team Leader Training). In FEMA fashion there are plenty of acronyms that everyone is going to have to get used to. Today's the first weekend of being on campus. The campus is rather quiet just being the TL's here. It's a great chance to relax and recharge batteries after a busy first few days here. I can only imagine what it's going to be like being here for full weeks at a time for the next few weeks.
Friday's 6 am PT baseline test did not go bad at all. I'm sore today from it but it's got me psyched to keep going and see what progress I can make over the course of the next 11 months. I was happy with what I finished with for the running, push-ups and sit-ups. It sure made the rest of the day seem much longer though. Despite that it was a great way to start the morning.
Today I've learned the importance of recharging your batteries and having a little personal time. We're going to be around our Teams and fellow TL's all the time during the week, so a little time to yourself feels great on the weekends. I was able to do the simple little things like do laundry and clean up my room and do the rest of the little bit of unpacking that I hadn't already completed. Eventually I'm going to have to make my way into town to WalMart to pick up a few items to make my living much more comfortable and grab some few little bits and pieces that I forgot to bring.
I already got my travel relocation bonus and then all of the reimbursements for mileage and my bag cost back. That came in the form of a government issued debit card. I'm really going to try not to spend that unless I have to. It's a pretty good chunk of money that I want to save up for emergencies. I should be receiving a pay check within the next week or two that will help to revive my bank account without having to use any of that debit card.
I'm really getting along well with everyone so far. Team Green is really going to be an important resource for one another and I think everyone's doing it right and bonding and getting to know each other. It's great to have such a tight group of people that are from such a diverse background. We have people from all over the country here. On a side note there's also a huge number of people here (both staff members and TL's) are from New York State!! That's pretty exciting. There's TL's from Rochester area and then Long Island and then New York City. Staff wise our region director is from Long Island and then one of the Assistant Directors lived in New York for a while and even lived in Watertown, NY working for the Watertown Daily Times! It's crazy to think about. Even crazier is the experience I had in one of the trainings yesterday. The woman in charge of that training session started off with asking if anyone was from NY. The 4 of us from NY raised our hands and it was my turn to share where I was from and I mentioned that I just graduated from SUNY Cortland. She came over gave me a big hug and said she graduated with my degree in teaching from Cortland back in '84. What a small world to know that little ole SUNY Cortland has such an outreach as far as Mississippi! Go Red Dragons!
Anyways everyone is trying to muster everyone together to go play a Softball game. Lets give it a try. I'll update y'all later when more happens.
Friday's 6 am PT baseline test did not go bad at all. I'm sore today from it but it's got me psyched to keep going and see what progress I can make over the course of the next 11 months. I was happy with what I finished with for the running, push-ups and sit-ups. It sure made the rest of the day seem much longer though. Despite that it was a great way to start the morning.
Today I've learned the importance of recharging your batteries and having a little personal time. We're going to be around our Teams and fellow TL's all the time during the week, so a little time to yourself feels great on the weekends. I was able to do the simple little things like do laundry and clean up my room and do the rest of the little bit of unpacking that I hadn't already completed. Eventually I'm going to have to make my way into town to WalMart to pick up a few items to make my living much more comfortable and grab some few little bits and pieces that I forgot to bring.
I already got my travel relocation bonus and then all of the reimbursements for mileage and my bag cost back. That came in the form of a government issued debit card. I'm really going to try not to spend that unless I have to. It's a pretty good chunk of money that I want to save up for emergencies. I should be receiving a pay check within the next week or two that will help to revive my bank account without having to use any of that debit card.
