AmeriCorps loves acronyms and AmeriLingo, so I figured it'd be a good time to introduce a few vocabulary words on here so as to reduce confusion when I use them later. You might even get to learn a bit more about the program along the way. Let's play some Jeopardy:
NCCC - National Civilian Community Corps
What is 'What I'll be part of for the next 10 months?' (See also: What is an amazing national government-funded service program which engages youth from around the nation in a range of service projects after training them at five regional campuses?)
CTI - Corps Training Institute
What is the part of NCCC in which members learn about power tools, get CPR certified (for the 7 millionth time, in some cases), and get to know each other for a month in Perry Point before heading out for their first projects?
TL - Team Leader
Who is the person who leads a team of eight to twelve 18- to 24-year-old Corps members on our projects (and also dresses in green rather than Corps member grey for differentiation purposes)?
PT - Physical Training
What is the mandatory three-times-per-week fitness training that members do throughout their term of service, beginning with 6 AM trainings at the Point during CTI?
Spike
What is any project more than 60 miles from the base (e.g. Perry Point), for which project members will live near the site rather than staying at the base? (Most NCCC projects are spikes, though teams often have one project near their base for which they live on campus.)
In-processing
What takes place the first days CTI during which members hand in paperwork, receive the uniforms which will always be worn during service (and which will have their own lesson, 'How To Wear Your Uniform Properly' or such, at the start of training), and generally start getting sorted out at the Point?
ISP - Independent Service Project
What is the name of the 80+ hours of voluntary public service Corps members do beyond the 1,700 hours of service performed through spikes and in the course of the structured team activities?
Wow, you sure are NCCC-wise if you got all of those. If not, keep following along and you'll start getting the hang of all these new terms. You might even get to see pictures of me in my cool new uniform in a few weeks.
In other news, I got my travel arrangements yesterday, which is quite exciting. AmeriCorps books all travel for members (unless we choose to arrange it ourself), paying government rates to get us down to the Point. I like this, as not having a paying job works better when your non-paying job (I do get a living stipend, which is much appreciated) is willing to fly you to your first day. When is my flight, you ask? It's at the lovely hour of 6:35 AM ten days from now. It's also out of Logan (in Boston), two hours from here. I'm already planning to spend the night before out in Boston so I don't start my first day of in-processing by waking up at 2 AM for a 2-hour drive. I am very happy about the early flight, though, because it means I'll be on the early end arriving in Baltimore (the flight is well under two hours) to meet some of our TLs and hop in a van to the Point. I've been waiting long enough for February 8th to arrive that it'll be nice to have it start on an early note.
That's all for now - happy tidings to you!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Why service?
According to Kurt Hahn, there are four essential pillars to life. Who is this Hahn guy to decide how we should live? Kurt Hahn was the founder of Outward Bound; these pillars have become the central tenets around which the program takes form.
The four pillars of Kurt Hahn (as adopted by Outward Bound): physical fitness, self-reliance, craftsmanship, and above all compassion.
- Physical fitness: We should be in such shape that we are able to take on the challenges we face and push forward to face new, greater challenges as we help shape a better world. In AmeriCorps, it'll take strength and endurance to clear trails, put up walls, or work long days at disaster sites.
- Self-reliance: Whether transforming a patch of trees into a home for solo or expressing our needs and goals with confidence, we should learn to trust and utilize our personal skills and capabilities as we move forward in life. In AC, we'll each need to bring to our team a confidence in our own abilities and strengths as we work together to get things done.
- Craftsmanship: We should pay attention to detail as we clean gear for others, put care into the work we do, and take the time to get a job right. Applied to AmeriCorps, this is about taking the time to build a house right rather than rushing through it; pay it forward to the future residents with your care and energy.
- Compassion (above all): This was Kurt Hahn's big one. We must, above all else, show compassion for others. We should take the time to lend a helping hand, open doors or help with street crossings, offer support in times of need and even in times of want, because that's what life really comes down to when all's told. In NCCC, I'll get phenomenal opportunities to work with and within communities to get things done here in our nation. Pretty cool.
In other news, service is also quite frequently tons of fun. Conservation can involve trips to wildlife and wetland areas, meeting new people and learning about plants, poison, and kangaroos. When building houses, you get to spend hours playing with hammers and nails, priming and painting, and measuring stuff. In NCCC, we'll even get to play with - ahem, work with - power tools. Coaching is great, too; if nothing else, I'll never be lacking an excuse not to swim again.
