Mucking and Gutting

     As you may have read in my last post, the Disaster Recovery Center where my team has been working is no longer in operation and is waiting to open up at a new location.  My teams leaves for Vicksburg, Mississippi in two days.  Because we have not been able to work at the DRC, we have been doing  Individual Service Projects, which means that we are not working with FEMA, but rather a non-profit organization.  My team has been working with New York Cares and the traditional AmeriCorps NCCC, lending our hands and bodies to clean out houses, which they call "mucking and gutting".  I was excited to do some physical work for once, though it was sad when we got to the houses and realized that all their belongings were destroyed by Sandy.

    On the first day of mucking and gutting we cleaned out a few garages, taking the wet belongings to the curb side.  We also tore down the walls of a room.  On the second day we spent the whole day clearing the first floor of a house: taking out belongings, taking down walls, basically not leaving anything in the house.  The owner of the house was really appreciative and said he didn't know what he would have done if it were not for us.  Because we worked in homes, I do not have pictures of us actually working, although I do have a picture of us in our PPE- Personal Protective Equipment.  This is important when working in houses with black mold and with working with tools.  Knowing how clumsy I am, it's a good thing everyone is wearing a helmet!

     We have gotten the official word that we are going back to New York after Winter Break.  I am super excited to see my family, friends and congregation back in Lafayette! 

A prayer that kept me going: 

We believe that God is present

In darkness before dawn, 

In waiting and uncertainty, 

Where fear and courage join hands, 

Conflict and caring link arms

And the sun rises over the barbed wire.

We believe in a with-us God

    Who sits down in our midst

    To share our humanity.

We affirm a faith

    That takes us beyond a safe place:

    Into action, into vulnerability and into the streets.

We commit ourselves to work for change;

    To put ourselves on the line;

    To bear responsibility, 

    Take risks, 

    Live powerfully and face humiliation;

    To stand with those on the edge;

    To choose life and be used by the Spirit

    For God's new community of hope.
Amen.

My teammate Lizz and I in our PPE

Organizations involved

We FINALLY got our boots dirty!

  

Disaster Recovery Center.

Hello all, sorry about my last post- I was posting from my Blackberry and could not see what I was typing.  I tried to edit it just now so that you can understand.  I have been on disaster for a month now, and today is the first day that my entire team has the day off!
     We have been working at Disaster Recovery Center #9 in Rockaway Park, NYC.  This area was one of the hardest hit areas. We have developed friendships with the survivors and the staff working there.  First of all, I'll explain what a Disaster Recovery Center is.  It's a place where survivors go to talk with FEMA and other agencies for their disaster-related needs.  We had FEMA Representatives and representatives from the Small Business Administration in our Center.  We also had a rep from the Social Security Adminitration, and also Housing and Urban Development.  FEMA Corps role was to direct the survivors to the right place that they needed to go.  My main role was the receptionist, where I took down basic information from each survivor and they breifly explained their situation to me so that I could point them in the right direction.  My role was not so much physically taxing, but mentally taxing.  We also had the chance to shadow the FEMA Specialists.  That means that we sat down next to the Specialists and listened while they explained to the applicants of what their status on their claim is, and what their next step is.  I learned a lot by shadowing them.  We also bonded a lot with the staff there.  Yesterday we got the news that the Center would be closing later that night, so we all said our goodbyes. We are hoping we can stay together once we get re-assigned.  I'm going to miss all the survivors I have met this past month.
    Since my last post, my team has moved ships.  We now live on the S.S. Wright in Staten Island, which is convenient to get to Manhatten because the Ferry is only a mile away.  I have visited Manhattan three times since I have been here.  I saw The Phantom of the Opera, I went to the Thanksgiving Day Parade, went to Chinatown and Little Italy and of course visited many of the shops in Times Square.   A few days ago, Fox News filmed my team at the Recovery Center.  I was honored to have an interview with them that is airing tomorrow. I might post the link if I can get a hold of it.
Here are some photos from my experience:

Sharing the road with First responders on the way to Sandy.

The first weeks the lines to get into the Recovery Center were LONG. Many had to wait 4 hours to get in.

Me explaining the registration process to survivors.

Our first day in NYC, we see the effects of the Subway closing.  Lines to get  on the bus or   "subway  shuttles" were MILES long.

Our first day we walked around this neighborhood encouraging survivors to register with FEMA.  We got a little wet.

Hurricane Sandy

Memorial at the Emergency Management Institute.

Hello all. I am currently writing this post in the dining hall of my new home, which  the Maritime College in New York. All 21 FEMA Corps teams from Vicksburg have been deployed to New York City, and all FEMA Corps teams from Vinton Iowa have been deployed to New Jersey. Much has happened in the past few weeks.  First of, a few days before Sandy hit we headed from Atlanta Georgia to Emmitsburg Maryland to the Emergency Management Institute. We did some training there to refresh our memory of what to do as a Community Relations Specialist.  We stayed there for almost a week, and finally headed out to New York, where we immediately started doing Community Relations- where you walk round and encourage people to register with FEMA. Then we found out that all of us will be living on the ship for the duration of our deployment. After the first day of working as community relations my team assumed our role as supporters of the local Disaster Recovery Center.  We are working in The Rockaways- an area that was hit hard by the disaster and where the fires occurred  It was heartbreaking to see the area of burnt homes. Almost everyone we talk to is displaced from their home. We have been working 12 hour days every day of the week, so it is very taxing physically, mentally and emotionally. However I am glad I can be of some help and a pair of ears that will listen to these survivors' stories.

