Week 2- College Freshman Orientation 101

It seems like the weekends fly by, but the week seems to drag on.  This past week was a LONG one.  I was on Divine River 9.  Our Team Leader refers to her team with a nice southern accent as Divine River 9.  Joining this team made me feel a little worried because of how well my first team got along.  Much to my surprise, week 2 went just as smoothly as week 1 did.  Our team meshed well together and we all had a lot of fun.  This week consisted of very boring classroom discussion that made us all feel like we were college freshman at orientation, but they are important to learn and have if you want to be successful in the program.  Monday we woke up with the sun to travel to the military park in Vicksburg to do our baseline testing.  We had to run 1.5 miles and do as many sit-ups and push-ups as we could in a minute.  The number 37 was all over my baseline.  After that nice way to start the day, we were in diversity training all day.  The man teaching it was interesting, but the content was very monotonous.  Tuesday brought me back to my driver's ed days.  This day was van training.  We had the morning of learning the rules of the road, then the afternoon we got to drive.  I happily got into the drivers seat of the 15p and passed that test.  I will bring my supurb driving skills from Mass to Mississippi as I drive.  Wednesday we had a training on the power of language and how to speak to individuals who are not the same as you, as well as how to converse with other Corps Members.  We had CPR, First Aid, and AED training for an entire day on Thursday.  Friday, we had disaster relief training from the Red Cross, which made the day drag.  Over all, we powered through the week just to get to the weekend off.  I will say though, since I got here, I have started some daily affirmations and I feel good starting off each day.  I spread the love around to just about everyone I run in to.  It started as a joke because of our uniforms, but now I wake up and tell myself and the girls I live with that they look good.  A lot of people think it's funny, but I think it helps to get through the day in our beautiful khaki and gray uniforms.

The best day of the week had to be yesterday.  It was around 72 degrees out and the sun was surely shining (you could tell if you could see me right now).  My two friends and I took blankets outside around 11:30 and laid out until 2:00.  It was the best moment of the week.  I got a little too much sun, but it was relaxing and I was just so  happy to be taking life in on the grass with two of my good friends.  After our real strenuous day we took a nap then got ready to take on Vicksburg down town again.  We decided that a group of 10 of us were going to go out to dinner.  I must say, it was the BEST dinner I have had in a long time.  We went to a restaurant called Rusty's.  Don't let the name fool you.  It was unreal.  I got red fish that was covered in a craw fish sauce and cheese grits on the side.  Real southern.  I did not what so ever like the grits, but the fish didn't stand a chance.  So basically, the highlight of my week was doing nothing and eating southern fish.  The real reason I am here.

This week coming up is AmeriCorps Week.  I volunteered to be an AmeriCorps Ambassador and will be going Thursday out into the city to speak to people about AmeriCorps.  I have been brushing up on my Vicksburg facts and facts about the program.  I am excited to be telling people how important this program is to me, and to our country.  I get to wear my "Ameri-tux" instead of the nice khaki garb that I rock everyday.  I am excited for the day.

Tuesday we find out our permanent teams.  This is making me a little nervous, but I am sure that I will make the best of whatever team I am put on.  I am looking forward to learning about each person on my team that will become my Ameri-family for the next 9 months.  Tonight we are going to a dinner at the church of one of the staff members here.  She is having the entire Corps from this base to her church for a nice big meal.  I am looking forward to meeting some Vicksburg folk outside of the AmeriCorps.

So that's it for week 2.  Sorry this post was not as fun as the last two, but I am sure the next one will be since I will know my team!  I hope you all enjoy your week, especially your St. Patrick's Day on Saturday!  I will surely miss Boston Saturday and the green dye that usually is spread around 10 Thomas on Mom's favorite holiday!  Have a few green beers for me, I will most likely be camping with my new team instead of celebrating one of my favorite days being Irish.  Erin go bragh!