This project was born in an attempt for me to keep my sanity. It also has the added bonus of encouraging me to write at more regular intervals. I will attempt to document my life in a way that is at the very least entertaining to me. I’m choosing to share this with the world; it is my gift to you, the reader. If you don’t like it you can’t really take it back, sorry.
Some names have been changed to protect identities. Except for mine, I really am Sara.
Subtlety is not my forte. I have trouble holding things back. I know that. I’ve been trying to not let on too much, as of late. I hope that this will be enough to give you a glimpse into my life right now, without saying too much:
I need mountains in my life as often as possible.
I’m fueled with a new creative streak that I was lacking a month ago.
It could be the humidity; it’s probably not.
Sweet Tea and porch swings have been reintroduced into my life as something that is necessary for survival.
There are 69 days left of AmeriCorps. Grandmother Pens always told me not to count today because it's already happened. Which means I have 69 days to figure out what exactly it is that I'm going to do next. I have a plan and a back up plan, and a back up plan for the back up plan. I'm kind of a planner. I don't like feeling lost and unsure. I enjoyed this adventure, but I'm happy to finally have an end in sight. Our final round projects have been revealed and I will be living four miles away working with St. Bernard Project, re-building houses for people who lost their homes in the floods of Katrina. It will be nice to learn new skills and be building houses again. I have really enjoyed this project and I'm sad that I won't be able to finish out the year with RSD. It would have been the best project to end on. Fortunately, St. Bernard Project is an Ameri-favourite so I'm not really missing out too much.
I don't really know what else to say other than: I'm kind of hoping that we have a composite team offered up for round 4. If not I will be happy to finish out the year with my team, if so I will be happy to apply to work on disaster relief. I really wanted to do some disaster relief this year. Although, I didn't really want to wish for disasters. But they have happened so the possibility for a composite team is more likely now than it was before the flood in TN, the tornadoes in Arkansas and the oil spill in the gulf.
In the end, I'm happy to be able to work and do good regardless of what it is. I'm excited to finish out this program and return to a somewhat normal life.... although I doubt that I'll have a "normal" job for a year or so. I am kind of planning on doing something different and that I won't be able to do once I am a fully fledged adult. Basically, I want another year or two without a career. I'm hoping my plans work out. I'm praying they will.
This weekend I went on an adventure to Robbinsville, North Carolina. It’s a small town in Graham County in the midst of the Smokey Mountains. I’ve not seen a place this beautiful since I was last in Mecca, California. Both of these places evoke a special kind of heart palpitation, that drives my creativity and I switch between pen and pencil with new ideas. I think it’s interesting that, me a self-proclaimed suburbanite can find such contentment in places that are comparatively remote. There is something about mountains that move me in a way that I can’t explain. Perhaps because I grew up at sea level I’m in awe of being so high. Or maybe it’s because there are very few natural elements that can compare to the magnitude of mountains. Thinking back to it, what I loved most about Scotland was the luscious rolling hills, and the hairy coos.
Like Mecca, in Robbinsville no one seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere. People seem content to just hang out and chat and enjoy each other’s company. Unlike the city or even suburbia where the overwhelming need to go pushes you forward, quick and hurried and self absorbed. I enjoyed feeling like people were genuinely interested in what I do, and where I came from. I mean in a sense I’m a foreigner in those parts. I’m new and different. Of course people want to know what this outsider is doing. It still felt nice to be around people who seemed interested.Sometimes, I feel that the people I left behind are more absorbed by their own life. Rightfully so, I guess.
It was surreal to go to a place where the closest Wal-Mart was about an hour a way. I enjoyed the isolation, and frankly I didn’t feel isolated, as I wasn’t alone on my adventure. I met a lot of interesting and really intelligent people. It was a nice change of pace to just listen to people for a while; to just hang out and think about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. There is possibly more to say, but I’m still not at the point where I want to write about it. I will say that this past weekend has inspired me to want to write and draw and create. I'm hoping to run with my creativity and put it to good use.