I'm really getting along well with everyone so far. Team Green is really going to be an important resource for one another and I think everyone's doing it right and bonding and getting to know each other. It's great to have such a tight group of people that are from such a diverse background. We have people from all over the country here. On a side note there's also a huge number of people here (both staff members and TL's) are from New York State!! That's pretty exciting. There's TL's from Rochester area and then Long Island and then New York City. Staff wise our region director is from Long Island and then one of the Assistant Directors lived in New York for a while and even lived in Watertown, NY working for the Watertown Daily Times! It's crazy to think about. Even crazier is the experience I had in one of the trainings yesterday. The woman in charge of that training session started off with asking if anyone was from NY. The 4 of us from NY raised our hands and it was my turn to share where I was from and I mentioned that I just graduated from SUNY Cortland. She came over gave me a big hug and said she graduated with my degree in teaching from Cortland back in '84. What a small world to know that little ole SUNY Cortland has such an outreach as far as Mississippi! Go Red Dragons!
Anyways everyone is trying to muster everyone together to go play a Softball game. Lets give it a try. I'll update y'all later when more happens.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Here Safe and Sound
Well everyone I got here to Vicksburg all safe and sound with only a few minor glitches. My traveling yesterday was an interesting experience for me. It's the first time that I'd ever had the misfortune of not getting to my connecting flight on time. I arrived to my connecting flight's gate and they wouldn't let me on my flight because they'd already given my seat away to someone else :(. But no worries I was able to get on the next flight about an hour later and I got to Jackson no problem and my luggage didn't even get lost! Winning!
My arrival to Vicksburg was quite interesting. I was met at the airport by an entourage of people all headed the same place and got to take my first ride on a 15 passenger van! (The first of what I am guessing are many more to come.) We took our just about an hour drive to Vicksburg in the van without a hitch. Got to meet some great people already! It's quite the diverse group of people that I met even on the van ride back with 6 TL's (short for Team Leader [be ready for a lot of acronyms because the Federal Government loves them]). The group in the van alone was myself with individuals from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington State, North Carolina, Michigan, and New Jersey. It's wonderful that I can meet so many people already!
When I got to campus it was quick in and drop off my stuff and have some dinner! FEMA Corps Style dinner of pasta and sauce self serve. As soon as I got done eating I was able to get my key to my room and bring all my stuff up and get unpacked and moved in. Below is an image of what I first saw arriving to campus. Can you say traditional Southern building!?
I started training today. It was the first of about a month of training. Luckily we have the weekends off to do as we please for the most part. Today was filled with in processing and getting uniforms that we have to wear every day while training or in the office and some training. We also began to learn some of the million acronyms that we will end up needing to know throughout the year. UL, STL, TL, CM, PCR, and many many more to come. Eventually I will update ya'll with a complete list of what they are. I am as expected inevitably going to pick up some of the southern accent.
I got to venture into downtown Vicksburg for the first time today and went for dinner at the Southern Mississippi River Museum and meet some locals. The Southern hospitality as they call it was clearly evident and I look forward to my time here in the city. It's very different from any of the cities i've ever been to. I look forward to going out and exploring this weekend and seeing a Jazz band perform (for free!!).
Well I've summed up most of what I've done the last few days and I need to get up early tomorrow. 5:45 a.m. comes very early! Tomorrow morning we are doing our Baseline PT to see where we start out at for the year and start to set goals for ourselves. We have to run 1.5 miles in the quickest time that we can and then also do as many push ups as we can within a minutes time and then as many sit-ups in a minutes time as we can. This ought to be interesting as I haven't run in a very long time. Everyone wish me luck. I'll update everyone more once I have time this weekend. I also learned an important term: FEMA Flexible. I'm going to come to really embody this term as things change all the time.
My arrival to Vicksburg was quite interesting. I was met at the airport by an entourage of people all headed the same place and got to take my first ride on a 15 passenger van! (The first of what I am guessing are many more to come.) We took our just about an hour drive to Vicksburg in the van without a hitch. Got to meet some great people already! It's quite the diverse group of people that I met even on the van ride back with 6 TL's (short for Team Leader [be ready for a lot of acronyms because the Federal Government loves them]). The group in the van alone was myself with individuals from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington State, North Carolina, Michigan, and New Jersey. It's wonderful that I can meet so many people already!
