Every week in Omaha goes by so fast! Each day here seems long, but then before I know it it's been a week.
A few weeks ago I had the great opportunity to reconnect with a former Twin Cities' organization I volunteered with, STLF (Students Today Leaders Forever). There were several high school weekend service tours that ended their weekend with a celebration in Omaha. Kelly and I helped to give directions at one of the parks and got to hangout with some of the high schoolers. This particular Saturday was the same day of the U of M homecoming game against the Nebraska Huskers. The students didn't all know that Kelly and I are not originally from Omaha, so a student yelled out at me "Go Gophers! " I think that he expected a response from me that would go along the lines of supporting the Huskers. Instead, I said "I graduated from the U". That shut him up fast! STLF being here just goes to show that the world gets smaller and smaller for me every day.
One of my BEST FRIENDS came up to visit me and we had a great time! We talk on the phone fairly often and I try to skype (fail) but it was so nice to see her in person. There are so many things that can't be portrayed or explained over the phone, so having her here was so great. I was having one of my 'I don't like Omaha' moments when she was here and she definitely refreshed me in that being here is not a permanent life choice. She came with a game plan of things that she had read about online so I feel like she ended up showing me more parts of Omaha than I showed her! We explored the Old Market area a little more, tried a new pizza/pasta restaurant by my house and went to this gigantic pumpkin patch. We also went to a Halloween party hosted by other AmeriCorps here in Omaha. I'm so glad that she could come down and visit me, it makes me feel a little bit closer to home.
We've recently discovered that there are other recent college grads serving here in Omaha with us other than AmeriCorps! There's a group of people serving with Lutheran Volunteer Corps (something I didn't even know existed until about a month ago) and we had a game night with them. I've gotten together with a few of the girls and love having other people here that I can hangout with.
At First Lutheran on Halloween I helped with a Trunk-or-Treat event. A bunch of people from the church pull their cars into the parking lot and kids come trick or treating to each of the cars. It sounds a little sketchy, but it was so much fun and there were so many kids there! The neighborhood I live in is not your ideal trick or treating area, so having somewhere safe for these kids to go is very important.
Last weekend I went up to the Twin Cities to help with Admission Possible's Make a Difference Day. It was so refreshing to reconnect with all of the coaches there and hear how their experience has been over the past couple of months. Even though our positions have the same title, we're doing such different work in the two cities. Sometimes I get so caught up in my struggles here that I forget that all the work I do is forging a path for the future work here in Omaha. They reminded me of that last weekend. I also got to see a few of my best friends when I was briefly in the cities and my mom and sister. I was really excited to come back to Omaha and get back to my life here, which is probably a good thing.
Although it's only early November still, I put up Christmas decorations this week! After we get back from Thanksgiving break, we are really only in Omaha for about 2 weeks and then we go back to our hometowns. Only 2 weeks of Christmas here? I don't think so.... I got a little tinsel Christmas tree that is adorable. A baby tree! I can't believe how fast the holidays have crept up on me, it seems like yesterday is was gorgeous outside with temps in the high 80s. Not anymore!
Last night my grandparents stopped by on their way down to Phoenix and I got to give them a 10 minute car tour of Omaha. It was so great to see them and have an early Thanksgiving dinner with them, as they will be in Phoenix during our normal chaotic meal and BINGO.
I'm excited for the upcoming weekend because two more of my best friends are coming down to visit me! I have some good things planned for us, so stay posted :)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Catch-up on Vida in Omaha
Good news and bad news: I've been so busy here in Omaha (good) that I have not been able to keep up on blog posts (bad). Sorry to all of those that check this religiously. I usually separate my doings week-by-week, but I'll just use a theme format for today.
Junior Coach Position
Sadly, I’ve yet to step into my high school and meet students. Along with an expansion to a new city comes a process of being approved for EVERYTHING. We were approved my principal at South a few weeks ago, but have been held up at the district level. I completely understand why they want to be thorough in their approval process, it’s still disappointing that at the start of Week 8 here in Omaha I’m still working in an office from 9-5.
We did, however, get our new supervisor Bryan. We met him over breakfast at Wheatfields, a little breakfast place down in the Old Market area that actually has gluten free pastries. For the first time in my whole life, I was able to order a breakfast entrée and actually choose a side for it. I’ve gone on my whole life always asking for a fruit cup substitute. It was awesome! Anyway, Bryan is great. He has a lot of experience from serving in the Peace Corps and is challenging me every week. It’s been refreshing having someone new in the office.