This past week my team and I have been working at different schools throughout the recovery school district here in New Orleans. Here’s a recap.
Tuesday
We worked at George Washington Carver Elementary and went on a field trip to the wetlands. It was really great getting to work directly with students. They were funny, intelligent and a bunch of them are characters. Before going to the wetlands we met the principal of Carver. She is an inspiration, from the stories I’ve heard she has really turned the school around. She talks with children individually and gives them her attention she knows most of their names and seems to genuinely care. She showed us around the classrooms and had the kids recite poems for us.
At the wetlands we planted native species and transplanted some more to help restore them. We worked with an organization called Bayou Rebirth. The kids had a great time and jumped into the water. They seemed excited to be able to leave the classroom for the day.
Wednesday
In the morning we went to Second Harvest, which is a food distribution center. We prepared food boxes to help families in areas affected by the oil spill. It was cool to be able to do something with tangible results. We worked with some members of Blue 6, they’re really great and it was nice to be able to work with different people.
In the afternoon, we went to John MacDonogh high school to start bleacher removal. Troy our site supervisor was able to get a company to donate a new gym floor. For the majority of our first day we tried to figure out what we was needed to be done. We didn’t have instructions and had to figure out the best way to remove them. Obviously, it’s not the most complicated thing in the world, but we did learn that we had to work from the bottom up instead of the top back.
Thursday
We continued bleacher removal in the morning and in the afternoon we went to Fannie C. Williams elementary school to help with a field day. I helped with the face-painting booth. I probably unknowingly painted gang signs on some kids. It’s hard to think that kids that young already know about that stuff. That they are aware of how real it is. I refused to paint teardrops under one kids eye. I did paint a number of black and gold fleur de lis.I didn’t even know how to draw one until that afternoon. It was kind of crazy. It was cool to see the kids get a chance to do something fun at school. They all seemed to enjoy it. Our unit leader was also around for our mid-site visit.My team leader knows where we’re going but can’t tell us yet. I’m hoping to know soon. I’m going to call it now and say that it’s likely we’re going to Baton Rouge. But I won’t know for sure until she says so herself. I might apply for a composite team for fourth round. It depends on what the project is, and if I can find out about the application process.
Friday and Saturday
We worked on Bleacher removal both Friday and Saturday. Our quickest removal was 2 hours and 10 minutes. I was sick Friday and Saturday so I went to the doctor and they gave me two shots. One shot was Cortisone and I don’t know what the other is. I’m kind of concerned that they didn’t tell me. Troy thinks it was B-12. I felt really well yesterday but today I feel worst. I’ve never heard of getting shots for a head cold.
This weekend, I’m not doing much of anything but next weekend I’m heading out of town. I’m excited to go on an adventure of a different sort. It should be a mix between relaxing get away, fun filled weekend, and finding a job and apartment. I’m hoping to figure out some sort of plan for my next step in the next couple of months, seeing as I don’t have much of a choice.In the meantime I’m going to make the best of what I have, because what I have is pretty wonderful.
It is Tuesday, but I have yet to go to Treme. I am exhausted right now. Today, my team and I worked with Carver Elementary school and we ended up on a field trip to the wet lands. I didn't take any pictures but I know such pictures exist. I have been slacking on the picture front as of late. I am trying my best to enjoy New Orleans, and am marginally succeeding. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I've been hanging out with cool people and that I've been able to experience things I wouldn't be able to do elsewhere. I am exhausted from the sun and heat. It's only going to get worst as summer is upon us.
I am continuing my job search and am still looking for jobs all over the country. I am unsure where I will end up. Unfortunately, I haven't heard back from KaBoom! Although, the more I think about it, the more I just want to stay in one place for awhile. I am starting to become burnt out on moving all the time. On average I've moved three times a year for the past six years. It would be nice to have somewhere to call home for a while.
