"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