Our team stayed here for "Staging" of Sandy.  We waited until Sandy was over  to head to NY



Our team visited Gettysburg. 

New Housing

Let's go to the movies...let's go see the stars!!!

 


    Okay folks, I am in a motel now!  I now have a bed that has sheets and there is a bathroom right next to me! We are running short on toilet paper, but other than that we are doing great!

We left the woods last week.  We are sure going to miss that place, even if  we had to walk to the bathroom!

Tanner and I cooked a delicious meal,with LOTS of spices (:

     This week at the office I continued to gather resources for volunteer agencies in Florida.  I also wrote a presentation on FEMA Corps.  I am one of the Corps Ambassadors on my team, which means I go out into the community, mostly to high school and colleges, showing through information, stories and experience what AmeriCorps NCCC is.  We went on a field trip to the Habitat for Humanity office in Atlanta. I wrote the presentation and Lizz and I presented to the Habitat for Humanity employees on what FEMA Corps is all about.

    I feel like every time I write there is always some sort of bad/sad news.  Since the last time I posted, one team leader has left FEMA Corps, as well as a fellow teammate of mine.  He is still here until the end of the week, and it's going to be hard to say goodbye to him.  We love you Tanner :)

Settlers is a game of the past.  It's all about ZOMBIES now.  Yes, this is what we do for  fun- pretend that it's the Zombie Apocalypse and kill zombies.

Afternoon traffic.  This stuff is intense.

     My team, Ocean 7, has started a weekly sharing of Life Stories.  Each week, after dinner, a team member will have an opportunity to share with their teammates any experiences they wish to share with the group from their life.  Tonight was the first night, and our team leader Sean started off with a great story.  It was really inspiring.  Although this sharing is optional, I hope everyone on my team has the courage to share their story. You can learn so much from other people's experiences.  We have also started something called "Team Dates", where two team members go out for coffee, a meal, or just hang out and talk with each other, in order to bond and I suppose have more team morale, which we can always use more of.  I have been on a team date with my teammate Lizz, which was a great opportunity to bond with her on a day when both of us were not working, and therefore not in the same work environment that we are used to.

Our new home is Suwanne, Georgia.  There is a large Korean population here, so on the weekend a few teammates and I enjoyed the Korean Festival.  I bought dried seaweed! YUM!

      Okay gals and girls, last thing to report is my physical state right now.  I did Physical Training with my team the other day and I am still recovering.  Nothing to be worried about, it just hurts to walk and sit down and stand up. I literally look like an 80 year old woman hobbling around. Yesterday I could not bend my legs, and today I have made progress.  I look pretty weird when I walk though.  That's all, folks! Have a lovely week!

Short Update.

     Hello all! This week I learned how to navigate around NEMIS, the applicant database for FEMA.  Pretty exciting stuff. I also got a new assignment that I am working on with my teammate Tyler, where we are gathering social service resources for Florida and Kentucky, and eventually the other states too.  We are putting the information on an excel spreadsheet.  These resources will eventually be available to the public through CAN.org which is already a great resource for social services throughout the United States.
    We also toured a FEMA distribution center where they keep trailers, ready to eat meals (over 2 million of them!), cots, blankets, filing cabinets, pretty much everything you would need if a disaster happened.  Sorry, there was no picture-taking allowed, but it was basically each room was like a Costco, without the food court of course.  
     Six Corps Members have left FEMA Corps already, and more than a dozen are seriously considering it. I'm suspecting it's because of the office work rather than the "boots on the ground" kind of work that was expected.  On a happier note, they have brought this up to the big guys/gals upstairs so perhaps they will be making changes to the program.  I understand that I am making a difference, however it would be nice to make a difference in a way that engages me rather than sitting at a computer all day and getting a migraine...almost every day. At the least, this year is going to teach me to be flexible and professional, and even if I sometimes don't feel like I'm helping others, I can focus on improving myself.
     October 27th is a National Day of Service, and our amazing POL's (Project Outreach Liaisons) named Nateanna and Tanner, have signed us up for helping set up and help with the "Skydive for ALS in Georgia" Fundraiser.  It sounds exciting, and it sounds like some of us are going to be skydiving.  I have not made a decision as to whether I'm skydiving or not, but I'm not ruling it out.
    Have a nice week, everyone!

Settling in

Hello Everyone!

I am getting used to Atlanta.  It’s pretty great here.   We had a 3 day weekend a few days ago, which was really great because it was our first day off in 26 days! Let’s just say we were really tired on the 26^th day of work.  During the three day weekend, we got to take 2 West African Drumming classes! They were awesome.  We watched this video during a class, and I think it’s so cool that I’ve got to share it with you! Enjoy!