When I got to campus it was quick in and drop off my stuff and have some dinner! FEMA Corps Style dinner of pasta and sauce self serve. As soon as I got done eating I was able to get my key to my room and bring all my stuff up and get unpacked and moved in. Below is an image of what I first saw arriving to campus. Can you say traditional Southern building!?
I started training today. It was the first of about a month of training. Luckily we have the weekends off to do as we please for the most part. Today was filled with in processing and getting uniforms that we have to wear every day while training or in the office and some training. We also began to learn some of the million acronyms that we will end up needing to know throughout the year. UL, STL, TL, CM, PCR, and many many more to come. Eventually I will update ya'll with a complete list of what they are. I am as expected inevitably going to pick up some of the southern accent.
I got to venture into downtown Vicksburg for the first time today and went for dinner at the Southern Mississippi River Museum and meet some locals. The Southern hospitality as they call it was clearly evident and I look forward to my time here in the city. It's very different from any of the cities i've ever been to. I look forward to going out and exploring this weekend and seeing a Jazz band perform (for free!!).
Well I've summed up most of what I've done the last few days and I need to get up early tomorrow. 5:45 a.m. comes very early! Tomorrow morning we are doing our Baseline PT to see where we start out at for the year and start to set goals for ourselves. We have to run 1.5 miles in the quickest time that we can and then also do as many push ups as we can within a minutes time and then as many sit-ups in a minutes time as we can. This ought to be interesting as I haven't run in a very long time. Everyone wish me luck. I'll update everyone more once I have time this weekend. I also learned an important term: FEMA Flexible. I'm going to come to really embody this term as things change all the time.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Less than 24 Hours to go
Well I am on my final day at home. Its been an interesting last few days for me. Yesterday I put my vehicle into storage it was a sad sad day. It's going to be weird not having my own vehicle for the next 11 months. I'm really not going to miss having to pay for gas. (It's all the way up to $3.93 a gallon here!) I also spent a great deal of time with friends doing what typical 21+ year olds do. It was great to spend time with my best friends before I leave. I also got to go golfing a few times with my dad before I leave. He made sure to remind me to look for new golf clubs while down south.
I am all packed or well 99.9 percent packed with the exception of the last minute things I pack in the morning. I am getting excited. I cannot wait for this adventure to begin tomorrow. Today I'm picking up a few last minute things before leaving, and I have to turn in my pager for my EMS agency as it doesn't make any sense for me to have one when i'm going to be out of state for the next 5 months. I also am going to go out to lunch with my mom.
Back tracking a little, I worked my last EMS shift/call on Saturday. That was bittersweet. I am so very fortunate to have such a great group of people to work alongside of at LCSR. Continue to do great things guys! I'm certainly going to miss running EMS calls. I hope that I get the chance while traveling out of state to do some ride time on some different ambulances to keep my skills up.
As I sit here writing this my dog Homer (an English Springer Spaniel) is laying next to me on the floor. I'm really going to miss him just about as much as i'm going to miss friends and family. He's a good and faithful boy.
Anyways I have to head out now to shower and get ready to go to the store and to lunch with my mom. Except more posts in the coming days as I will be trying to keep everyone updated.
I am all packed or well 99.9 percent packed with the exception of the last minute things I pack in the morning. I am getting excited. I cannot wait for this adventure to begin tomorrow. Today I'm picking up a few last minute things before leaving, and I have to turn in my pager for my EMS agency as it doesn't make any sense for me to have one when i'm going to be out of state for the next 5 months. I also am going to go out to lunch with my mom.
Back tracking a little, I worked my last EMS shift/call on Saturday. That was bittersweet. I am so very fortunate to have such a great group of people to work alongside of at LCSR. Continue to do great things guys! I'm certainly going to miss running EMS calls. I hope that I get the chance while traveling out of state to do some ride time on some different ambulances to keep my skills up.
As I sit here writing this my dog Homer (an English Springer Spaniel) is laying next to me on the floor. I'm really going to miss him just about as much as i'm going to miss friends and family. He's a good and faithful boy.
