Round 5

I am officially one month in, and all is going well in Americorps land. I have held a volunteer party (awkward conversations and generic prizes required), called to ask for donations (oops, you're hosting a hygiene product drive right now? Thanks, and keep going!), directed 40+ volunteers in a room that holds 10 people comfortably, and ran an event that wasn't wildly successful in its goals (getting rid of excess clothing donations) but wildly successful in teaching both myself and Irene (my supervisor) what is important and what works.

I have also bonded with my coworkers - about the crazies that Violeta encounters on the front desk of the Center, why Ruby ends up listening to endless stories from her clients at her health insurance appointments. Irene and I got lost and when we asked a woman in a quiet manicured suburb for directions, she hurriedly kept walking her dog and said she had no idea where Highway 26 was - because the two twenty-somethings in business casual are pretty dangerous looking. We had a good laugh over that one.

As you can see, I have already fell behind in blogging, which isn't a surprise considering I feel that I haven't had a spare moment in the past six weeks. Not only my schedule, but my mind feels like it is constantly chock full, just a drawer you hurriedly stuff papers into while deciding to ignore that it reached capacity sometime ago. After all, where else are you going to put your notes?

Besides the days that work dominates my life (Monday through Thursday), it seems a feat on the weekends to finish a few simple chores. I am reveling in the fact that I bought laundry soap this weekend, and still dreaming of the day the organization of my room extends beyond floor piles. I have absolutely loved the past two weekends - last week I flew back to CA for my friend's wedding, and this weekend college friends reunited. We even made a full Thanksgiving dinner for our friend who is leaving for the Peace Corps in less than a month. It has been truly wonderful! But for the one who feels lonely after an hour by myself (it's true), I am really looking forward to a few hours where I can wake up late, watch tv, and watch the hours slip away without the sense of panic.

I don't know if this hectic, full-to-the-brim lifestyle is uniquely Americorps or uniquely mine. I do know that this is supposed to be about my Americorps experiences and so the next post will (I promise!) be less complaining about my oh-so-busy but enjoyable life, and more about my actual work at HFRC.

Love you all!