I went out to Creighton’s fall job fair two weeks ago to recruit for AmeriCorps members for next year. Crazy, right? I loved being able to talk with people and connect with other nonprofits that were there. I was surprised by how many “corps” organizations were there, an entire row! It definitely speaks to the mentality of Creighton students and how many are committed to doing a year of service.
Something interesting about Nebraska that stands out in the higher education world is that the government is committed to sending almost 2,000 more high school seniors to college on an annual basis. The Post Secondary Education Committee outlined here exactly how many students from each high school in the state of Nebraska need to attend college. Not a surprise, my high school ranks number one as the most populated school with the lowest college-going rate. I pulled together an analysis of how these goals line up with our organization and I think that it can help with our expansion here in Omaha in coming years.
Although I don’t have any students, I was required to teach two practice lessons to my coworkers last week. Surprisingly, I was terrified. I was very nervous to teach to my peers, more than I’ve ever been in a classroom. After my second lesson, however, I felt right on track. It was a great reinforcement of why I’m here and the job I will be doing in the future. Since Team Omaha will be behind in our lessons when we start sessions, it was interesting to see how much we’ll need to cut out or condense in our future lessons to stay on track with ACT preparation.
First Lutheran
My experience at First Lutheran has been a preview of the challenges I will face at South. I’ve been working with a group of middle and high school students to help lead them through confirmation class and it’s been a challenge. Some of our youth come from a very unstable background and it is apparent in their values and priorities. They seem to be attached to their cell phones more than any other kids I’ve met before and I think it might be because it is one of the few possessions that they have direct control over. As a youthworker, I know that I will never really get to know these youth for a couple of months because I need to gain their trust first. Right now I’m seen as the outsider and I’m working to build a relationship with each individual youth. It’s crazy hard with my limited hours at the church. Today, I actually had to teach Sunday School to all of the K-5 students and had a great time.
Social
There have been so many random things I’ve been involved with over the past few weeks, I’ll just outline a few of them. I've joined a Life Group from Candlewood and am loving it! I get to spend multiple nights a week with other amazing women. I’m part of a book club where we’re reading “Crazy Love”, go to a Bible Study on Thursday nights and hangout with the girls randomly throughout the week. A bunch of the people from Candlewood all live in the same apartment complex so we had a tailgate party for a Husker game a few weeks ago and then watched the game together. I counted over 50 people in one person’s apartment watching the game on a projector against a living room wall. What a true Husker experience. I mean, other than actually attending a game.
One of my friends, Maria, lives in a great apartment in Old Market where there is an actual pool and hot tub on the roof of the building. We had a rooftop grill out and it was fun. I love getting to meet other people that are friends with my friends here. For this rooftop party I ventured to Wohlner's a local small market that has a great meat counter. I purchased a preseasoned burger patty and was thoroughly impressed with the quality. At this store, they will actually grill your meat behind the counter. So, I could have bought a steak and had it made to order at the market. Seems a little intense if you ask me. Now watch, I’ll end up doing that someday.
I haven’t really ventured out on the town too much lately, but on Friday night I headed over to Blazin Pianos with Kelly and Maureen. It was entertaining, but not as good as I thought I would have been. The piano players were a little rude to the audience and I felt personally offended sometimes. They were good and I had fun, but I don’t think I’d ever go back there. I’d be interested to see how Shout House compares.
Homeward Bound
I came home last weekend to surprise my mom for her graduation! I’d been planning this surprise for over a month and was excited to spend time with her for an extended weekend. I drove home with my friend Lydia and surprised my mom on our front doorstep at about 11 p.m. last Thursday. I had a surprise to top that one for her when I informed her that I also talked to her boss and got her the next day off of work without her knowledge! Boo yah! Anyway, it was fun to spend time at home with my family and celebrate my mom’s amazing accomplishment. At one point, she was working full-time, serving on city council, going to school part-time and volunteering with a local nonprofit. I still have no idea how she managed to balance it all.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Week 3: It's Official.