Anyways I have to head out now to shower and get ready to go to the store and to lunch with my mom. Except more posts in the coming days as I will be trying to keep everyone updated.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
T-minus 14 days
Well everyone I'm only 14 days from beginning my big adventure. Right now i'm up at a summer camp working as an EMT. I was fortunate enough to pick up this gig till I leave making good money for being in the woods and relaxing. I've begun my packing process and today I learned that I have a very small space to keep my belongings when i go to Mississippi. I knew that when I'm on SPIKE (the deployments to the lay person) that I will only have a small red bag. One thing I did not realize was that I have more or less a trunk that's fairly small to keep the rest of my belongings in while away from main campus. I'm really going to have to rethink my packing process now. It's going to really be a challenge and I'm going to hope I get everything in place soon.
The next 14 days will be filled with seeing friends and family as well as relaxing and also working some last shifts as an EMT for quite some time. Its a very bitter sweet position I'm in. While I'm excited for the new experience, I'm also going to miss all my friends and family. I've already had my membership status changed from full member to associate member of my EMS agency while will allow me to remain a member despite being out of state.
These next 2 weeks are going to go very quickly and before I know it i'll be in Mississippi! Wooo!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
T-minus one month till move in day in Vicksburg, Mississippi! I'm getting very excited to be there and be a Team Leader for the NCCC FEMA Corps Class 20 in the Southern Region!
The Team Leaders had our first conference call the other day and a lot of great information was given to us. I feel much better about knowing what to expect in the weeks and days ahead of me in anticipation and preparation for moving down there. We were introduced to many of the head honchos of the Southern Region campus. I heard a ton of names and positions in a quick period of time so i'm certain that I will have to be reminded when I get down there.
Another huge help in getting ready is the Facebook groups that have been put together to get all of us talking and getting to know one another. The connections are already forming and I've already begun to get to know a few different people within the Team Leader network. As they stressed in the conference call, Team Green is an important team and we need to stay united and be a resource for one another.
The transition period between graduating college and moving down south is a fairly monotonous one for me as there is only so much you can do. It has not really allowed me to have a steady job prior to moving because I realized from the get go that no one would hire me for only a month or two. I have been fortunate enough to keep busy working here and there on the dairy farm that I've worked on since I was 14 and then been doing odd jobs here and there. My EMS volunteering has really kept me busy so far as well. I hope that I can continue to use my skills as an EMT once I begin my time with FEMA.
I really have a feeling that these next few weeks are going to fly by! I have a trip planned to visit friends on Long Island for next week that will pass a lot of time with many fun activities. Even better I get to go and see my first ever New York Yankees game. Now for those of you who don't know New York State, just because I say I'm from New York doesn't mean i'm within a quick drive of 'the City'. In fact its about a 6 hour drive for me to get down there (yes there's more to NY than The City). After I return from this trip I hope to spend some time with close friends and family and then do some last minute preparing and then some EMS shifts.
I hope to receive my travel itinerary within the next week or so that will allow me to finalize my departure plans. Thanks to the 'FEMA Corps Style' video on Youtube I got a much better idea of what items I need to bring with me. I'm going to pack pretty light and see what happens. I'm going to be on the road for most of the next 10 months so who wants to have a ton of stuff! I'm getting pretty pumped and can hardly believe that I will be saying good bye to New York for at least 5 months (hopefully pending no disasters happen here -- which of course I hope that doesn't happen).
Well that's all for now I guess, and this may be the last positing until the week or so before I move in. I've got my fingers crossed for my travel info and I can't wait to be down there and see how it is to live in the "deep south".
The Team Leaders had our first conference call the other day and a lot of great information was given to us. I feel much better about knowing what to expect in the weeks and days ahead of me in anticipation and preparation for moving down there. We were introduced to many of the head honchos of the Southern Region campus. I heard a ton of names and positions in a quick period of time so i'm certain that I will have to be reminded when I get down there.
Another huge help in getting ready is the Facebook groups that have been put together to get all of us talking and getting to know one another. The connections are already forming and I've already begun to get to know a few different people within the Team Leader network. As they stressed in the conference call, Team Green is an important team and we need to stay united and be a resource for one another.
