The past week or so has been incredibly eventful. Training has consumed the majority of my life as well as working out/ weight lifting in the evenings. So by the time my day actually is over, I am completely ready for bed. Which is mostly the reason why I have not been able to update lately. But! I will do better in this coming week.
CTI is coming to an end, and the induction ceremony is Wednesday. I can then say that I am truly apart of AmeriCorps NCCC. It is very bitter sweet because I know that I will have to say goodbye to the majority of my unit and especially those that I have become very close to over the past few weeks. My AmeriFamily is splitting up for now, but we will be reunited soon during transitions. Over the past 2 weeks we have been completing hours and hours of lecture training. This includes anything from "Healthy Lifestyles" to American Red Cross CPR, AED and First Aid training! So if anyone is choking, unconscious, or has a wound I am certified to help. :) But... please don't... I would prefer not to use my skills....
Last weekend was filled with ISP (independent service projects). I spent my Saturday morning cleaning CPR mannequins at the American Red Cross. It was fitting for Halloween since we had to peel faces off of the adult and children mannequins and then laid the "bodies" out on the lawn. It was fitting for a horror movie... Sunday I got to put my acting skills to use at the Denver Children's Museum Trick or Treat Street. I was Curious George... full mascot costume, handler, and all. I have to give props to the men and women at Disney World. That thing was HOT! But it was so worth it seeing the excited look (at least what I could see through the mouth of the monkey) on the children's faces and getting hugged and pictures taken with. I felt like a genuine celebrity :). Despite the heat, it was a blast, and I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate Halloween than helping kids make their Halloween magical.
So now the time that you all, and especially I have been waiting for! I found out yesterday who I will spending the next 9 months of my life with! WATER TEAM 6! Fire Management group. I MADE FIRE MANAGEMENT!!! Can you just sense my excitement?? The process for trying out for this team has been strenuous and tiring but in the end it will be totally worth it! We started out with an interview between the Team Leader and the Unit Leader. As well as wrote an essay on why we wanted to do Fire Management. Then a week later we did our baselines. Ran a mile and did as many push ups and sit ups in 2 minutes as we could. After that, the waiting began. And yesterday I found out that I actually made it! I kind of kept it on the down low cause I was worried that I was not going to make it. There were 4 spots for girls with 7-8 girls who tried out plus ones from a different Unit.
Yesterday we played games and were lead on a scavenger hunt to find out our teams. The team leader Alex, had been implying to me that I would not be in the fire group, so I could accept it. But when I got my final clue "Go Get Buff" I knew that something was up. I walked over to the gym and saw my team for the first time. I saw 4 of my good friends standing there (all who had tried out for fire) and as the other 4 walked through the door I had realized officially that they will be my family for the next 9 months. And thus the jumping, squealing, and giggling commenced. A huge group hug took place, then we continued on our quest to find Alex. We wandered around campus answering clues until we ended up at the AmeriCorps offices where we were supposed to meet him. In an Alex fashion, he was about 10 minutes late to show up, but we were all united at last! He told us that he got everyone he wanted on his team (not like he would say any different) and that it will be the most challenging months of our lives, but worth it in the end. We will be doing environmental type projects, prescribed burns, and even fight wild fires. By the time training is done and I pass the pack test (3 miles in 45 min with a 45 lb pack on my back) I will be a Red Card certified Type II wildland firefighter!!! What that means.. I'm not quite sure. But I will let you know as soon as I find out!!
So the count down begins!!! Next Saturday I leave for Gray Summit, MO to work for the Shaw Nature Reserve building trails! I am sooo excited! It is 35 minutes outside of STL and we will be staying in a hotel. Alex said that since we will most likely be in remote places for our 2nd and 4th projects he wanted to stay somewhere nice. :) It will be awesome. Water 6 is amazing and I cannot wait to see what will transpire in the coming months. I know that I will be pushed and challenged and will be tired and frustrated but in the end, I will be so incredibly proud of what I will have accomplished AND I will be completely in shape!!
Get excited for some gorgeous pictures coming up from future hiking trips, ISP's, and wild fires!! I will try to update soon!
Love you all,
Kris
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