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
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