Coaching is, of course, the primary recipient of my time before I fly down to Maryland in twelve days. Well, I suppose sleeping does surpass it, but I do spend four-plus hours to, from, and at practice each day. High school boys are... high school boys. They can always invent a reason (or two conflicting reasons) why they can't be doing that set at that moment, love to proclaim their superiority in every area, and ultimately get the workout done (sometimes) and bring energy and excitement to a day (always).
Other than coaching, I've been getting my health appointments squared away before I head out of town until November, preparing to paint, my mom's living room, and continuing to cross things off my rarely-ending to-do list. Tonight, I got a new netbook, which was very exciting. I'll be passing my college-years laptop on to my mother in two weeks and taking my fun new (very lightweight) gadget with me down to the Point. It already has word processing and internet, so I'll be set to roll once I confirm that I can deal with photos easily. Advantages of bringing a netbook rather than my laptop include travelling lightweight, going minimalist for a short while (all I specifically foresee using my computer for are staying in touch online, writing, and downloading photos), and being a part of my mom's conversion to Macs. Another plus: its battery life is about 9 hours unplugged, about 7.5 hours longer than that of my laptop. Yay technology.
Okay, I'm off to read then sleep. I've got another busy day tomorrow with a physical at the doctor (plus collection of my current immunization record to add to my collection of mandatory forms for in-processing at the Point), lunch with Dad, and a full afternoon coaching. I may even get to sleep at a more reasonable hour with no State of the Union to watch. Apparently, the Union, by the way, is doing better now than it was and will continue to do even better. Since presidents seem to tend to think (or at least are fairly obligated to say) that they're making America a better place and plan to continue doing so, this seems a pretty standard prognosis. Obama, however, sure is a wonderful orator and says it better than most.
That's enough for now - enjoy your wintery week!
The four pillars of Kurt Hahn (as adopted by Outward Bound): physical fitness, self-reliance, craftsmanship, and above all compassion.
- Physical fitness: We should be in such shape that we are able to take on the challenges we face and push forward to face new, greater challenges as we help shape a better world. In AmeriCorps, it'll take strength and endurance to clear trails, put up walls, or work long days at disaster sites.
- Self-reliance: Whether transforming a patch of trees into a home for solo or expressing our needs and goals with confidence, we should learn to trust and utilize our personal skills and capabilities as we move forward in life. In AC, we'll each need to bring to our team a confidence in our own abilities and strengths as we work together to get things done.
- Craftsmanship: We should pay attention to detail as we clean gear for others, put care into the work we do, and take the time to get a job right. Applied to AmeriCorps, this is about taking the time to build a house right rather than rushing through it; pay it forward to the future residents with your care and energy.
- Compassion (above all): This was Kurt Hahn's big one. We must, above all else, show compassion for others. We should take the time to lend a helping hand, open doors or help with street crossings, offer support in times of need and even in times of want, because that's what life really comes down to when all's told. In NCCC, I'll get phenomenal opportunities to work with and within communities to get things done here in our nation. Pretty cool.
In other news, service is also quite frequently tons of fun. Conservation can involve trips to wildlife and wetland areas, meeting new people and learning about plants, poison, and kangaroos. When building houses, you get to spend hours playing with hammers and nails, priming and painting, and measuring stuff. In NCCC, we'll even get to play with - ahem, work with - power tools. Coaching is great, too; if nothing else, I'll never be lacking an excuse not to swim again.
Coaching is, of course, the primary recipient of my time before I fly down to Maryland in twelve days. Well, I suppose sleeping does surpass it, but I do spend four-plus hours to, from, and at practice each day. High school boys are... high school boys. They can always invent a reason (or two conflicting reasons) why they can't be doing that set at that moment, love to proclaim their superiority in every area, and ultimately get the workout done (sometimes) and bring energy and excitement to a day (always).