So, Team Omaha is pretty legit. We went to the Mayor of Omaha's office last Monday to meet with other AmeriCorps VISTAs. While we were hoping for a photo op with the mayor, but we were unsuccessful on that front. He was "out of the state", whatever that means. It was encouraging to meet with others in Omaha who are serving especially because there are so few of us here. In the Twin Cities, I feel if you didn't serve with AmeriCorps you at least know what it is. Here, I explain the program to people I meet every single day. At the mayor's office we found out that there are about 20 other VISTAs at Metro Community College, the big community college here in Omaha. We're trying to connect with them now to learn about things that they are doing for free or cheaply. Also, having friends is good too.
As we're starting from scratch here, that means that we have no official office let alone have furniture for that office. One of my tasks upon arriving here has been to scope out businesses that we think might be willing to give us in-kind donations of furniture/office supplies. I was successful at getting a trunk-load of office supplies from another nonprofit (literally my trunk is full of office supplies). We've had a few meetings at Creighton University with people in admissions, multicultural services and other academic programs and I got to thinking Hmm...maybe they have a bunch of random furniture sitting around somewhere. After getting in contact with the right people, we were invited to "go shopping" through their old furniture. We walked into a warehouse on campus and were given a tour of all the desks, chairs, file cabinets and cubicles that have been used throughout the years at Creighton. We post-it noted whatever we wanted- it was awesome! Who doesn't love free stuff? There were definitely a few items that we avoided but overall I was impressed with the quality of the office ware there. We have about 12 chairs, 6 desks and 3 filing cabinets on hold at Creighton now. I felt so accomplished after that morning.
Although at this point my school hadn't been approved yet by the principal, Kyle's school was in the process. We were invited to meet with the counselors at Northwest High School, where Kyle will be stationed this year. It was interesting to listen to the questions that they asked our organization so we could learn more about their concerns and excitement for us to be at their school. Also, it was just refreshing to be out of the office and in a school. It reminded me of what I signed up for this term of service.
I did something very adult-like that I think made my move here official: I found a dentist. I somehow missed my June cleaning for my dentist in Hudson and needed to get in asap. So, I looked up reviews of dentists that were approved through my insurance and went for it. I ended up choosing Dundee Family Dental and was very impressed. The hygienist I had was great and actually chatted with me about my move here (she LOVED that I folded my mattress in half in the back of my car) and the dentist was pretty familiar with Minneapolis. It always makes me feels more at home here when people are familiar with the Cities. It seems like the distance just becomes shorter and shorter from home.
Another momentous occasion at our house this week was getting cable. I tried to setup an antenna for my tv, but our house is in a black hole for signals. I could get about 2 channels in and they only worked if no one moved around on the second floor. So it almost never worked. We had a mess getting the cable hooked up, every time that I called Cox for service I was told something different. The responses were anything from that we needed to come to the service center to show proof that we lived in our house to putting down a yearlong deposit on our account. It was all very strange. Kelly called and finally got one straight answer. Anyway, I was gone when they came and setup and discovered that our cable cords are a mess. The cable guy couldn't really figure out where all the cords came in and went out of our rooms, which is a little strange. You'd think it would be pretty clear where one cord goes in and comes out. So, Kelly and Kyle tried to plug the cable in my room into the tv and anytime the end of the cable got close to the tv, it sparked. When I got home, I did a little research and learned that you shouldn't plug cords in when electronics are turned on. Kelly and I unplugged my tv, screwed the cable in and plugged my tv back in. When I turned the tv
I got a gym membership this week and have been utilizing it at least every other day. I missed working out and being active. During this past summer I was naturally active with my job (chasing kids around on field trips outdoors) so I never really felt that I needed to be active or get outside. After being here for a week though, I felt my body getting restless. I'm trying to get on a running and strength training plan, so if anyone has any suggestions please send them my way!
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read these weekly postings, it means a lot to me to have people reading my writings. Let me know if you want to be added to a list so you are emailed when I update weekly. Onto the next week!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Week 2: NEBRASKA
Upon the start of my second week in Omaha I was already starting to feel settled in. Our house was almost completely furnished (still missing dining room chairs) but my own space is finally mine! I put up all my posters (yes, JT is on my wall) and arranged my room. Yay, new temporary home! In Omaha, there are these super nasty spiders that are scary looking. We left our outside light on once when we were coming home late at night and one of the spiders put up a web by our front door that was INSANE. I almost walked right into it, thankfully Kelly didn't let me. We made Kyle get the web down in the daytime but another spider formed a web right over our back window in the kitchen. The spider hides during the day, but at night it is giant and terrifying. I just hope that it stays outside and does not venture into our house.
