July Hello's

In the fourteen days since my last monthly highlights post, my world has been turned right-side-up. I cannot help but smile peacefully to myself when I think about the past two weeks. I’m in Mississippi, finally. I’ve been anticipating this move for over three months and now— here I am. I’m full of hope.

A Last Few Important Goodbyes

Who can say they are still in touch with their 3^rd grade teacher? I can. What’s more is that I can call her my friend. My last day in California, I hung out with my third grade teacher for over six hours. We talked about school, work, friends, family, love lives, memories—everything. I feel so honored to still be in touch with such an inspirational, encouraging, enthusiastic, and young-at-heart educator. I have had over 100 teachers in my educational career and I can still call her my favorite. What shocked and flattered me, however, was that I made an impact on her too. When we caught up, she handed me back a paper that I wrote back in 1999 that she has been using as an example since I was in her class. I am lucky to have another adult (that isn’t my family) that is so supportive of me and all my life’s endeavors. I am so grateful.

The Last Night with the Whole Family. If loving live music is genetic then I definitely inherited this from my father. For the past couple years I have been DYING to go to a dueling piano bar…so that is exactly what we all did for our last family outing (until my job’s winter break around Christmas). My Mom, Dad, brother and I went to The Derby to indulge in some live piano tunes. It was so entertaining singing at the top of my lungs with my whole family, smiling, laughing, and requesting tough songs like “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. I love my family to the moon and back. It’s going to be such a treat for all of us to be together again…even if it is still five months away…

July 24, 2013

The Big Day! California à Mississippi. Thank you a million times over to my brother Daniel for driving me to the airport on this morning. I brought one 37lb duffel bag, one large backpack, and one box full of bedding for the year, and that’s it. It took nearly all my self-control to not tap the person-next-to-me’s or the random-passers-by’s shoulders in all the airports and airplanes and tell them about the exciting journey I am beginning: Moving across the country and starting my first job out of college. Somehow, I was able to trap all my excited energy my entire journey…and proceeded to quickly let it all out once I arrived at my new home in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Day one was full of meeting (and quickly forgetting the names of) many new people. Within the first three hours of arriving at campus, I met the Unit Leaders, about 95% of the Team Leaders, my new roommate, the Regional Director, and a few more Southern Region Campus Staff. We had a quick “what we expect from you in your new home” chat with our bosses, ate a delicious Italian dinner, and unpacked the few belongings we lugged here.

My old home...

And my new home :)

More than half the time I enter a new environment (especially when the environment includes new people) I have a really hard time “putting myself out there”. I am a creature of habit, a homebody, a stay-in-bed-curled-up-with-a-book kind of person. In my job with AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps, I really am trying to put myself out of my comfort zone as often as possible. On my first day, I ran with a group of people (I usually prefer to run alone), I ran when it was amazingly humid out (I lived in California my whole life—what is humidity?) and I went swimming (I am NOT a swimmer). Check check and check! Day one and I was off to a good start on the whole out-of-my-comfort-zone thing. Phew!

Knowing and Respecting my Limits

Despite the desire to be out of my comfort zone, I also know my limits and have learned how to respect them over the years. I am an introvert through and through despite most of my old friend’s and new acquaintance’s doubts. I think I have finally mastered the art of being an introvert as it applies to me. When I’m not in the mood to be social I can write in my journal, work on my blog, sneak off to the old chapel to play keyboard and sing, call my mom, listen to music, or read whatever book I’m in the middle of. And yes, in the 8 days of living in Vicksburg, I have already done all of these things—at least once. I am grateful to be entering this new chapter of my life with a heightened knowledge of myself and how I operate most effectively. Twenty-two is a great year to start this adventure.

FEMA Corps

On July 31, 2013 all the Southern Region FEMA Corps Class 20 Team Leaders took our first road trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to pick up all our official FEMA issued work items. For the first time in my whole life I have a work cell phone and a work laptop—to be used for work! Did I mention that this awesome adventure is my job?? Every day, I get re-excited that I get to work with such incredible Team Leaders to serve our country. The excitement only grows every day that the arrival of our Corps members gets closer. I can’t wait to be a leader again!

The Simple Serendipities

Shannon Street. On my first day/first run in Vicksburg with my new teammates, it was hot and humid (Welcome to Summer in Mississippi). The group of us debated turning around but at the last second we decided to push our fatigued bodies a little bit further. About three streets later, there was Shannon Street. It was such a small moment in the grand scheme of what else that day held…but there was something unbelievably welcoming about seeing my name somewhere in the town on my new home—so silly but so impactful. It gave me such a sense of hope for this year.

The sunset in Vicksburg, Mississippi on my second night, no complaints here :)

“Frustration is a function of expectation.”  On Day Two of training, this sentenced graced my ears. I am glad I heard this piece of information (or advice) so early in the year. The only way you can be disappointed is if your expectations are not met…so from that I learned two things: 1) set realistic expectations for people, places, interactions, experiences this year and 2) be ready change my expectations on a moment’s notice…so that I am never met with frustration.

Update on the right now:

I’ve been in Vicksburg, MS for 9 beautiful, adventurous, exciting, new days.

I need to start practicing driving the 15-passenger-van I will be responsible for driving my team around in all year...asap.

It's the weekend again. This time, after our first full week of training...it was rewarding and absolutely exhausting.