PICTURES!

So I promised a while ago that I would attach pictures. So here are some of the pictures that I have taken since I have been here.

The Colorado Heights Campus:

Red Rock Amphitheater:

Hiking at Rocky National Park in Boulder:

That is all the new pictures for now! I will post more later!!

<3

College... With a Twist

The past week has been absolutely crazy, but amazing none the less. Every day that I am here, I feel more and more like this is where I am supposed to be. Although it has only been 10 days since I arrived, I have really started to make this place my home. 

The fall has come fast in Denver and the leaves were already changing. There was this beautiful tree that was completely red on the top, faded into orange and yellow and then green underneath. It is also fun watching the snow caps grow on the Rockies from our campus.

My week started out with a Water Unit trip to Boulder, where we went hiking. It was absolutely GORGEOUS! Cold and rainy... but fun none the less. The hike was really easy and when we got to the half way point, we were able to climb up these huge rocks to overlook a small stream that ran through. It was a great bonding experience for our entire unit, and I am really thankful for that. I have met most everyone in the Unit (70 people).

 I have also become really close to people from my first group. We now consider ourselves a "family" with a few people added in there as distant cousins. Our family spends most weekday evenings watching Disney movies and going to parks. Which is awesome after a long day of lectures.

Tuesday was spent doing Driver's training. Yes, I got to drive the huge 15 passenger van, and guess what? I PASSED!! Yay! So now all I have to do is drive 2 more times with a Team Leader and I will be a certified driver. AWESOME. The day was spent driving around Denver. We went around downtown, to the Red Rock Amphitheater, up in the mountains to Buffalo Bill's supposed grave site, and back to campus. It was an experience to say the least. And what better way to get to know your temporary team than to spend 4 hours in a car with them. 

The rest of the week was spent in the classrooms listening to lectures. Mostly about rules and what we will be doing for the next 10 months. However, we did have a presentation by the Red Cross about what we will be doing with disaster relief. I cannot wait. It seems like it will be very emotionally trying and physically exhausting, but it reminds me more and more of why I am here, and that this is what I am supposed to be doing. If I can make even the smallest differentness in one person's life, then I will be happy. 

Yesterday we got to do our first service project. Our temporary teams were broken up into two groups and then assigned 10 6th graders (there was around 600 of them). However, my team's 6th graders didn't show up, so we stole 5 boys from another group and made them help us :). We went to a Cherry Creek National Park and was in charge of cutting down an invasive weed called Mullen. This involved using huge clippers, chopping off the seeds and then stabbing the roots with a shovel. It was right up the boys alley, and was a lot of fun for us to help and watch. The boys were fun until they lost interest about half way through and started chasing each other with tools and spitting on each other... a charming reminder of why I should not teach middle school aged children. By the end of the day we were happy to see them go, and very proud of all the work we accomplished. As a whole we managed to cut down 2500 pounds of Mullen. Go AmeriCorps!!

That is about all for my week! I am trying to convince the family to go to the aquarium with me this weekend! So wish me luck on that :) 

I love you all and miss you! I will update again soon!!

Kris

Is This Really Happening?

Location: The Mile High City


So, I am finally here, and slowly but surely getting settled. In all honesty, I am in complete and utter denial that I am actually here. It still all seems like a dream. It actually reminds me a lot of TU during orientation, where they threw everyone together and forced us to become friends. It has only been 2 days and I am meeting some incredible people. I have made some great friends with my temporary team (though we sadly changed teams today). It is amazing how quickly people can bond. We have only known each other for 2 days and I feel like I have known them forever.


 There are definitely some personalties and the population is very diverse, but I have a feeling that I will learn a lot about people and how to deal with those types of personalities. I am in the Water Unit, which doesn't mean much (just a way for them to break us up), but my unit seems AWESOME. Everyone is very welcoming, and the team leader are hysterical. I am greatly looking forward to the next 10 months.