 We played the Djembe, Dununs, Dundunba’s, and others.  We are staying at a Youth Village in Douglassville.  This weekend we went to the mall and we also saw the movie Taken 2.  It wasn’t that great of a movie but I did enjoy going out into civilization for once! 

Because Monday was a holiday for us but not for the AmeriCorps team that works and lives at Youth Village, each of us shadowed a Corps Member all day.  I was called Miss B for the day, and was paired up with Miss P (no first names with the students).  She was helping out with girls ages 16-18.  These girls were getting ready to be discharged and go live elsewhere, so it is very important for them to be searching for places to live and to have the required life and literacy skills needed to live either on their own or at an assisted living facility.   There was a broad range in abilities in the classroom as well as behavioral and emotional challenges.  I had the chance to go to African Drumming with them, eat lunch with them, and personally tutor one of the girls.  The girls were (for the most part) really sweet and wished that I worked there too.  It was a great experience, but I don’t think it’s the right path for me, at least not anytime in the near future. 

It's pretty here!

There are a lot of things to do in Atlanta, such as six flags and the aquarium and I’m sure so much more- hopefully I will get to explore the city once we move out of our current housing and hopefully closer to the city.  We are moving someplace different in one week. 

Yesterday I made the team pesto pasta and served French bread with it, and we actually had real butter to spread on the French bread! It was pretty great.

What we do in the evening:  Almost every night this week we have been shopping for groceries at Kroger, going to Starbucks for some hot drinks and wifi, or doing laundry at the laudrymat, which conveniently has wifi as well.    We usually have a team meeting during dinner. 

Settlers of Catan- the EXPANSION!!!

Team responsibilities on SPIKE:  Each team member is expected to make dinner one night a week (with the help of another team member), do the dishes one night, and for us that do not drive, we are expected to be an “A Driver” once in the morning and once at night, which means you are the navigator and you back the car into the parking spot when you get to your destination.  I have been an A driver a few times, and yes, I have gotten the team lost, but I swear it was the GPS’s fault. 

This place is haunted:  Many of my team members have experienced some paranormal experiences here at our housing, but nothing to be worried about.  Footsteps, knocking, laughing, and some tugging on clothing, but it seems playful to me as if it is a child entity.

On a sad note, some members of FEMA Corps have decided that this is not the place for them.  Many people left in the first week of training back in August once they realized that this is not the original NCCC, however others are now realizing how different it really is.  Luckily no one on my team is feeling this way, however my friend named Alex who I got to know during training left for home today.  My thoughts are that no one really knew what they were getting themselves into because we are the first class.  I remember asking the team leaders questions during training in Vicksburg and they had little to no idea what we would be doing.  Even when we were briefed in Vicksburg about each Specialist Role they did not tell us that almost everyone is going to be on a computer all day.  When I first heard of FEMA Corps I thought of people out in the field talking with individuals one on one and helping them get assistance by handing out supplies and whatnot, which some FEMA Corps members have been doing/are going to do.  However, some did not receive their first, second, third, or even fourth choice in terms of what specialist role they wanted.   Although working in the Regional Office is not the most exciting job, I am glad I am here to ease myself into FEMA and get a sense of how they work and how the programs work.  They are actually spoiling us here- giving us free snacks, arranging field trips to local non-profits, and giving us an opportunity to take classes online to learn more about emergency management.   My advice to anyone who is thinking about applying to FEMA Corps, is that you have to be patient and flexible, yes FEMA flexible is a phrase I hear at least once a day here.  I would also advise you not to join if you are not okay with sitting at a desk working on the computer all day.  

Well folks, it's time to wrap up here at the laundry mat, I wish you all a good night!

Moving East

Okay guys I wrote this at two different times, hopefully it makes sense.  I have very limited internet here.  Here are my thoughts:

Graduation:  I graduated from training! yay! Here is a link to a news story! They zoom in on my team and you can see me! I'm the blonde...in blue hehe :)
http://www.abc3340.com/story/19673155/fema-corp-graduates-first-class?clienttype=printable


FEMA Speak. FEMA uses lots of acronyms- to the point of where we can talk to each other without other people knowing what the heck we are saying. Here is an example: This week I learned that when I get deployed as an IA ASPS, I will mainly work at DRC's and sometimes JFO's.  I will be using NEMIS, and filling out Applicant Inquiries.  It's confusing, huh?

Where Am I Going!? For the past week, we have been waiting to hear where in the world we will be deployed to.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I have been singing the "Where are we going, I don't know, When we will we get there, I ain't certain, All I know is I am on my way" song from "Paint Your Wagon".  Well my friends, I am happy to say that I will be deployed to Atlanta, Georgia in less than two days!!! I am super stoked for this.  I have no idea where I will be staying, or even what I will be doing there. I just know I am going.  Almost half of FEMA Corps will be stationed in Baton Rouge Louisiana, and only three teams- my team and two teams on the Summit Unit- are going to Atlanta.

