Sunday, December 23, 2007

revving up for americorps

it's starting to sink in.

last thursday, i called jim, an 85-year-old man who informed me on our previous phone conversation, "i hear what you're saying, but i don't actually hear you," to confirm our plans for selling my '98 honda civic:

me: "so, we'll meet at the dmv tomorrow at 7:45am?"
jim: "11:45? great."
me: "actually, 7:45. a quarter to 8?"
jim: "oh yes. at the dmv? well...i guess i can walk there..."
me: "oh. would you like me to pick you up?"
jim: "would you? oh that'd be swell!"

so bright and early friday morning, with all sorts of nervous anticipation, jim and i went to the dmv to complete our transaction. it couldn't have gone smoother. well, almost. jim had never heard of a debit/ATM card so i fronted the sales tax money at the dmv and added it to his tab. having been assured by jim's son that the elderly gentleman is both a legal and safe driver, i couldn't be more pleased to once again be car-less in la.

now that i am bed-less, car-less, and nearly clothes-less, i feel like it's time to give a proper explanation of what i will be doing next year.

What is AmeriCorps NCCC?
i'll be honest. i know very little about what to expect from this program so i'm going to plagarize A LOT from the americorps website and the welcome packet i recently received. americorps nccc (national civilian community corps) is a 10-month, team-based, service program that draws from the models of fdr's civilian conservation corps and the u.s. military. members receive training in cpr, first aid, public safety, teaching basics, conflict resolution and teamwork before beginning their first project. participants are divided into teams of 10-12 and travel within an assigned region of the u.s. on short-term (typically, 4-6 weeks) projects based on disaster relief, education, environment, public safety, and unmet needs.

Where Will I Be in 2008?
i have been assigned to the eastern region campus, which includes: washington d.c., delaware, georgia, maine, maryland, massachusetts, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north caralina, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, vermont, virginia, west virginia, puerto rico, and the u.s. virgin islands. americorps also reserves the right to pull volunteers from any region for disaster relief projects. i am expecting to spend several months in the gulf states on projects relating to recovery efforts of hurricane katrina.

How Can You Send Me Your Love?
SNAIL MAIL (will be distributed once/week)
Christiane Cannon - Class XIV
AmeriCorps NCCC
P.O. Box 209
Perry Point, MD 21902

EMAIL and BLOGGING
c.sparklepants@gmail.com
misschatterbox.blogspot.com
(which you probably know if you are reading this)

i won't have a pc, but the main campus has a computer lab and i anticipate being able to use public library computers on several of my traveling projects.

PHONE
i do not yet know what my plan is for phones. as of now, i will bring everyone's phone numbers and a truckload of calling cards. it is possible that i will have a cell phone.

I Never Expected to Say...
i will be wearing a uniform every day.
i will be at work at 7am.
i wish i could shower more often.

3 comments:

Hannah said...

Hi! I found your blog and oh my gosh! Americorps! That is so cool and heroic and cool! Why so many exclamation points? Because I'm just that kind of girl! We for sure have to keep in touch Miss Sparklepants!

Preethi said...

That is so fantastic! As you may or may not remember, I live in Philly! And my family is in DC. So if you are around either of those parts, or anywhere in the northeast, I would LOVE to see you!

Preethi said...

Sorry, this is preethi, by the way. :)