Other than coaching, I've been getting my health appointments squared away before I head out of town until November, preparing to paint, my mom's living room, and continuing to cross things off my rarely-ending to-do list. Tonight, I got a new netbook, which was very exciting. I'll be passing my college-years laptop on to my mother in two weeks and taking my fun new (very lightweight) gadget with me down to the Point. It already has word processing and internet, so I'll be set to roll once I confirm that I can deal with photos easily. Advantages of bringing a netbook rather than my laptop include travelling lightweight, going minimalist for a short while (all I specifically foresee using my computer for are staying in touch online, writing, and downloading photos), and being a part of my mom's conversion to Macs. Another plus: its battery life is about 9 hours unplugged, about 7.5 hours longer than that of my laptop. Yay technology.
Okay, I'm off to read then sleep. I've got another busy day tomorrow with a physical at the doctor (plus collection of my current immunization record to add to my collection of mandatory forms for in-processing at the Point), lunch with Dad, and a full afternoon coaching. I may even get to sleep at a more reasonable hour with no State of the Union to watch. Apparently, the Union, by the way, is doing better now than it was and will continue to do even better. Since presidents seem to tend to think (or at least are fairly obligated to say) that they're making America a better place and plan to continue doing so, this seems a pretty standard prognosis. Obama, however, sure is a wonderful orator and says it better than most.
That's enough for now - enjoy your wintery week!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
T minus two weeks
My flight to Maryland will most likely be two weeks from yesterday - fun times! I say "most likely" because AmeriCorps arranges my travel, which is quite nice. It's booked at the government rate then paid for under program expenses. Participants simply complete our travel forms promptly then send them in to Perry Point.
Speaking of paperwork, all has gone quite smoothly thus far. AmeriCorps is big on getting things done within ten business days. By that, I mean that each step of the paperwork - from pre-interview fingerprints to the acceptance agreement to the travel and local media forms in the welcome packet - must be returned within ten business days or you'll be dropped from the program. Fortunately, they're quite understanding if you need an extension as long as you ask for it. When I was in Argentina, for example, my mom called and requested an extension on the acceptance form since I knew it'd arrive while I was gone and be due about the time I returned to the US. I was granted an extra week, which gave me just enough time to submit upon my return. What I like is the level of maturity this expects of participants: if you care enough, you'll get it done. All my fellow Corps members at Perry Point will also have gotten their paperwork in, all three rounds of it.
Speaking of AmeriCorps, it's fun to tell people about this amazing program I'll be doing. I spoke to the dental hygienist about it today and she wrote down the name for her 22-year-old son. I look forward to being able to pass on information about NCCC to my former high school (excellent potential gap year experience) and perhaps even university once I've finished my year of service. It's one of those cool things that exists but many people haven't heard of and I enjoy being able to help spread the service spark.
Packing has gone well thus far. There's no rush to get everything together yet, but I've confirmed that I'll be able to fit everything without shipping my bedding (which many people do and/or recommend). It looks from Facebook as though a large number of fall participants heading to Denver had two suitcases and a regular carry-on - my goal is one plus my backpack. This might have been near-impossible before a semester abroad then two weeks with Outward Bound, but I might finally have broken some of my attachment to 'stuff' in the past seven months and I'll hopefully be able to bring everything I need in a fairly minimalist fashion. That would be nice.
As for what else to expect, I should be getting a Member Handbook in the mail within the next couple of days. Like the Staff Handbook at camp, this goes to training with us so we can use it to help learn policies, procedures, etc. Fun times. Though I already read it twice online early in the application process, it'll be nice to have my own official copy. One only hopes it isn't sent with a fourth round of within-ten-days paperwork. It does, however, seem a bit late for that.
While I wait for my handbook, I can continue to gather the paperwork required for our first day at the Point. I already have my license, passport copy, and such, but I'll need to order and print a driving record plus track down my high school diploma or order a Brown transcript. So exciting, I know.
Stay warm!
Speaking of paperwork, all has gone quite smoothly thus far. AmeriCorps is big on getting things done within ten business days. By that, I mean that each step of the paperwork - from pre-interview fingerprints to the acceptance agreement to the travel and local media forms in the welcome packet - must be returned within ten business days or you'll be dropped from the program. Fortunately, they're quite understanding if you need an extension as long as you ask for it. When I was in Argentina, for example, my mom called and requested an extension on the acceptance form since I knew it'd arrive while I was gone and be due about the time I returned to the US. I was granted an extra week, which gave me just enough time to submit upon my return. What I like is the level of maturity this expects of participants: if you care enough, you'll get it done. All my fellow Corps members at Perry Point will also have gotten their paperwork in, all three rounds of it.
