March Madness

(No, I’m not talking about college basketball…)

As always, this month was all over the map. Specifically, my personal life flourished quite a lot but my professional life was sporadic as could possibly be—I guess that is bound to happen when your work success is wrapped up with your own and five other peoples’ good and bad days.

Let’s start with the messy stuff: Work.

My team hit an all-time low towards the end of February and really tried to heal in the beginning of the month. There was success, roadblocks, and tears…but we all seemed to pull through right when we all needed it the most.

Witnessing Growth

Bayou 6 is a young team, has a lot of room to grow emotionally, a lot of attitude, and could improve some in the professional demeanor category. My team has progressed miles from where they started but everyone started plateauing in February. Call it a blessing in disguise or maybe proof that humankind can learn to be happy and flourish in any circumstance…but my team faced yet another roadblock that finally pushed them out of their February stagnancy.

Throughout the year, as Team Leader, my team has essentially left all emotional and team-building responsibilities in my court. This is certainly an essential part of my role but I firmly believe that every member has as much responsibility when it comes to “team happiness” as I do. Anyways, back to the story…my ability to keep everyone happy severely faltered in the beginning of March which required other members to step up and address negative behaviors all on their own. I was out of the office one day and apparently one member of my team exhibited “unprofessional behavior” in the office while I was absent. Another one of my members asked if it was okay if she confronted the “unprofessional” individual to explain why their behavior negatively affected her. This Corps Member utilized a teammate as a mediator and crutch…and it was a huge success.

Three of my Corps Members stepped up that day: One served as a mediator for the first time in her life. One accepted constructive criticism with open arms. And the most impressive and touching growth occurred in the Corps Member that initiated a conversation to discuss her negative feelings in a constructive way for the first time since the start of this program (and possibly in her entire life). Up until that day, this Corps Member would shut down when negative emotions arose, denied anger or frustration even if her body language screamed otherwise, and could only talk about these emotions if asked the right questions at the right time. I proudly reflect on this day and on this growth often. I’ve never been more proud.

Mason Neck State Park

Mason Neck State Park is in Lofoton, VA, was about 30 minutes away from our housing, and offered a to-die-for volunteer opportunity. On a whim, three of my Corps Members and I decided to indulge in this opportunity. On a Friday night, we drove out to this beautiful 8-bedroom home in the state park with windows overlooking a bay off the Potomac. The girls and I had “family” dinner in the massive dining room, played Scrabble, and prepared for the next day of work.

Saturday and Sunday morning came around and we were met with a FEMA Corps Team from the Vinton, IA campus and another Vicksburg Team. Our task? Create an oak enclosure for 200 baby oak trees so that the deer wouldn’t damage them while they’re still gaining strength. We transplanted 199 oaks (we lost one in the transfer), dug deep holes for poles with augers, put up fencing, laid down gravel, and generally got insanely muddy. After long days, we made team dinners, frolicked around the house, baked in the first oven we’ve seen in months, and were peaceful. This was, sadly, the first time my team voluntarily spent time with one another…and no unmanageable outbursts occurred. We were happy, as an entity, for the first time in a long long time.

Why yes, I do have friends.

Over and over and over I think about March and all the laughter that occurred. Somehow someway, I was deployed with a few Team Leaders I get along with best. I don’t know how it happened but I never questioned it…I just made damn sure I reveled in it every chance I could. Between drinking pocket flasks, partaking in ice-fight-wrestling-matches, singing Irish ditties, escaping to the mountains, and having obnoxiously personal conversations, I had one of the most social spikes I could have ever asked for. I am certain the memories and bonds that were solidified this month will be ones I carry with me the rest of my life.

Dad in the District of Colombia!

My dad was able to come visit me in DC! Normally I indulge in unstoppable chattiness with my mother…but my dad and I were viable competition this weekend. We ate and drank gluten free things together, walked all over downtown DC and stumbled upon a number of memorials we didn’t even knew existed, hung out with the other Team Leaders, walked and ran along the Potomac River, and looked googley-eyed at all the trinkets in an Irish store we found. It is always, and it proved to be true once again, a joy to get a chance to be Shannon (non-Team Leader) for an entire weekend. Thank you for visiting Dad. I loved every second of it.

The Simple Serendipities

The things that made me extra happy this month have a place close to my heart.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac. After the 3^rd attempt of starting this gorgeous novel and 3 and a half months of trudging through the vocabulary and quotes and sporadic plot…I successfully completed this novel. Thanks to Dave for the challenge and suggestion—totally worth it.

Possible Job Opportunity. One of the individuals I am working under the guidance of at FEMA Headquarters asked me to look into applying for a job in his department soon. Without much background I was already flattered. After talking to my Point of Contact, however, she flipped when she heard it. Apparently, there have been PMFs (Presidential Management Fellows) who have worked in FEMA Operations that have asked for a position at FEMA and this man has politely declined. He has never, and I mean never, asked someone to apply for a position. I was honored and taken-aback and undeniably proud of myself. We’ll see if this opportunity comes to fruition any time soon.

 

This Picture. NO, I did not create it. One of my Corps Members did…and then she accidentally posted it on Facebook. I realize it is kind of messed up…but this is the reality of Bayou 6. Our attrition rate is through the roof.