I explored a restaurant Roja that has Margarita Monday! They have $1.99 Margaritas! Yum. When you're living on an AmeriCorps budget, you've got to find the cheap ways to explore new restaurants. I went there with some new friends that I've made here (hallelujah). I also went to Crescent Moon which is right by our house. It's a cool bar that I can definitely see myself spending time at here. It's laid back and leaves room for good convo.
Before I came to Omaha, I was already looking up opportunities for a small part-time job. Half of my reasoning is for extra income, the other half is just so I have something to do on the weekends. I found a position to work in the nursery at a church and pursued it. Upon arriving here, I was recruited by the same church to actually be their Youth Leader. It's a small outside job (only Sundays and every other Friday) but it's perfect for my schedule. It doesn't interfere with the time I want to dedicate to my students during the weekdays and still gives me time on the weekends to unwind/explore Omaha.
I just happened to stumble across a small advertisement for something called "Educator's Breakfast" in my first week here. Every few months there is a morning session hosted at the Jewish Community Center where people from the education community come together to learn more about a topic. Team Omaha attended the breakfast and had the opportunity to watch the documentary "When We Stop Counting" about Crete High School in Crete, NE. They followed a few Latino students in the high school through their year of school. Each of the students had a unique story that was intriguing to learn about. Check out the trailer -->
Finally, we toured University of Nebraska -Lincoln! Here, people refer to it as Nebraska. Like there are no other institutions. The campus is flooded with "Big Red" banners and gear. It is the biggest school in NE and definitely has a strong reputation here. Also, the Huskers are a religion. I think that in coming from the Twin Cities (where we have multiple professional leagues) to NE (where they really only have this one football team) it is easy to see that it brings together so many people. You pretty much have to like the Huskers. Bad news for me though, the Huskers just joined the Big Ten so they actually go against the U in football. Also bad news, the Huskers will probably kill the Gophers. Yay, homecoming...
I also watched my first Huskers game on that Saturday too! I was invited over to a friend's apartment in Old Market (cool part of Omaha) to watch the game. While I don't have any shirts that say "Huskers" or "Big Red" on them, I did rock some red earrings. That counts, right? The Huskers won, of course, and I thought it was a good game. I feel like everywhere I go, I run into more people from MN. I met two different girls from MN that day- one from Willmar and the other from Lakeville. Crazy, right?
Kelly and I also discovered a Goodwill in Old Market that is the PRIME Goodwill. They actually go around to all the Goodwills in Omaha and take all the cool retro/vintage stuff and put it in this one! It was definitely a little pricey, but I found a few things I considered buying.
Team Omaha also made an AmeriCorps video, I'll try and post it when I find it!
I explored a restaurant Roja that has Margarita Monday! They have $1.99 Margaritas! Yum. When you're living on an AmeriCorps budget, you've got to find the cheap ways to explore new restaurants. I went there with some new friends that I've made here (hallelujah). I also went to Crescent Moon which is right by our house. It's a cool bar that I can definitely see myself spending time at here. It's laid back and leaves room for good convo.
Before I came to Omaha, I was already looking up opportunities for a small part-time job. Half of my reasoning is for extra income, the other half is just so I have something to do on the weekends. I found a position to work in the nursery at a church and pursued it. Upon arriving here, I was recruited by the same church to actually be their Youth Leader. It's a small outside job (only Sundays and every other Friday) but it's perfect for my schedule. It doesn't interfere with the time I want to dedicate to my students during the weekdays and still gives me time on the weekends to unwind/explore Omaha.
I just happened to stumble across a small advertisement for something called "Educator's Breakfast" in my first week here. Every few months there is a morning session hosted at the Jewish Community Center where people from the education community come together to learn more about a topic. Team Omaha attended the breakfast and had the opportunity to watch the documentary "When We Stop Counting" about Crete High School in Crete, NE. They followed a few Latino students in the high school through their year of school. Each of the students had a unique story that was intriguing to learn about. Check out the trailer -->
Finally, we toured University of Nebraska -Lincoln! Here, people refer to it as Nebraska. Like there are no other institutions. The campus is flooded with "Big Red" banners and gear. It is the biggest school in NE and definitely has a strong reputation here. Also, the Huskers are a religion. I think that in coming from the Twin Cities (where we have multiple professional leagues) to NE (where they really only have this one football team) it is easy to see that it brings together so many people. You pretty much have to like the Huskers. Bad news for me though, the Huskers just joined the Big Ten so they actually go against the U in football. Also bad news, the Huskers will probably kill the Gophers. Yay, homecoming...
