Another Day in Paradise... and a few more

Everyday is just another day. I wake up, eat breakfast, and then I do something that has become normal. My uniform. I proudly wear my A and my FEMA clothes. And every time I hear someone tell me about their troubles and their gratitude, I sit up straighter and my A and FEMA weighs a little bit more. One by one, these survivors have made every hardship worth it in this program. Everyday I look around at what we have done in a matter of weeks and my heart swells. My favorite thing in the world is people. They all are so grateful for what they have and all they want to do is help each other, it's inspiring.

I have moved around like crazy within the crews of FEMA. Yet, I'm meeting the nicest people to work with. But if I want to be totally truthful, the people I truly want to work with is my own team. I have nine other people who are amazing, and who have already become my family. We joke, we laugh, we talk, we argue, we roll our eyes, we hug, we do everything like a real dysfunctional family. And the crazy thing is that it has only been 9 weeks of knowing each other...

Every Sunday we have been having our one day off. It's a weird thing saying "Guys, we have a two days off!!". Last weekend was so simple, so relaxing. A group of us went into Boulder, planning to go on a hike. We were slow getting up, and we decided to mosey our way to Boulder. By the time we ate breakfast(at 1130), went by a Flee Market(spent an hour there), and rode the bus into Boulder it was already 2 o'clock in the afternoon. So instead of hiking, we improvised and explored the city. It was priceless. There are so many treasured places there that I found. It was quite dangerous for someone who doesn't want to spend any money.

By the end of this month I bet I'm going to have about five more business cards from the people I meet here. I had talked to three "townies" the other night and they believed I should become a politician...I'm not quite sure about that, but they were very nice people and they all gave me their personal information, just incase I come back to the area. The Baptist people have all told me that they want to set me up with their sons... I swear all I do is be myself and joke around, and somehow people love it. For instance this morning one of the old men serving breakfast asked where I got such a grin. I was speechless...mostly because it was 6 in the morning but nonetheless I was speechless. Everyone is so friendly it makes everything so much fun. I have played the guitar a few times for the Baptist and they just love it!

So I have now been looking into my Life After AmeriCorps, and it is now complicated. Before this program I had a plan. Go to college for Occupational therapy. And now? Well now I have no idea what to do with my life. Well actually no, that is a false statement. I know I want to continue this service. I've been thinking about doing another year of AmeriCorps. After that maybe doing a few Abroad study and services. And the eventually college. This whole future thing is giving me slight anxiety. But then I look at all the amazing possibilities that my life can take hold off, that I get excited to liv my life. I have learned from this program already that I will not settle for anything less then what I want. I have become a wanderlust, this life has caught me into it's grasp and I am not planning to loose grip until I am done. But of course I will take breaks and go back to my true home in Upstate New York and make sure that my friends and family know that I will always come back to them in the end. They are my true strength, love, and place.

Sorry for the late posting, I've been quite busy. Thank you all for reading and I will be writing again in a week or two. Love you all and miss you all!!! Please send me letters if you want! Have a wonderful til next time!!!!

It's Colorado... Wait what?!?!

Colorado is a beautiful state. The mountains greet me in the morning and comforts me in the evening. My work is one of my favorite things to do now. So really, it doesn't feel like a job. I get to be outside all day, meeting new people every step I take forward. The faces of certain survivors will be engraved in my memory as they go into their story of hardships, the pain, sorrow, confusion, and unbelief of their situation. Yet every survivor that has been fully impacted by the flood has this attitude of gratefulness. The pure emotion that flows through the words of the survivors trickles in my memory days after. This job is not a job, but a way to make a mark in this world.

My crew is a perfect mess. I have people here that I will always look up to and think of when we soon leave for the next disaster. After a month of training I learned all the technology and basics of DSA, after a week of working I have learned the inside and outs of how to truly work efficiently with a diverse group of individuals who are very hardheaded and compassionate about the work that they do. I have gotten so much recognition from the people here it makes me squirm and excited to do more. 

More than half of my team is working across town, and on some days it seems like half if my back is missing. We have all grown so close in the past weeks that its kind of scary to think about leaving all of them at the en of this crazy journey. But we need to not dwell on the future but bask in the present. Everyday after work we'll hug eachother and ask about their day, joke around, and enjoy eachothers company. 

It's funny how I am completely at ease here. I miss home, but I am not homesick , I miss my friends, but I love my new ones, I miss the familiarity of my past, but I bask in the crazy dream that I am living. 

I work 6 days a week and 12 hours a day. On Tuesday I had an amazing, relaxing, fun day off. My teammate Jess and I went into the city of Boulder. The beginning of the day was... Interesting. We had to go into the city by bus and we kept on getting confused by the bus schedule but we finally got on a bus!!!... And they didn't have any change... But after a very nice rider we got the whole thing situated and rode on in Boulder. The hike was simply amazing. We had all day to be free and relaxing as we made stop after stop on the way up, just to enjoy the breathtaking view at every step. Now I have been on countless hikes back home in NY, but this beauty here is entirely different. It was a perfect day to end a hard working week. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this posting and I want to apologize for the lateness and the horrible grammar. Thank you all so much for reading and please comment or send me letters any time!! I love the getting post!!!! Love you all!!! Til next posting have an amazing life!! 

Ready for work! 

 A cool library in a neighborhood  

We missed eachother after our first day of work.