The Office

Where am I working? In an office- Region IV's Regional Office to be more specific, in Atlanta-  and it is somewhat similar to the show the office.  For the past few days we have been attending meetings,working on our assignments and meeting A LOT of people.  The people there are soooo friendly and excited to see what FEMA Corps is all about. They have been impressed of how much we are getting done.  We also might get CERT certified! (Community Emergency Response Team) which would be great!  What am I doing? I'm researching and preparing presentations for various preparedness topics.  

Housing

We are living in the woods! It's fun but there are a lot of challenges.  We are actually staying at camp/school for kids with emotional and behavioral problems, so we have to lock almost everything in the "sharps closet".  Running water is available 75 yards away from the cabin which makes going to the bathroom and doing the dishes a longer process.  We are also an hour and a half away from the Regional Office, so we have to get up at 5:30 a.m. in order to get ready for the day.  Let's just say I don't know how practical doing PT is these next two weeks, which is how long we are staying here.  I have no idea where we are going to be housed next.  There is a six flags here, and we are thinking about going.  But even more awesome is that the camp we are staying at offers west African drumming classes!!! So guess what we are doing on Saturday? West African drumming, which I am somewhat familiar with from Summer Music Institute.  There are other AmeriCorps members staying at the camp with us but they actually work there and they are not NCCC.

Bag of Rice. My team randomly won a bag of rice the other day in training...little did I know that I would be using that same bag of rice to try and save my cell phone from the damages it faced while in the washing machine...yes...I accidentally put my phone in the wash...which I have done before...however, this time, my phone is not waking up...sad day.  At least it was the not the government phone.  I have learned a new life skill from this experience: Don't just check your pockets- make SURE your cell phone is with you before you close the lid to the washer.

Assassins. During the last days of training in Alabama, my unit started a game called Assassins, where everyone is given a clothespin that has their name on it that they must wear at all times.  You are also given a target- someone to assassinate.  And of course someone also had your name as their target.  It started out really fun, but got too intense and we had to cancel the game after a few days.  I assassinated two people-quite skillfully if I may say so myself- and I was not assassinated even though I got attacked in my room by my assassin.

Stay tuned for more info on my time here in Atlanta- I'm not sure how long I will be here. I am planning to make a slideshow of CTI and trainings and whatnot.

Oh and today is my Birthday! And as a birthday gift, I'm not asking for much, just that you register for the largest Earthquake drill in the nation! It's called Shakeout! And you can register at shakeout.org.
On October 18th at 10:18 a.m.  everyone will drop, cover, and hold on for at least 60 seconds wherever you are.  Thanks everyone!

OA and other stories

     Greetings!  I have been in training here in Anniston Alabama for nearly a week.  For the most part, I like it here.  Although we still have not yet gotten into detail about what I will actually be doing for the next nine months, we have learned about FEMA and how to talk to the media and whatnot.  My team leader has been using military time to communicate the schedule to us, so I have been using that a lot.  One thing I like about Anniston is that we can do individual PT (Physical Training).
    We are staying at a CDP- Center for Domestic Preparedness.  We are sharing the facilities with military, firefighters, and police.  They are fun people and interested in knowing what we are going to be doing.

Here are some of my thoughts and updates:

FEMA's Mission Statement: (yes, we have to memorize two)

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.

More Uniforms! - We just got the rest of our uniforms, which consists of another sweatshirt, a windbreaker, 2 FEMA Corps polo's, a long sleeved shirt, and 3 more FEMA T-shirts.  They are spoiling us!   The downside to having just FEMA Uniforms is that people in the community are not always pleased with FEMA.  For safety purposes, when we go to a store or a gas station we need to cover up the "FEMA" on our shirt with our sweatshirt or vest and take off our badge.  I don't want coffee poured on me, or worse.  We have also been warned that we might not be welcomed by every FEMA employee we meet in the field. Why? Because they have recently gone through a rehiring process where they "cleaned out" a few hundred staff members.  And now a few hundred FEMA Corps members are "after their jobs".  Which is somewhat true- many of us want a career in Emergency Management, though I have not given it much thought yet- mainly because I have not gotten to work in the field yet. We were told today that FEMA Corps was created not only to help people, but to give an opportunity for young people to get real experience in Emergency Management and to rebuild the workforce for FEMA.  So although it seems we may have many people against us, we are going to keep positive and remember that we all have the same first name: FEMA, and why we all joined: to help people. It's that simple.

 OA and other Acronyms.  We have learned in trainings that FEMA uses a LOT of acronyms.  They have an entire book full of them, which they call "The Fat Book", probably because it is so large.  And yes, they reuse the same acronyms which is quite confusing.  A few that we have learned is THU- Temporary Housing Unit.  JFO- Joint Field Office.  We visited a JFO on the way to Anniston.  It's the place that Logistics sets up within 72 hours where FEMA workers make and receive calls and plan their goals and determine the where to deploy FEMA workers to, however it is not open to the public.  We will be working in a JFO at some point during this year.  The DRC- Disaster Recovery Center, is the place where survivors can go and get more information on services and resources available to them.  And FEMA Corps has created their own acronym- OA.  What does it stand for?  Obama's Army.  Remember in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix when the Ministry of Magic suspected that the students were making an Army? Well apparently there are many theories out there on the internet about FEMA Corps and how we are Obama's Army and he is training us to take over the world.  Well friends, sorry to disappoint, but we won't be taking over the world. We WILL however be changing the lives of survivors in a positive way and not to mention our own lives :)

My new Home!