I also watched my first Huskers game on that Saturday too! I was invited over to a friend's apartment in Old Market (cool part of Omaha) to watch the game. While I don't have any shirts that say "Huskers" or "Big Red" on them, I did rock some red earrings. That counts, right? The Huskers won, of course, and I thought it was a good game. I feel like everywhere I go, I run into more people from MN. I met two different girls from MN that day- one from Willmar and the other from Lakeville. Crazy, right?
Kelly and I also discovered a Goodwill in Old Market that is the PRIME Goodwill. They actually go around to all the Goodwills in Omaha and take all the cool retro/vintage stuff and put it in this one! It was definitely a little pricey, but I found a few things I considered buying.
Team Omaha also made an AmeriCorps video, I'll try and post it when I find it!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Week 1, Pt.2: Making Friends
To sum up the rest of my first week, it was a lot of meeting people and seeing new things. We got to tour the University of Nebraska- Omaha campus and meet with multicultural services and financial aid. Each time that I meet new partners in our field, I become more reassured about what I'm doing here. Most ask challenging questions about our program but we are able to answer them thoroughly and become more confident about what I'm doing and who I'm serving. There is another program in Omaha called Avenue Scholars that serves youth in a similar capacity to us, but works with students who might not be able to make it into a 4 year college. Whereas we recruit youth who have the potential to gain admission to college, but may just be missing people to help them with applications, the FAFSA and scholarships.
It was my roommate's, Kelly, birthday last week so we went out on Friday night to celebrate! We went to Upstream Brewing Co. as a team and enjoyed trying out a new restaurant here. We also met up with a few new friends at The House of Loom and danced to a new dj set that is based off of The Faint, a local Omaha band. Here they refer to it as a 'hipster bar' but it's still no comparison to hipster bars in Mpls.
We continued our search for free/cheap furniture into the weekend. I actually managed to get a $5 desk off of Craigslist. So far, I've spent under $50 on furnishing my room. Impressive, right? Kelly and I went out to Elkhorn (far west part of Omaha) to pickup my craft and desk stuff from my friend Emily's house. I am still in disbelief at how far spread out the city of Omaha is and their method of annexing in small local cities to increase Omaha's tax base. Anyway, Kelly and I went garage sale-ing on Saturday and found pretty much nothing. We were originally looking for some plates, bowls and other household items but any kitchenware we found was way too overpriced. It's a garage sale, people!
On Sunday, to commemorate 9/11, we attended a Civil Liberties lecture put on by a bunch of local organizations. It was intriguing to hear someone who actually worked at the Department of Homeland Security's take on how our lives have changed since that tragic day. I listened to NPR and tried to watch CNN on that day to try and be a part of what is happening in NYC with the newly opened site. I am still in disbelief that it's been over 10 years. I remember sitting in my first period math class in 7th grade when my teacher got a phone call and immediately turned on the television. I can't remember exactly, but I think we actually saw when the second plane hit the tower. I do remember having only seen one plane because our class was speculating if it was an accident, and how someone could make a mistake like that. Just to think that on that day we lost the population of a small town in America. It gives me the shivers. After attending the lecture I went to a free concert put on in a park by my house. The Omaha symphony performed and it was great. They performed the overture from West Side Story, so I was hooked. We actually saw the Mayor of Omaha at both events that day! He doesn't know who we are, but we will be in his office next Monday so hopefully we can meet him then.
Overall, week 1 was a success! I've been taking advantage of any opportunity I can to meet new people or see new things in Omaha. I've had even more experiences this week, so watch for a new post soon. I love getting mail here, so if you want my address please send me an email at brokawkd@gmail.com.
It was my roommate's, Kelly, birthday last week so we went out on Friday night to celebrate! We went to Upstream Brewing Co. as a team and enjoyed trying out a new restaurant here. We also met up with a few new friends at The House of Loom and danced to a new dj set that is based off of The Faint, a local Omaha band. Here they refer to it as a 'hipster bar' but it's still no comparison to hipster bars in Mpls.