For those of you who don't really know what I will be doing for the next 10 months, don't worry, I don't fully know either. So we will learn together! What I do know though, is that AmeriCorps NCCC is a government funded organization who hired 18-24 year olds to do community service for non profits.Our main focus will be disaster relief. Over the next 10 months I will complete probably well over 1700 hours of community service. I cannot wait!!! I already signed up to volunteer at the Denver Children's Museum during their Halloween Party on the 31st. It should be a lot of fun. We do not find out our permanent teams until November 4th, along with we will find out where we are going for the first time! Until then they are shuffling us around with team leaders and different people trying to figure out who works well with who and what personalities go with what.


The past two days have been kind of a blur, and to be honest, not that eventful (paperwork, lectures on rules, etc). Though it has all been very exciting! People have quickly come to realize  that a) I am easily amused, b) I giggle a lot, and c) I am easily excitable and perky. Which is good. I guess I would rather be outgoing and friendly than shy and off putting. Half of me wonders when the energy is going to wear off and I am going to crash... I can feel it coming.


The campus itself is beautiful. We were driving around near Federal Blvd (where the campus is) earlier, and it just shined in the background. It sets on a hill overlooking the Rocky Mountains (pictures come soon). I have truly blessed to be in such a gorgeous location.


So, now the fun part... the uniforms.... How to describe them... There will be pictures eventually, once Benton, Kyleigh, and I do our fashion show. But they are to say the least, hideous... comfortable, but hideous. I think I can fit a small child or person in my pants/ shorts... My plan for no make up may not come true, since I need to find some way to look feminine... I had to say goodbye to my nose ring this morning, a sad time. It will take a lot to get used to, but that's okay. 




That is about all for now. My roommate Kelly and I are about to have a movie night in our room :) EXCITING! She is another Disney fan... it's a start to a great friendship :) I love you all and will try to update soon. I do not have an internet cable so I am borrowing Kelly's. So please don't be offended if I do not update for a few days!!


OH! before I forget... If you plan to mail me something, PLEASE PLEASE call me or text me and let me know. We have a "Mail call" that we have to go to to get our mail, and they will not tell us other wise. So I need to know if I should start going to those :). 


Thanks!!! Love you, Miss you and talk to you soon!!


Kris

"Leavin' On a Jet Plane..."

 ‎"I have an irrepressible desire to live till I can be assured that the world is a little better for my having lived in it."– Abraham Lincoln

Location: Danville, CA

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time really does go by. It seems like just yesterday that Elyse called me before our typical Wednesday lunch date with Deidra, to ask me if I wanted to go talk with "AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps)" before we ate. I agreed, having never heard of them before, slightly intrigued, but more or less going along for moral support (plus normally the companies that came in to ACAC gave out free things... and what is more exciting to a college student that free stuff!) After talking to a rep from the NCCC program and after encouragement/ persuasion from Elyse, I decided to apply. And now, almost 7 months later, in less than 2 days, I begin my adventure of a lifetime. 

The more time that has gone by, the more and more excited I have gotten. I have the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life: to give back to a community and a world that has given so much to me. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I get to travel all over the country. I will get to meet and befriend people from all over the country, each from different backgrounds and cultures. 


At first when I started befriending fellow Corps members via Facebook, I was a little worried about having things in common. But when I started thinking about it, no matter how different we all are and where we come from, we are coming together to form a complete team. One that hopefully when our term is done, we will have left the world a little better than it was before we started.


The next 10 months will be challenging; both emotionally and phyiscally draining. My team and I will be pushed to our limits. And I have no doubt that at times (when I'm in the middle of a forest, freezing... tired... and grumpy :) ) I will wonder why the world I decided to do this, when I could be warm in my bed, curled up with my kitty. But hopefully my inner desire to make a difference and leave my mark on the world will carry me through. 


When I board a plane in the Oakland Airport on October 13th, 2010 at 5:50 AM, starting a fresh and exciting chapter in my life, I am knowingly and willingly accepting, that I will not be the same person when I am finished. 


So, I say bring it on!


Love you all,
Kris