Kids vs. Adults.  Here in FEMA Corps we consist of Corps Members ranging in age from 18 to 25.  And yes, many of us look young, and some of us act young, however most of us are mature and would like to be considered adults.  Which is exactly what FEMA and AmeriCorps NCCC treat us like, which is awesome.  It's everyone else we have to convince that we are capable of doing the jobs we are assigned to do.  And we are the first FEMA Corps which means we have a weight on our shoulders and yes, we have had people call us kids, but we will show them we are not kids!
FEMA Corps: The book. A member of FEMA Corps named Austin is planning to publish a book about FEMA Corps, and the best part it is it will be a compilation of Corps Members' stories and experiences, so I might be able to be a part of it.
AmeriCorps NCCC: The movie.  A teammate showed me the link to a trailer to an independent film that is based off of AmeriCorps NCCC.  It is a horror film, and it looks pretty funny to me.  Trust me, other than the khaki pants and govie vans, the movie is not how it actually is here.  It's called "I Didn't Come Here to Die" Here is the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp1SqlyzCE0
Happy 50th!!!  Today is my grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary! Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!
Team Leaders: The Scoop.  I'm sure you have noticed me talking about Team Leaders.  These are the people in charge of leading their team. Each team consists of about 9-11 Corps Members and 1 Team Leader.  We call them TL's for short. These folks showed up to Vicksburg 1 month before we arrived where they trained on how to lead us.  My TL's name is Sean, and he is an awesome TL!  This week there have been some changes-  Becky, a TL, had to take some time off because her father suddenly passed away a few days ago.  Please keep Becky and her family in your thoughts and prayers.   Also, one of the team leaders stepped down and decided to return home for personal reasons, so a Corps Member named Shane stepped up and became a TL.  He is now part of Team Green- It is called Team Green because they wear green shirts instead of grey.  I wish all the TL's luck this year.  I can imagine it can become really stressful at times when you are responsible for leading the team!  "It's not easy being green"
Not Enough Photos For You? Have No Fear. Photobucket is here.  My team, Ocean 7, has created a photobucket account that you all can access.  It will show not just the pictures I have taken, but pictures that my team members have taken as well.  Here's how to access them:
1. Go to www.Photobucket.com
2. Enter username=  femacorps-ocean7
3.  Enter guest password= stickswithkevin and click login
4.  It will appear that the album is blank, but if you look to the right side of the page you will see a section called sub albums, which is where our teammates post our albums.
5. Enjoy!!!

Want to see photos of our induction? Click Away!

http://www.fema.gov/news-release/nations-first-fema-corps-members-sworn-begin-disaster-response-service

http://www.wapt.com/news/central-mississippi/FEMA-Corps-celebrates-graduation/-/9156946/16596826/-/thahb4z/-/index.html (Except for the fact that it was INDUCTION, not graduation…)

First Week of Training = Done! Today we said goodbye to our wonderful instructors who taught us the basics about FEMA.  We passed our final exam with flying colors today!  We are going to start our Specialist Role Training tomorrow by the SME's or Subject Matter Experts.  I am hoping I will like my SME as much as I liked my previous instructors.  My favorite part of being in the class was listening to many stories since these people have extensive amounts of experience.  Not to mention we get free soda, snacks, coffee and tea! 

"If you fail at planning, then you are planning to fail".

Induction and Anniston, AL

     I have officially been inducted into AmeriCorps NCCC!  However, for the new FEMA Corps, this does not mean we are done with training.  I arrived to Anniston, Alabama for two more weeks of training, and then we are able to go out into the field.  We are staying at a Center for Domestic Preparedness, which is a lot like a hotel.  The rooms are hotel style and there is housekeeping and a buffet for meals, it's really nice here and since there are 50 vegetarians out of 220 people they are now accommodating vegetarian meals. YAY! As of now, half of my team are vegetarian. It's pretty awesome.
     Here is what happened on Induction day: I woke up and got dressed in my new blue FEMA shirt, had breakfast, went to the photo shoot where they photo the entire Corps and Staff and then photo each unit.  I am in Ocean Unit, but there is also Summit and Bayou.  Then my teammate Casey and gave a tour to a few ladies from headquarters and a parent of a Corps member.  Then we lined up and marched in to the gym and started the Induction Ceremony, which consisted of a Color Guard and then I directed the National Anthem, there were speeches from staff and members, and then we recited the AmeriCorps pledge:

I will get things done for America -
to make our people safer,
smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together
to strengthen our communities.

Faced with apathy,
I will take action.

Faced with conflict,
I will seek common ground.

Faced with adversity,
I will persevere.

I will carry this commitment
with me this year and beyond.

I am an AmeriCorps member,
and I will get things done.

After that we had a reception, and then finished packing. The next morning I was awoken at 5 am to have my room inspected by my Unit Leader named Justin.  I had breakfast and headed for the road.  

Lookin awesome in our new shirts.