We continued our search for free/cheap furniture into the weekend. I actually managed to get a $5 desk off of Craigslist. So far, I've spent under $50 on furnishing my room. Impressive, right? Kelly and I went out to Elkhorn (far west part of Omaha) to pickup my craft and desk stuff from my friend Emily's house. I am still in disbelief at how far spread out the city of Omaha is and their method of annexing in small local cities to increase Omaha's tax base. Anyway, Kelly and I went garage sale-ing on Saturday and found pretty much nothing. We were originally looking for some plates, bowls and other household items but any kitchenware we found was way too overpriced. It's a garage sale, people!
On Sunday, to commemorate 9/11, we attended a Civil Liberties lecture put on by a bunch of local organizations. It was intriguing to hear someone who actually worked at the Department of Homeland Security's take on how our lives have changed since that tragic day. I listened to NPR and tried to watch CNN on that day to try and be a part of what is happening in NYC with the newly opened site. I am still in disbelief that it's been over 10 years. I remember sitting in my first period math class in 7th grade when my teacher got a phone call and immediately turned on the television. I can't remember exactly, but I think we actually saw when the second plane hit the tower. I do remember having only seen one plane because our class was speculating if it was an accident, and how someone could make a mistake like that. Just to think that on that day we lost the population of a small town in America. It gives me the shivers. After attending the lecture I went to a free concert put on in a park by my house. The Omaha symphony performed and it was great. They performed the overture from West Side Story, so I was hooked. We actually saw the Mayor of Omaha at both events that day! He doesn't know who we are, but we will be in his office next Monday so hopefully we can meet him then.
Overall, week 1 was a success! I've been taking advantage of any opportunity I can to meet new people or see new things in Omaha. I've had even more experiences this week, so watch for a new post soon. I love getting mail here, so if you want my address please send me an email at brokawkd@gmail.com.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Week 1, Pt.1: Rough Start
Wow, I honestly have no idea how the last week went by so fast! I intended to document occurrences every couple of days but each day slipped away from me. Right now, I'm sitting in my completed bedroom typing this out. I have a desk, bookshelf, dresser and a rug (along with the bed we shoved in my car). My room is almost complete, I'm just missing a couple of random things (extension cord, printer ink). Nothing too riveting.
Last Sunday, Day 1, went surprisingly well. I woke up around 5:30 a.m. due to my acid reflux (expected) and managed to not freak myself out too much with anxiety and worry. I did have a 6:05 a.m. crying jag, but held out until 7:30 a.m. to actually call anyone (people need their sleep!). After chatting with my grandma for a while, I got out of bed and actually forced myself to start unpacking a few things. Shortly after Kelly was up, we walked over to a swanky hotel that her parents were staying at. It is literally 3 blocks from our house. I swear, you walk 3 blocks north of our house and you can't afford to buy anything (couture shops) and you walk 3 blocks south and you're at a rundown Family Dollar. We live on the edge of a neighborhood that I fear is being slowly gentrified, and I pray that it is not the case. Prior to our move-in, our landlord told me that next year they hope to DOUBLE the rent it costs for our townhouse. I can't imagine paying that much for our house. Anyway, Sunday was a day of randomness. We went thrifting for a few hours and came out with very little. We did, however, scope out a sofa set. Later, Kelly and I had the opportunity to hangout with some of Maureen's (coworker) friends. I did not pass up the chance to meet Omaha people and make some connections.
Monday, was our massive clean out and splurge day. I woke up super early again, thanks to acid reflux, and got myself going to Starbucks to be around other people and read the paper. It was very relaxing to be in an environment that doesn't seem to change. All Starbucks are almost the exact same. The same drinks, tables and music. I needed consistency and comfort at that point, so it was very reassuring. Our landlord came over in the late morning to go down the list of tasks we had for him. Mainly, we wanted the cat pee smell removed from our home. Also, the mold in the shower was freaking me out a little bit (I ALWAYS find mold in the shower when I move in). Our landlord is such a nice guy though, you can tell that he really cares about us and wants us to be safe and happy. He let us borrow is pickup truck to go back to thrift store and buy the sofa set that we wanted. I'm telling you, these couches are pretty nice. They look almost identical to the ones that my parents have in our living room in Hudson. Almost to a tee. We worked on getting some other stuff put away, but that was pretty much it.