NCCC Alumni. My fellow Team Leaders and I met an AmeriCorps NCCC Alumni during our St. Patrick’s Day trek of Old Town Alexandria. He toasted to our service about a million times…and we did the same to his. He married a girl from his team and they just had a baby…my heart melted. It was so cool to meet an NCCC alum, there aren’t too many of those out there!

TAKE IT SLO and JASON MRAZ. Yeah. This is awesome. My college a cappella group, Take it SLO, got to perform with Jason Mraz in March. I don’t know the logistics of how exactly it happened…but it did. Go Take it SLO. I cried when I watched the videos. I’m so proud of you all. 

Global Youth Service Day 2014.

Today was Global Youth Service Day—“Youth Serving Youth”. Bayou 6 along with Southern Region Campus FEMA Corps Teams Summit 3, Ocean 4, and Bayou 5 also served at an event put on by City Year (another AmeriCorps program) at Langley Elementary and McKinley Education Campus. Across the campuses, we cleared flower beds to make room for classroom projects, pulled weeds, built benches and trash can holders, painted murals, and interacted with students of all ages. We had a blast and were extremely successful in all the tasks assigned to the 150+ volunteers that showed up today.

The reason for this post, however, isn’t to talk about all the work we completed…but rather to talk about the young boys I worked alongside today. I had the pleasure of working with two boys, ages 10 and 11, on a weeding and mulching project. This assignment required us to be on our hands and knees in the blaring heat getting our hands dirty and our backs a bit sore (though I only speak for myself on that one…I guess I am twice their age afterall). While they may not have been working at 100% capacity the entire time, they got excited about every single worm we found, talked about how much they love sports and school, which colleges they wanted to go to (Harvard, Yale, and Oregon State), and what they aspired to be when they grew up. They have wishes to be paleontologists, doctors, lawyers, scientists…and the list goes on.

At one point no one was talking and De’Nico said, out of nowhere, “Life is so good. It comes with a lot of really great things.” After reflecting on that short, simple, hopeful, and true statement… I realized for about the millionth time in my life how much I love children and young hopefuls in general.

Between volunteering with the Week of Welcome Program at Cal Poly and this AmeriCorps year of service, my eyes have been opened to the endless possibilities of the future and the people who will be a part of it. As a part of FEMA Corps Class 20, I am one of over 900 young adults that want to selflessly serve people…just because. This year has taught me a lot of things…but De’Nico definitely reminded me of the big one I shouldn’t brush over so often: “Life is good. It comes with a lot of really great things.”

TLTransition: A Glimmer of Hope

Yesterday, I helped coordinate something that FEMA Corps Class 20 Team Leaders are calling TLTransition. This was a half-baked idea back in January that came to fruition yesterday. Not often do I take the time to recognize myself, but today calls for such personal gratitude.

Back in January after my first ever AmeriCorps NCCC Transition, I had a nice long chat with the Team Leaders I was deployed with. Between the four of us, we realized one very heart-breaking thing—we haven’t had Team Green time since October 2013…and likely won’t have it again until June 2014 unless someone did something about it.

For reasons that I don’t yet fully understand myself, I decided to be that someone. I submitted a memo with the request to campus in February, lobbied the on-campus Team Leaders for support to do some of my leg work, got the item addressed by the Deputy Region Director of Unit Leadership, asked for Team Leader input and ideas, got the proposal approved and on the schedule, and finally, put together an entire day of activities for Team Green to foster support, love, and problem solving.

Yesterday was that day. Team Green reunited with tears, laughter, and common frustrations…and the rest of the world disappeared. For small snippets of time throughout the day, we felt like the only people on the Southern Region campus; we were friends telling jokes and ridiculous stories; we were individuals reminiscing on joyful, challenging, and emotional experiences. We were Team Green again…devoid of Corps Members.

 

So rarely in the past 9 months have I had the opportunity to think about myself but I suppose that’s what they meant when they said “servant leadership”. Because of the demands imposed on us as Team Leaders, the only time I truly get to take a break is when I’m too sick to think straight. Luckily, I didn’t have to be curled up in pain, emotionally distressed, or sleeping in order to take care of myself yesterday—and thank God for that.

So constantly in my life, I have said I’m going to do XY and Z…and I hardly follow through with anything. This year has taught me that following through is absolutely necessary. What if I hadn’t pushed so hard from January to April for this time with Team Green? Hell, we probably would have survived…but we would have had lot less hope and a lot more cynicism. And trust me when I say that being hopeless this close to the end is not easy.

I am not in a good place right now. Not with my team, not with the job, not with my superiors. I’ve lost a lot of hope and a lot of faith in those who are supposed to make this year meaningful.

But I know that when this year is over, when all is said and done, I will reflect back on my experiences—all the good and all the bad—and I will find value.

I know for a fact that I will carry some of these friendships with me the rest of my life, I have professional contacts that will help me in my future endeavors, and hell—I might have met the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. These are all beautiful, glorious, unforgettable take-aways from this year.

Team Green is why I fell in love with this program. Team Green is where I get leadership experience and appreciation. Team Green is my support system, my foundation for joy, my rock. I have fallen in love with every person who makes up this entity and I hope to never lose sight of just how important that has been for my year of service.

Thank you for sharing all my joys and all my struggles. I will never forget how pertinent you are to my success. I will walk to the ends of the Earth for you, Team Green. You are my family.

You make this all worth it.