All of my team! GO OCEAN 7!

What we have done in Anniston:  My team has been issued government laptops and Blackberry's, been taught how to use them (mostly), and has gotten our official FEMA badges that have a facial recognition program.  They are super serious about security around here, which is cool.  We did not do much today (except had an extremely early breakfast!) but the perk to that is that we got out PT done for tomorrow. Also, we got to do PT at 8 PM which is much better than 5:30 in the morning!   Well, I think that's all folks.  I'll be getting up for 5:15 breakfast tomorrow, wish me luck! 

P.S.- In a week or so the Induction Ceremony will be posted on FEMA's website. I'll let you know when that happens.  

I feel like Cadet Kelly here.  Living on a military base, and having room inspections and wearing uniform and going to PT. A friend named Rii is showing me circus tricks like baton twirling, just like Cadet Kelly. It's pretty schweet. 

Almost time to leave

Hey guys!
     Yesterday was September 11th, which is a National Day of Service in the United States.  Therefore all 21 teams on my FEMA Corps class served in schools or Fire Departments in Vicksburg or Jackson.  My team got to go to Fire Department 9 in Vicksburg, where we painted the bay floor and then we spent the rest of the day burning evidence and police reports in large barrels.  It was a lto of fun and hard work! The city of Vicksburg hosted a BBQ for us where we were addressed by the major and we reflected on the experience.  We also had a dance party at the BBQ where I did he Electric Slide! I love the idea of using September 11th as a day to give back to your community.  Millions of people served their communities last September 11th, so if any of you reading this have served on this National Day of Service, then thank you! There are many National Days of Serivce every year, so if your interested, look em up!







Before

 


After











A teammate burning a police report.



     These are my last days here at the campus in Vicksburg until mid December.  Today we had PT at 6 am, washed the government can and tools, and had a Clearance Meeting with my Unit Leader and team.  In an hour I will heading to Induction Rehearsal and then after that I'll be given my new FEMA Corps shirt that we are going to be wearing for Induction.  Induction is tomorrow!!! We will have a ceremony with all the members, staff, Team Leaders, and really important staff that are coming from Headquarters that were the ones who thought of creating a FEMA Corps.  On Induction day I will be a tour guide for parents, families and friends of members.  We will also be taking a photo witht the entire Corps in our new FEMA shirts.  Once we get to Anniston we will be issued more clothing from FEMA, such as a windbreaker, a polo, and a hoodie.  We are going to be looking legit.

     I will be heading to Anniston Alabama the day after Induction.  We will spend two weeks at a training site where we will be trained in our Specialist Role, which for my team is Individual Assisstance.  We have been preparing for Anniston since day one here, since it's a high security area and very strict with badges, curfews, attendance, etc.  I will have internet access in Anniston, although I will not be bringing my laptop because we are going to be issued Laptops and Blackberry's once we get to Anniston. 



I need to fit my entire life in this red bag, plus a backpack. Boy do I have some packing to do!

Wish me luck for Induction and preparing to leave for Anniston!!!



Ole Miss

     Hello friends.  I have had a pretty awesome week.  But before I tell you about it, I'd like to say RIP to Brett Olsen, a boy who went to my school in Lafayette, who I will forever remember as Harold Hill in our Elementary School's production of the Music Man.  Party hard in heaven, Brett :)
   
     This week the entire 220 members of FEMA Corps Headed to Camp Lake Stephens which is a few minutes away from Ole Miss.  We went to a restaurant called McAllister's, which is basically like a Panera Bread. It was so tasty that we went again later in the week!  The second day we did the AmerOlympics at Ole Miss, where each team competes in soccer, football, waterballoon toss and whatnot.  Then we found out our results from our Myer's Briggs personality test. I found out that I'm an ENFP or someone with Extroverted Intuition with Introverted Feeling.  That night I had a choir practice and then I went to the lake where I did a 40 foot Zip Line into the lake! It was super fun! Then I swam in the lake for a while.  The next day I did a service project at the Camp where I shoveled mulch into wheel-barrels, and let me say that I got some awesome forearm muscles from that :)  That night we made burritos and smores in the fire and went out to frozen yogurt.

    The next day was the Ropes Course at Ole Miss.  We did low ropes first which got the team working together to figure out creative strategies for the various obstacles.  Then we did 3 high ropes elements which were the Rock Wall, the Flying Squirrel- where 5 people pull another person up into the air, and the Pamper Pole-where you climb up a pole and try to jump onto a trapeze-type thing.