The transition period between graduating college and moving down south is a fairly monotonous one for me as there is only so much you can do. It has not really allowed me to have a steady job prior to moving because I realized from the get go that no one would hire me for only a month or two. I have been fortunate enough to keep busy working here and there on the dairy farm that I've worked on since I was 14 and then been doing odd jobs here and there. My EMS volunteering has really kept me busy so far as well. I hope that I can continue to use my skills as an EMT once I begin my time with FEMA.
I really have a feeling that these next few weeks are going to fly by! I have a trip planned to visit friends on Long Island for next week that will pass a lot of time with many fun activities. Even better I get to go and see my first ever New York Yankees game. Now for those of you who don't know New York State, just because I say I'm from New York doesn't mean i'm within a quick drive of 'the City'. In fact its about a 6 hour drive for me to get down there (yes there's more to NY than The City). After I return from this trip I hope to spend some time with close friends and family and then do some last minute preparing and then some EMS shifts.
I hope to receive my travel itinerary within the next week or so that will allow me to finalize my departure plans. Thanks to the 'FEMA Corps Style' video on Youtube I got a much better idea of what items I need to bring with me. I'm going to pack pretty light and see what happens. I'm going to be on the road for most of the next 10 months so who wants to have a ton of stuff! I'm getting pretty pumped and can hardly believe that I will be saying good bye to New York for at least 5 months (hopefully pending no disasters happen here -- which of course I hope that doesn't happen).
Well that's all for now I guess, and this may be the last positing until the week or so before I move in. I've got my fingers crossed for my travel info and I can't wait to be down there and see how it is to live in the "deep south".
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Getting Amped
Hey All,
It's starting to get very close to the time when I move to Mississippi. I know I am getting started with this pretty late, however I didn't think to start doing this until well after I had been hired as an FEMA Team Leader for the Southern Region AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps.
To catch everyone up on the events over the past few months, I discovered there was a posting on the AmeriCorps website advertising for the FEMA Corps which would be an entity of AmeriCorps that works directly with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in responding to natural disasters all over the country when called upon. I also discovered that if hired I would be part of the 2nd class of FEMA Corps members. I figured that this sounded like a tremendous opportunity for me, as I want to get into Emergency Management and Disaster planning, education, and recovery at some point in the future. What better way to gain real world experience than to work hand in hand with FEMA.
I decided that this was a perfect opportunity for me and I decided to go for it. I applied and checked the box "willing to be considered for a job anywhere in the US". That is when it began. Soon thereafter I was contacted to interview for the Team Leader position for the Atlantic Region based in Baltimore, Maryland and then the Southern Region based in Vicksburg, Mississippi (I have to sometimes use the old elementary spelling techinque to get it right or well at first I did). When interviewing I had no idea that I would come to be considered and then be offered jobs in both places. I was told in the beginning of April that I was being offered a position in both places and that I had all of about five days to decide which position I wanted. I very quickly decided, after learning that travel costs were covered, that I wanted to move to the South to begin a very new experience for myself. So then it was decided, I would be moving to Vicksburg, MS in July for 11 months of my life, what a huge life decision.
I come from a small town with a population of approximately 800 residents in the village as of the 2010 US Census. To put things into perspective, I graduated high school with a class of 47. Many of those from this small town of Copenhagen, New York believe that no one from this small town could ever go places nor could anyone ever 'make it big'. This small town is a wonderful place that I call my home and there are many great people here, however it does not hurt for many of the youth to see that it is possible to 'make it big' and to get out of the tri-county area to discover what the world has to offer.
Now it is June already and about a month from my departure date from rural Northern New York. I am extremely excited to have this chance to travel throughout the United States helping others. My love for volunteering stem from a few experiences that took place years ago in Northern New York. Through this job as an AmeriCorps FEMA Team Leader, I will be given the opportunity to travel around the United States helping those who are the most in need, that is those that have just been devestated by some form of natural disaster.
