thoughts

after spending several days gathering items to complete my duffel, such as a plastic set of utensils and dinnerware, a collapsible 6-shelf hanger, and a steel carabiner among other things, I have somewhat settled into the idea that I will be leaving shortly to move to Sacramento and from there travel to who knows where for who knows how long.

I have received interesting reactions to my AmeriCorps commitment. people have shared with me looks of pity, words of encouragement, as well as commendations for devoting time to the service of others. I've heard everything from "I would never ever have decided to do that, I don't know how you're going to do it" to "wow, that's a big job, I bow down to you" to "well, thank you for your service" (the latter of which caught me off guard and resulted in my response: 'thanks, you too!' ...perhaps I should think of a better last minute response for the next time someone thanks me for serving our country...)

it's been interesting preparing for this next bit of time in my life and as of now, I don't know whether I am in fact crazy for agreeing to live out of a used military duffel for several months or am exactly where I'm supposed to be as a recent college graduate. nevertheless, I plan to approach the next nine months with an open mind, a willing spirit, and a tightly stuffed duffel.

stay tuned..

trading my nose ring in for a military style duffel bag

news: my nose ring is out and my duffel is in. my military duffel bag has arrived and it smells just as wonderful as it looks

next step: to go out and buy some vacuum sealing packages to store my clothing, linens, blankets, and towels. I may even buy a mini febreze to permanently tape inside of the duffel.

AmeriCorps was kind enough to include a note into the package mentioning it would be a good idea to decorate and label my duffel to set it apart from everyone else's. my little sister enthusiastically offered to deck out my duffel for me, mainly so "I can have a little piece of her wherever I go and will never forget her." (I think she equates nine months to eternity...) but nevertheless, I may just be hosting a duffel decorating party at my house in the very near future (tomorrow?) if anyone is interested.

in the meantime, I will be gathering the last of my necessary items ("very good pair" of running shoes, long johns, a padlock for my duffel, etc.)

facebook

so my fellow FEMA Corps members have created a Facebook group which has become quite animated with posts in the past few days. so far I have learned...

-the military duffle bag that will be shipped to my house to pack all of my belongings for the next nine months is not quite as big as I believed it to be
-some members are planning to wake up BEFORE 5am to get an extra workout in before our scheduled Physical Training session with our team from 5-6am (which will be happening five days a week the first month we are there and then three days a week for the duration of our program)
-we will be shopping and cooking together as a team (which is where my self contained plate/bowl/utensils combo from REI enters the situation)
-we will be traveling pretty much immediately after the first month we will be there
-several people are vacuum sealing their sheets and blankets to fit in their duffels (which I hadn't considered doing and am now grateful for this Facebook page where we can share tips and ideas on how to fit our lives into one duffel bag and a backpack)

but mainly I've learned that everyone else is going into this nine month journey with an open mind and about as much knowledge of program specifics as I have (which is very minimal). everyone is coming to AmeriCorps whether right out of high school, recently graduated from college, or in between the two and just wanted a change of pace. ultimately, people are looking to spend some time away from their homes and to immerse themselves in this program where we can actively help other people on a daily basis. all in all, I have to say that I've come to the right place.