Hurricane Isaac

    As most of you know, Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isaac hit Louisiana a few days ago.  It traveled to Vicksburg (where I am) on August 29th, exactly 7 years after Katrina.  Since we are not fully trained yet, AmeriCorps sent teams from Class 18B (not my class) to respond and work alongside the Red Cross and other non-profits.  Our power went out on campus, but training still continued.  But that is not the most exciting thing that has happened this week...
    I went to a non-denominational church last Sunday and again today that is seriously my dream church. It is basically like going to a Christian Concert every Sunday.  AND....I GOT MY PERMANENT TEAM!!! Yes, it was so sad to leave my Temp Team ( I love you Ocean 1!) But now I am a member of Ocean 7, and my Team Leader is named Sean and there are 8 fellow Corps Members on my team, which is on the smaller side which is fine with me.  I think I have an awesome team- mostly because my teammate Kevin and I both brought Settlers of Catan, and we have many Catan fans on the team, and also we have a fair amount of Christians on my team so I'm thinking of starting a Bible Study group once we get on SPIKE since we might not be able to go to chruch every week.  Also this week I found out that my Specialist Role is Individual Assistance, which means I talk with survivors and find out what they are eligible for in terms of housing and funds and whatnot.  My entire team will be heading to Anniston Alabama to receive formal training on Individual Assistance by FEMA in one week! Right now we have a three day weekend, and then on Tuesday we are heading to Ole Miss for 3 days for a Ropes Course and a mini-project of some kind.  After Anniston I leave for my first SPIKE, and I most likely won't be back on campus until right before Christmas break.
     As well as getting my Specialist Role, I get to be a Capper, which stands for Corps Ambassador Program.  This means that I will be going out into the community of wherever I am working and I will set up a table with information about AmeriCorps NCCC and give speeches about the program to high school and college students.  I am excited to do this because I get to tell people about this amazing program!  Other members of my group have different Specialty Roles such as Media Representative, Service Learning Initiator, Project Outreach Liason, etc...
    This week we started the AmeriChoir!!! We are going to be singing The Star Spangled Banner at induction on September 13th.  And GUESS who is the Choir Director!? Me. That's right. I am leading rehearsals, and boy am I glad I brought my pitch pipe because we had a rehearsal during the storm when the power was out.  Another great thing about this week is that I think I am getting used to the humidity here mainly beacuse there has not been any air conditioning for the last few days. Last night I went on a Ghost Tour in Vicksburg at an Antique Store that was built in the 1820's. It was well worth the 10 dollars. I got numerous pictures of orbs as well as the general feeling of heaviness when we went upstairs.  It used to be a brothel and there are many recorded murders and deaths in the building.  I'll have internet in a week, and I'll be able to tell you all about the Ropes Course!

"Watch yout thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions they become habits.  Watch your habits, they become character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny".   -Lao Tze

                              ORBS!!!

Church Service at Triumph Chruch. Their Service is broadcasted on the radio here!!!

Training

Hey everyone! Internet is down everywhere except for the Computer Lab, so here I am in the Computer Lab.  Here is a post I made a week ago:

     Hey y'all.  It is the weekend here! We did not end up doing Baseline on Friday because when we got up at 5 AM there was a storm going on- so we got soaked going to the gym and my team did PT (Physical Training) there.  I didn't mind one bit to be in the rain- it was awesome! I did get really sore from PT though! This weekend we explored Vicksburg, went grocery shopping with my temporary team, went swimming, went to a club called the Upper End, and went to a smoothie place called the Tomato Place.  Today I attended a Baptist Church service with a few friends, which was pretty cool.
     Here is some more information about what I'm doing here in the Southern Region:  I am a member of AmeriCorps, specifically part of the AmeriCorps NCCC program, and even more specifically I am in the newest program called FEMA Corps.  This means that we will not be doing the traditional "build houses and clear trails" kind of work that the traditional NCCC'ers do, but rather working alongside FEMA with disaster relief. Each team will be trained in a specific area which we call Specialist Training.  Some people will  be assesing damage of public structures, others will be working with the community right after the disaster to asses what the community needs, others will be talking one on one with survivors, and some will be working in warehouses. There are other positions too, but I'll tell you more about them once I know more.  This program is going to give the Team Leaders and the Corps Members experience and skills that we can put on our resume.  Even though the traditional AmeriCorps NCCC caught my attention and was the program I applied for, I am thankful that the skills and professionalism that I will gain in my next 10 months of service through the new FEMA Corps branch are going to help me in the long run. 
    By the way, the bugs here are really cool! But I'm practically being eaten alive! Also, the water here is not working for me, so I bought a Brita, I'm SOO thankful Brita's exist.

Okay now for the last few days:

     This past week has been so great and exciting.  We did A LOT this week. Such as Diversity Training, where each unit got to share about their different life experiences and do many activites.  It bonded us a unit. I am in the Ocean unit, and I will be really sad once everyone gets their permanent teams and we might be in a different unit.  We also did CPR, First Aid and AED Training.  This week we also did a classroom Driving Class and then we got out on the road and everyone interested in being a driver got tested.  As many of you know, I do not have my license, so I spent the time in the government vehicle listening to music and dozing off. This week a FEMA representative came and talked to us about the Specialist Roles we will be assigned to.  Then right after the training we had to complete a survey that asked us about our experience in each role.  I am excited to see what role I am given, because then we will get our permanent teams.  We also learned about the different oppurtunities we have for awards here. We applied for the Congressional Award, and we also talked about ISP's.  ISP's, or "Individual Service Projects" is when a member can go out on the weekends or on your time off and volunteer for a non-profit organization.  You can do it alone or with others. By the end of your service, depending on how many hours you have completed, you can get an Award for them.  So yesterday, a Saturday, my temporary team did an ISP at an Animal Shelter in Jackson.  It was fun, messy, furry, slobbery, heartwarming and heartbreaking.  We spent the morning walking and bathing puppies. We also did inventory of their disaster supplies.  We had so much fun and we are planning to go back next weekend!
     We have also been watching movies a lot here! I watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show with some friends other night.  Alright, gang, it's time for me to sign off.  In a few days I will learn what Specialist Role I got and who's team I'm going to be on for the next 10 months! So exciting!

