the end.

two days ago, about 140 of us from the pacific region campus in sacramento, california, graduated from our ten month service with FEMA corps. 

before the actual ceremony that morning, I was privileged enough to share a lovely hotel breakfast with general stanley mcchrystal, ceo of the corporation for national and community service wendy spencer, and the national director of americorps nccc kate raftery. there were a few team leaders and a few corps members in attendance as well. we recounted our FEMA corps experiences and shared our thoughts on the future of national service while emphasizing the importance of serving others over several cups of coffee and some fluffy soul-warming biscuits. 

graduating from FEMA corps was one of the highlights of my life thus far and will be a prominent accomplishment I carry with me here on out. I am so incredibly proud of each and every person who walked across that stage tuesday morning, being handed their certificate that states their completion of the ten month program. we've overcome the obstacles and challenges that come with a new program while voicing our opinions and suggestions in hopes of bettering the program for future service members. 

unfortunately this will be the end of my blog (unless I decide to take on another year in those khakis? who knows what the future holds). but in the meantime...I will take the skills and insight I've gained from this past year and go forth in trying to make this world a better place, one step at a time.  

three more days

we've turned in our computers, FEMA badges, iPads, blackberrys, FEMA gear, red duffels, leftover khakis, and personal protective equipment (hard hat, safety vest, goggles, gloves). 

it's saturday and we started our morning out at 6am with a timed 1.5 mile baseline, complete with 2min push-ups and sit-ups. 

today has consisted of napping, our final celebration (a slideshow), turning in everything, napping, a generously catered bbq, and now another nap before my team and I celebrate an early christmas/thanksgiving with our secret santas. 

vastness

it's the moments where I'm driving the first shift at 7 in the morning with maria as my safety, the rocky mountains to my left, the last of the great plains to my right, the van fast asleep, music fitting the drive perfectly, and some better-than-usual hotel coffee in my cup holder. these are the moments I'll miss the most. (ok, there are many moments I'm going to miss...these are just a portion of them). 

there's nothing like driving the entire day through the sun-drenched plains of kansas only to be greeted around dinner time by the rockies in front of you. we stopped in denver yesterday evening to visit the "before I die" wall art project that is currently being exhibited in cities and countries across the world. (link to the website:   ) 

today we're traveling through wyoming and utah to end up in nevada for our last night on the road of our last cross-country trip. 

this country surprises me sometimes. there is so much beauty in the endless flat and mountainous earth that sprawls through the middle of the country. it reminds me how small I really am in relation to the world. all of the problems that I encounter and feel are too much to handle, they're all specks of illusion in the scheme of things. driving around the bend on the 80 going through wyoming and being greeted with a large snowy mountain, it takes your breath away. I'm just this little person in this little van driving on this narrow road in the middle of this vast landscape. sometimes I wish I could take everything in at each moment that I'm alive to experience it all. 

missouri stop

with only seven more days left of the program, it's pretty crazy to imagine myself at home in my bed without seven other people around me all the time. I've been living out of hotels and a duffel bag for the past nine and a half months and to think about being somewhere permanently is so foreign right now. and I guess I won't even be home permanently because after sevenish weeks, I'll be packing up to move to new york city to attend fordham university. 

we're currently driving out of st louis, missouri (where we dined on grilled cheese and tomato soup and took photos with the arch). driving through the country is a fascinating thing. there are so many different types of homes and communities and people and hobbies. I've been comparing my soon-to-be home (new york) with, for example, southern illinois or even louisville, kentucky, and it's so interesting to see the different lives people live (even if just on the surface). I can't believe nyc and the rural towns of the great plains (passing through those soon-staying in kansas tonight) are a part of the same country. I feel so lucky to have gotten to experience so much of this country and meet so many wonderful and different people along the way, from those we've worked closely with to those we've given our elevator speech to during pee breaks at gas stations across america. had I not been in this program, who knows if I would have ever climbed up on a hay barrel at sunset in nebraska for the sake of an iphone photo or have stayed at jellystone park in a small cabin in missouri with yogi the bear and boo boo. oh the things I've done and the places I've gone. 

also: fall photo shoot taken in st louis (all under fifteen minutes as the meter we parked at was 15 min only. now THATs impressive).

back home

we just left our candlewood suits home of the last two months and are embarking on our journey back across the country.

8 duffel bags, 8 laptops, 8 sleeping bags, 8 people+all of their accessories (snacks, pillows, second bags of miscellaneous items...) it's a tad crowded in this van but I am so comfortable here in the back seat amid all the chaos with my feet propped up on my bag full of diabetes supplies (or more commonly known as "the beetus bag"). 

saying goodbye to the beautiful changing virginia countryside for the last time and heading to indiana for the night.

in five short (or long?) days, I'll be back in sacramento with the rest of the corps who have been spread across the country the past few months (everywhere from missouri to texas to colorado to alaska). I can't wait to see all of their beautiful faces and hear about everyone else's deployments. 

in the meantime, however, I will be putting my phone down and going back to sleep (what better time for a van nap than at 7:35am?) before I get carsick or this cross country trip is going to get real long real fast (too detailed?) 

goodbye winchester. it's been real.

last day

our last day of work with FEMA. ever.

we just stepped off (or rather drove off) mount weather after working there for a little more than two months. (and yes, nathan, I am updating the blog only a few minutes after we left). the last two months were spent working with some of the most wonderful people I'll probably ever having the pleasure of working with. thank you all for your endless help and support when we did dsci's and didn't check F2 first and those times when we didn't put in the corresponding other duty travel training course information. again, thank you. 

it's friday evening and we are driving down the mountain watching the most beautiful sunset I can imagine, listening while jay blasts michael jackson, trying to plan when to have the van packed by tomorrow. 

sunday morning we will be hopping in the van to drive back across the country for the last time. we have eleven more days of americorps life and then will be plopped back into familiar territory. 

farmer's market

first, there were swarms of stink bugs (I went from never seeing a stink big before to becoming so well-acquainted with them I could probably give all of the west coast an extensive history of the stinkers), and now there are swarms of lady bugs.* we've got eight more days of work here at mt weather and will be heading back to sacramento before we know it.

I'll definitely be missing these autumn leaves, crisp country air, and beautiful scenic drives. 

this past weekend was spent visiting a local farmer's market and browsing the organically grown fruits, vegetables, meats, and gluten free goodies. there were jams of all kinds and jars and jars of apple butter (which is a relatively new concept to me and I am so glad we've been introduced because it is delicious). we ended up buying a large container of unpasteurized apple cider, recommendation courtesy of a FEMA deployment employee. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful fall weekend.

*I would like to point out that, after an extensive conversation with two of my coworkers, these creatures are not lady bugs. they are, in fact, asian lady beetles. and they bite.