Round 1, here we come!

Hello everyone!

Living out of two bags for the next 9 months!

It has been a little over two weeks now that I left for Sacramento. I am really loving it here so far. I must admit though, it is hard to get use to all the rules that come along with being an AmeriCorps member. I have had no trouble following them, of course. I am just not use to such a structured lifestyle. Even though it has been an adjustment, it feels nice to have more structure in my life. 

Right when I arrived to campus I got to meet my team. There are nine of us including my team leader. I hate to brag, but I have an AWESOME team! Our team name is Gold 1. I am rooming with two of my teammates, Elena and Sarah. We all have one thing in common and that is being from the Midwest. It is a tight squeeze with three of us in one room, but we make it work!

Most of my time here so far has been participating in the Corps Training Institute (CTI). I understand the importance of it, but it is clear everyone is anxious for it to be over. Other than CTI, we had one small project in Sacramento the first weekend we arrived. It was "Make a Difference Day" in Sacramento, and we had the opportunity to work at two different locations. The first place we worked was at Mercy Housing, which is a low income apartment complex. They have this amazing community garden inside the complex, and our job was to pull weeds and clean the garden shed. I really liked this project because this garden provides healthy food for people who cannot afford it. Community gardens are something that our nation needs more of so that even people and families of low income can have access to healthy food. Lets face it, it is expensive to eat healthy! The second place my team and I worked at that day was at Luther Burbank High School. Our job was digging up roots so that a garden could be placed where these HUGE roots were located. We also started on a wheel chair path that will run along the side of the garden. This work was physically demanding, and that is one thing I really enjoyed about this project

My team at Mercy Housing

It was cool that we had some small projects to do in Sacramento. My team and I are excited about Round 1 though, especially because we now know where we are going! We are doing a split round, which means we are going to two different locations. The first place we are going is a camp right outside of Yosemite National Park, called Camp Lodestar. This camp primarily serves summer youth camps, adult retreat groups, and outdoor education programs. We will mostly be doing fuel reduction and clearing hiking trails. I am SO EXCITED about this project, because doing any sort of hands on environmental work is what I want to do. The second camp that we are going to is called Walker Creek Ranch, which is located in Petaluma, CA. This camp is similar to Camp Lodestar considering they both focus on outdoor education, but what is cool about our time spent here is working directly with kids. I will admit that working with kids is going to be a challenge for me. I am ready for a challenge though, and I think it will have a positive impact on me. 

What comes with all this excitement about Round 1 is a lot of work and planning! Although with my specific job positions, I do not have to do a crazy amount of work until I get to the camps. My jobs on my team are the Environmental Liaison, Physical Training Coordinator, and Chain Sawyer. I wanted all of these positions, so I am happy, happy, happy! They all sound fun and challenging for me, which is exactly what I want. 

Jessi, Elena, and Glover in front of the State Capitol

Monday through Wednesday are going to be crazy here on campus, but I will try my best to give an update before I leave campus. Thanks for those who are interested in what I am doing! I hope you all are doing well!