Me and my friend Sarah "Reppin the A" in our Uniform!

Walking dogs at the Animal Shelter for my ISP!

  A worker cutting down branches at the Shelter found a baby squirrel. I wanted to take it home so bad, but alas, no AmeriPets are allowed :(

First Week of AmeriCorps NCCC

Hi y'all!  I literally just found wifi here on campus, so here I am posting about my first week here!
Here is a post a wrote about my first day:
     It is my first full day here in Vicksburg. The weather here is not too bad, but then again, we have mostly been inside all day and we have not done anything that requires much energy.  Last night I arrived at 8 PM, which was after most people got to campus, and ate dinner and got a blanket and went to bed.  I am living in Johnson Hall which is a pretty sweet deal, but sleeping last night was hard because I wasn't very tired and I was a bit scared I would fall off the bed since I'm on the top of a bunk bed that has no ladder and no railings whatsoever.  But I made it through the night.
     Today we are doing in-processing, which basically means that you get immunuzations (reguardless if you need them or not) and get your uniform and sleeping bag, and also going over policies and procedures.  I have met a lot of people so far. I live with two roommates, and they are super.  Corps members are placed in one of three units: Summit, Ocean or Bayou.  I have been placed in Ocean on a temporary team called Ocean 1.  There is a lot of diversity here, which is great, but I have been having trouble finding crazy people that are just like me here, which it was so easy to find at Camp.  We have not yet had a chance to explore Vicksburg, so that is something I am looking forward to.

   Okay now for an update for the whole week:
This week has been pretty great!  The stairs are killing me though! 3 flights of stairs just to get to my room.  Some exciting things I experienced this week: Seeing FIREFLIES for the first time. So cool. Driving around Vicksburg.  Getting to be crazy up on stage doing skits.  Learning that there is going to be an AmeriChoir.  (SO EXCITED).  Swimming in the pool, and playing card games with fellow Corps Members.  I have met soooo many people, I am rather proud of myself for remembering people's names.
     We are officially done with in-processing. YAY! And we just got our last member of Ocean 1 yesterday.  There are 8 girls and 2 guys on Ocean 1.  This week is part of CTI - Corps Training Institute.  We are taking classes in Professionalism, Procedures and Policies, Appropriate Language, how our Health Plan works, the History of AmeriCorps and so on.  We have not yet had a PT (Physical Training), but tomorrow we are waking up at 5:15 and heading out to the Military Park and doing our Baseline.  Baseline is when you  test how many push-ups and sit-ups you and do in a minute, and then you run a mile and a half and record your time.  This is to see your personal growth throughout the year of service, because we will continue to do these throughout the year.
     Tomorrow is Friday, so basically the last day of the week that we have classes.  My team will be heading off to Walmart tomorrow to buy groceries because we will no longer have catering.  That means we will be responsible to sticking to a budget and cooking and cleaning in the kitchen, which I'm a champ at. Now that I've found internet I might be posting more, but who knows!  Things change A LOT here. aka the schedule changes, and you just have to adapt to the new plan.
   That's all for tonight folks! I'll try and post pictures next time!

                                                   Here is the campus! It's beautiful here! 

My Temporary Team! OCEAN 1!!!


"He who does nothing for others does nothing for himself"--Goethe

Last day in Cali...

It's my last day here in California. I've been here for a week and I can't believe it's already time to leave. I have had the chance to say goodbye to some of my closest friends. Sadly I did not get the chance to say goodbye to everyone, but it sure has been a busy week for me-  getting documents filled out, packing, saying goodbye, going to the A's game with church and visiting museums and whatnot.
Packing actually went a lot smoother than I thought it would go. Everything fits into my one (rather large) suitcase.  I really tried to not over pack- I'm bringing 1/3 of the stuff I brought to camp, and I hope I have about the same amount of luggage as everyone else.  I did, however, bring something that is totally not necessary at all, which would be my brand new laptop and Ipod speakers. And no, I did not have room for The Settlers of Catan, but if I have Catan withdrawals I'll have mom ship it to me! And anyway, I brought a really cool card game I learned at camp that will keep me and many others entertained for a long while :)
I will be waking up at 3:30 AM tomorrow to drive to the Oakland Airport for my 6:00 AM flight. I can't wait to meet all these cool people that I will be serving with, but it is rather unfortunate that I will be one of the last people arriving to Vicksburg (and probably one of the earliest to leave!)

Here is my address if you would like to send me a letter (and care packages are always appreciated too!)
Kristy Bouchard Class 19 FEMA Corps
AmeriCorps NCCC
2715 Confederate Ave.
Vicksburg, MS 39180