Speaking of AmeriCorps, it's fun to tell people about this amazing program I'll be doing. I spoke to the dental hygienist about it today and she wrote down the name for her 22-year-old son. I look forward to being able to pass on information about NCCC to my former high school (excellent potential gap year experience) and perhaps even university once I've finished my year of service. It's one of those cool things that exists but many people haven't heard of and I enjoy being able to help spread the service spark.
Packing has gone well thus far. There's no rush to get everything together yet, but I've confirmed that I'll be able to fit everything without shipping my bedding (which many people do and/or recommend). It looks from Facebook as though a large number of fall participants heading to Denver had two suitcases and a regular carry-on - my goal is one plus my backpack. This might have been near-impossible before a semester abroad then two weeks with Outward Bound, but I might finally have broken some of my attachment to 'stuff' in the past seven months and I'll hopefully be able to bring everything I need in a fairly minimalist fashion. That would be nice.
As for what else to expect, I should be getting a Member Handbook in the mail within the next couple of days. Like the Staff Handbook at camp, this goes to training with us so we can use it to help learn policies, procedures, etc. Fun times. Though I already read it twice online early in the application process, it'll be nice to have my own official copy. One only hopes it isn't sent with a fourth round of within-ten-days paperwork. It does, however, seem a bit late for that.
While I wait for my handbook, I can continue to gather the paperwork required for our first day at the Point. I already have my license, passport copy, and such, but I'll need to order and print a driving record plus track down my high school diploma or order a Brown transcript. So exciting, I know.
Stay warm!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Lessons from the Andes
I spent the first two weeks of 2010 wandering through the Andes. Through the Andes? Yes, I flew down to Argentina for two weeks of backpacking and service with Outward Bound Patagonia. I spent New Year's Eve with the other six members of my fabulous crew (Maggie, Ariel, Ben, Drew, Henry, and Nate) and our two wonderful leaders (Jimbo and Wanda) sitting on logs on a rainy summer evening eating chocolate and making our new year's resolutions. During the days, we did some service and hiked a ton of stuff.
I learned many lessons on the trail and I figured now would be a good time to record a few. Should the Appalachian Trail be in my future, it'd be good to remember a bit from Patagonia.
- Singing makes hiking up things more pleasant. It's not that hiking up the side of a mountain isn't always wondrously fun, but sometimes musical accompaniment diminishes any frustration that may be incurred by huge patches of bamboo.
- Eat well. Our bodies need lots and lots of food when we hike upwards of 10 hours in a day (though eight is more comfortable) and it should be good. Favorites include oatmeal with raisins and sugar for breakfast, crackers and tuna with cheese for lunch, fruit (fresh or dried) for snacks, and dinners ranging from rice with lentils to pasta with sauce (from packets) to polenta with TVP. Spices are essential. Bread is not that hard to cook on the trail and is absolutely delicious for a warm treat.
- Showering once in five days may seem highly questionable in everyday life, but not showering for eleven days of active hiking is much, much worse. Bring baby wipes, a loofah (to scrub clean soap-free in rivers), and dry shampoo (which, sadly, we only found out exists while out there and didn't actually bring). They'll be worth the weight of carrying them around - unless you really want the Kurt Cobain rocker look for the duration of your hike.
- Trekking poles can indeed be useful. They're quite good at redistributing weight and helping you balance, especially going up and down big hills with a heavy post-resupply pack. They're also an essential for fording rivers. Oregon Trail, anyone?
- Clothing variety is overrated. I feel I'm legitimately qualified to make this statement, since I love to keep everything and have far more t-shirts than I'll ever possibly need. Everything gets dust- and dirt-covered within about .2 seconds and the dirt is permanent within 3 days, but it's easy to go two weeks with one t-shirt, one long underwear shirt, and one long-sleeved shirt, plus two fleeces and a rain jacket for keeping warm and dry. It'd be easy to go a couple of months this way as well, though fresh shirts (ALL SYNTHETIC, of course) would be a wonderful treat at a mid-Trail resupply.
