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!