I guess I can start the count now, it is approximately 40 days until I travel to Mississippi to start this adventure. I am starting to really stress over putting everything together before I leave. I have begun to really piece together what will be expected of me and what I will be doing for the next year of my life. How exciting though! I should be expecting the announcement of a conference call with the rest of the Team Leaders and the Unit Supervisors within the next few days.
From what I know, as a Team Leader I will be working alongside my team of 8-12 other 18-24 year olds. My job description spreads broadly from a mentor, to an RA, to a counselor, and even to a friend when need be.
I'm also very grateful for the time I spent as an AmeriCorps Volunteer at the Cortland City Youth Bureau. It taught me a lot about myself and I really think it helped prepare me for what lies ahead of me in some ways. That in itself was a great experience and I had so much fun!
I am excited and am sure there will be much more to come over the coming year.
It's starting to get very close to the time when I move to Mississippi. I know I am getting started with this pretty late, however I didn't think to start doing this until well after I had been hired as an FEMA Team Leader for the Southern Region AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps.
To catch everyone up on the events over the past few months, I discovered there was a posting on the AmeriCorps website advertising for the FEMA Corps which would be an entity of AmeriCorps that works directly with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in responding to natural disasters all over the country when called upon. I also discovered that if hired I would be part of the 2nd class of FEMA Corps members. I figured that this sounded like a tremendous opportunity for me, as I want to get into Emergency Management and Disaster planning, education, and recovery at some point in the future. What better way to gain real world experience than to work hand in hand with FEMA.
I decided that this was a perfect opportunity for me and I decided to go for it. I applied and checked the box "willing to be considered for a job anywhere in the US". That is when it began. Soon thereafter I was contacted to interview for the Team Leader position for the Atlantic Region based in Baltimore, Maryland and then the Southern Region based in Vicksburg, Mississippi (I have to sometimes use the old elementary spelling techinque to get it right or well at first I did). When interviewing I had no idea that I would come to be considered and then be offered jobs in both places. I was told in the beginning of April that I was being offered a position in both places and that I had all of about five days to decide which position I wanted. I very quickly decided, after learning that travel costs were covered, that I wanted to move to the South to begin a very new experience for myself. So then it was decided, I would be moving to Vicksburg, MS in July for 11 months of my life, what a huge life decision.
I come from a small town with a population of approximately 800 residents in the village as of the 2010 US Census. To put things into perspective, I graduated high school with a class of 47. Many of those from this small town of Copenhagen, New York believe that no one from this small town could ever go places nor could anyone ever 'make it big'. This small town is a wonderful place that I call my home and there are many great people here, however it does not hurt for many of the youth to see that it is possible to 'make it big' and to get out of the tri-county area to discover what the world has to offer.
Now it is June already and about a month from my departure date from rural Northern New York. I am extremely excited to have this chance to travel throughout the United States helping others. My love for volunteering stem from a few experiences that took place years ago in Northern New York. Through this job as an AmeriCorps FEMA Team Leader, I will be given the opportunity to travel around the United States helping those who are the most in need, that is those that have just been devestated by some form of natural disaster.
I guess I can start the count now, it is approximately 40 days until I travel to Mississippi to start this adventure. I am starting to really stress over putting everything together before I leave. I have begun to really piece together what will be expected of me and what I will be doing for the next year of my life. How exciting though! I should be expecting the announcement of a conference call with the rest of the Team Leaders and the Unit Supervisors within the next few days.
From what I know, as a Team Leader I will be working alongside my team of 8-12 other 18-24 year olds. My job description spreads broadly from a mentor, to an RA, to a counselor, and even to a friend when need be.
I'm also very grateful for the time I spent as an AmeriCorps Volunteer at the Cortland City Youth Bureau. It taught me a lot about myself and I really think it helped prepare me for what lies ahead of me in some ways. That in itself was a great experience and I had so much fun!
I am excited and am sure there will be much more to come over the coming year.
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