- The Outward Bound guide to how to pack your pack: stick to the ABCs. Accessibility - keep what you might need for the day (e.g. rain gear, camera, refillable sunscreen) at the top of your pack. Balance - put the heavy stuff in close, packing your sleeping bag and other dry sack stuff at the bottom then cook gear and food then top set of accessible dry stuff. Compression - compress, compress, compress and everything will be much more comfortable.
- Five Nalgenes a day makes for a happy, hydrated hiker. Three drops of iodine, shake and clean the lid grooves, wait thirty minutes, and drink up!
- Group journal entries are fun. Potentially very fun, especially when rhyming is involved. A group journal, shared each night, splits the work of recording the journey and puts each voice into the retelling of the joint venture. Highly recommended.
- Finally, keep your feet happy. Bring sports tape and wool socks, sleep warm and dry to let feet breathe a bit, and lace up those hiking boots nice and secure as you hit the trail for miles of fun. Or kilometers, if you're not from around here.
There you have it, some lessons from the Patagonian Andes. The next time you decide to wander into the woods for an extended period of time, keep a few of these in mind. Also, remember to prepare adequately for whatever animals may be out there, be it bears or pumas. A puma sighting would be pretty cool.
I learned many lessons on the trail and I figured now would be a good time to record a few. Should the Appalachian Trail be in my future, it'd be good to remember a bit from Patagonia.
- Singing makes hiking up things more pleasant. It's not that hiking up the side of a mountain isn't always wondrously fun, but sometimes musical accompaniment diminishes any frustration that may be incurred by huge patches of bamboo.
- Eat well. Our bodies need lots and lots of food when we hike upwards of 10 hours in a day (though eight is more comfortable) and it should be good. Favorites include oatmeal with raisins and sugar for breakfast, crackers and tuna with cheese for lunch, fruit (fresh or dried) for snacks, and dinners ranging from rice with lentils to pasta with sauce (from packets) to polenta with TVP. Spices are essential. Bread is not that hard to cook on the trail and is absolutely delicious for a warm treat.
- Showering once in five days may seem highly questionable in everyday life, but not showering for eleven days of active hiking is much, much worse. Bring baby wipes, a loofah (to scrub clean soap-free in rivers), and dry shampoo (which, sadly, we only found out exists while out there and didn't actually bring). They'll be worth the weight of carrying them around - unless you really want the Kurt Cobain rocker look for the duration of your hike.
- Trekking poles can indeed be useful. They're quite good at redistributing weight and helping you balance, especially going up and down big hills with a heavy post-resupply pack. They're also an essential for fording rivers. Oregon Trail, anyone?
- Clothing variety is overrated. I feel I'm legitimately qualified to make this statement, since I love to keep everything and have far more t-shirts than I'll ever possibly need. Everything gets dust- and dirt-covered within about .2 seconds and the dirt is permanent within 3 days, but it's easy to go two weeks with one t-shirt, one long underwear shirt, and one long-sleeved shirt, plus two fleeces and a rain jacket for keeping warm and dry. It'd be easy to go a couple of months this way as well, though fresh shirts (ALL SYNTHETIC, of course) would be a wonderful treat at a mid-Trail resupply.
- The Outward Bound guide to how to pack your pack: stick to the ABCs. Accessibility - keep what you might need for the day (e.g. rain gear, camera, refillable sunscreen) at the top of your pack. Balance - put the heavy stuff in close, packing your sleeping bag and other dry sack stuff at the bottom then cook gear and food then top set of accessible dry stuff. Compression - compress, compress, compress and everything will be much more comfortable.
- Five Nalgenes a day makes for a happy, hydrated hiker. Three drops of iodine, shake and clean the lid grooves, wait thirty minutes, and drink up!
- Group journal entries are fun. Potentially very fun, especially when rhyming is involved. A group journal, shared each night, splits the work of recording the journey and puts each voice into the retelling of the joint venture. Highly recommended.
- Finally, keep your feet happy. Bring sports tape and wool socks, sleep warm and dry to let feet breathe a bit, and lace up those hiking boots nice and secure as you hit the trail for miles of fun. Or kilometers, if you're not from around here.
There you have it, some lessons from the Patagonian Andes. The next time you decide to wander into the woods for an extended period of time, keep a few of these in mind. Also, remember to prepare adequately for whatever animals may be out there, be it bears or pumas. A puma sighting would be pretty cool.
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