(almost) the end of week one!

Yesterday was an amazing day. I know because every muscle in my body aches. Yesterday I was a runner in the field. For the most part I drive the truck to the squads in the field and drop off water and ice and tools for the volunteers. After everyone has everything they need (and its needed) I suit up for chainsawing!! Yesterday I got to use a 441, which was amazing! Toward the end of the day I pick up tools and coolers. Yesterday afternoon I did some old fashioned muscle work. The volunteers are moving debris from around the houses to the road, so that the army corps can pick up the piles. Building materials, bricks, trash, tree branches, etc all have their own piles. Personal effects are put back on the foundation of the house for the homeowner to reclaim. I got to work alongside some. Cool volunteers hauling material closer to the sidewalk for a while. Two days ago I was working with an older man and chatting. He likes chainsaws, is moving to Boulder, and ten years ago biked across the country. We talked about that. He was impressed that I rode west. And the day before that I impressed some volunteers with their tiny chainsaws when I showed up to help them with a large tree. I was later referred to as that tiny girl with the chainsaw. :)

Joplin day 2

Joplin: day 2
Yesterday we arrived in Joplin. Today was our first big day of work. I'm exhausted because theres so many people around, but I'll try to post regular updates.
Today I was about two minutes from being handed a chainsaw and pointed in the right direction. Almost the best day ever. But just moments before all my dreams came true the girl in charge of everythig requested that I use my cargo van to move the office out of MSSU and into the new office building, about ten minutes away. So I spent the day driving around and moving stuff. It was a easy but tiring day. There's 9 NCCC teams here now, plus a couple conservation corps, and the Americorps Saint Louis team. And today there were 177 volunteers helping out (which I'm told is a big drop off). Any way my dreams of chainsawing live on in the hopes that they will be fulfilled on the morrow.

Going to Joplin

Well, our time in Independence is over. Yesterday I got the call that we are going to Joplin for disaster relief. We're headed there Sunday and we'll be there for the rest of the round. I'm excited to be part of such a huge effort to help people! I'm a little bummed to be leaving our project without finishing the house we're working on. Today we blue boarded almost the whole house, and started tyveking it. We also got all the windows and doors installed. I'm glad that in Joplin we'll be working 12 hour days, 6 days a week. I love my job. I especially love the service part of my job. The part where I am actually working and getting dirty, and getting things done! And I'm sad to say goodbye to Independence and the life we've built here. Libraries, and bike shops, morning runs and coffee shops. Ah well. Americorps will be over in 42 quickly moving days and then I can build my life in Denver :) Short story: I'm excited for Joplin!!!

Its a low kind of day

Ive never been around so much negativity in my life! These people just have bad attitudes about everything. Its really making me depressed. I used to be so optomistic. Or at least filled with positivity. Now even my private thought are full of negative instead of thinking "I like..." my thoughts tend toward "I hate" unstead of lists of highlights my thoughts are a countdown till the end. I'm just tired of constantly hearing "I dont like this" or "I wish I could change that." I dont understand why the CM's dont have a more positive attitude about work. Thus was most of their first choice project, the work is awesome (we've been demolishing a house) the area is beautiful, (warm and sunny nearly all the time) and the sponsor is great (they gave us 9,000 donuts for crying out loud!) Getting every one to actually do work is like pulling teeth. And Seeing everyone stand around with their negative attitudes is just stressing me out and making me wish this year was over. Wiah makes me incredible sad. I love this experience. Everyday is an adventure and interesting and I dont understand that everyone doesnt appreciate for such the gift that it is. It honestly makes me want to just get away. Im trying to take my vacation days to go to Denver and see Noel, but I honestly dont know if this team could handle being left alone for that long. I cant last 8 more weeks without a break from them though.

Missouri: week 2

This past week my team and I were working at the National VOAD (volunteer organizations active in disaster) conference. We helped people to register, answered questions, managed volunteers at the service project (a habitat build) and documented the conference with photo and video. I even got to proctor a session by announcing speakers talking about different disaster services. The hot topic of discussion was of course Joplin. Being around so many people ready to help in disaster really made me excited for the possibility that my team might get to respond to a disaster. As of right now we haven't been selected to respond. Other NCCC teams have already been deployed to Joplin, including Noel's team. So my team's chances of going to Joplin are slim, but as the round progresses other areas may be requesting assistance as flood waters recede. 
I'm excited to get back to our project. Last time we were on our Habitat site we got to do some decon, which was awesome, but theres still alot to do! This long weekend is killing me. I'm ready to get back to work! 
Triumphs of the weekend: ran 5.3 miles today
Applied for a job
Rode my bike
Finished two books
Found a $5 china buffet

Missouri: week 1

Missouri is beautiful. Our first week in Indepenence has been glorious. The project is just fantastic. We have enough work to keep everyone busy, a supervisor to guide us, and a cute little house to live in. Independence is a small little town. Its light out early in the mornings so I can go running as soon as i wake up. My calves hurt from running so much this week, after an extended hiatus in dark and rainy arkansas. 
Our first week on the project we had an orientation, met our supervisors, did odd jobs around a couple build sites, and then we started on our house. Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity has set aside one project that we will have ownership of. Its an old house that we are going to rehab. Friday we started by removing the appliances left there, taking down some beautiful old trim, then demolishing the crap out of the house! Basically everything except the outer walls is coming down! And then we'll rebuild it plus add on two rooms (for which the foundation has already been poured).
This week the team is going to support the VOAD conference in Kansas City. We are going to be running the registration table, helping with a service project, organizing the exhibitors and documenting the event. Its in the Hyatt Regency Hotel and my team has never felt so out of place as we did upon entering that classy establishment in our grungy uniforms. Should be an interesting week.

My highlights for week one:
Morning runs in my amazing new shoes (these are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned).
Independence libraries that are open until 9.
Seeing my friend Ben from last year in Americorps.
Being back with my permenant team.
Seeing a tornado.
Demolishing a house.

...

I laughed today. I dont remember laughing anytime in the last month.