Tuesday, was our official first day of work in Omaha. It was rough. I got up, with no real tasks to complete. I was supposed to work on a scavenger hunt, which I did. It was pretty boring, but I was also very anxious about EVERYTHING that was happening in Omaha. No supervisor, no school, no office. Kind of terrifying. Anyway, Tuesday was kind of a wash. Oh yeah, also, I spent quite a bit of time chatting with Sprint regarding the fact that my phone is ROAMING in my neighborhood. I didn't even know that phones still do that! So, now I have to work on trying to get off my plan and get on someone else's. It's just one thing after another here. I did go to a Bible study that some of Maureen's friends are a part of and managed to make a few solid friends. We ended up going out to Eat the Worm afterwards, which was a lot of fun. It's a bar/restaurant in the Old Market area of downtown. The Old Market has lots of cutesy shops along with good restaurants and bars. It's the hip scene in Omaha.
On Wednesday, we finally had things to do here. I woke up and was not feeling sick, so I knew that I had officially made the transition to feeling comfortable calling Omaha my home for the next 10 months. We had a tour of Creighton University and met with admissions and student services. While I enjoyed the campus, I got more out of just having something to make me get going in the morning. We had a few great meetings and got a chance to see more opportunities that our students can have in college. I was impressed with their dedication to their students, but then again, their students are paying quite a bit of money to attend. You get what you pay for. Later that day, we went over to pickup some furniture that we managed to get for FREE! A sister of someone I know from Hudson lives in Bellevue (10 min from my house) and held onto some furniture for us. They gave us a dining room table, a console, and kitchen cart and a dresser. All we had to do was get there to pick it up. Thus far, we've spent a grand total of $125 to furnish our living room and dining room. Not too shabby for having lived here for about 4 days at that point.
Last Sunday, Day 1, went surprisingly well. I woke up around 5:30 a.m. due to my acid reflux (expected) and managed to not freak myself out too much with anxiety and worry. I did have a 6:05 a.m. crying jag, but held out until 7:30 a.m. to actually call anyone (people need their sleep!). After chatting with my grandma for a while, I got out of bed and actually forced myself to start unpacking a few things. Shortly after Kelly was up, we walked over to a swanky hotel that her parents were staying at. It is literally 3 blocks from our house. I swear, you walk 3 blocks north of our house and you can't afford to buy anything (couture shops) and you walk 3 blocks south and you're at a rundown Family Dollar. We live on the edge of a neighborhood that I fear is being slowly gentrified, and I pray that it is not the case. Prior to our move-in, our landlord told me that next year they hope to DOUBLE the rent it costs for our townhouse. I can't imagine paying that much for our house. Anyway, Sunday was a day of randomness. We went thrifting for a few hours and came out with very little. We did, however, scope out a sofa set. Later, Kelly and I had the opportunity to hangout with some of Maureen's (coworker) friends. I did not pass up the chance to meet Omaha people and make some connections.
Monday, was our massive clean out and splurge day. I woke up super early again, thanks to acid reflux, and got myself going to Starbucks to be around other people and read the paper. It was very relaxing to be in an environment that doesn't seem to change. All Starbucks are almost the exact same. The same drinks, tables and music. I needed consistency and comfort at that point, so it was very reassuring. Our landlord came over in the late morning to go down the list of tasks we had for him. Mainly, we wanted the cat pee smell removed from our home. Also, the mold in the shower was freaking me out a little bit (I ALWAYS find mold in the shower when I move in). Our landlord is such a nice guy though, you can tell that he really cares about us and wants us to be safe and happy. He let us borrow is pickup truck to go back to thrift store and buy the sofa set that we wanted. I'm telling you, these couches are pretty nice. They look almost identical to the ones that my parents have in our living room in Hudson. Almost to a tee. We worked on getting some other stuff put away, but that was pretty much it.
Tuesday, was our official first day of work in Omaha. It was rough. I got up, with no real tasks to complete. I was supposed to work on a scavenger hunt, which I did. It was pretty boring, but I was also very anxious about EVERYTHING that was happening in Omaha. No supervisor, no school, no office. Kind of terrifying. Anyway, Tuesday was kind of a wash. Oh yeah, also, I spent quite a bit of time chatting with Sprint regarding the fact that my phone is ROAMING in my neighborhood. I didn't even know that phones still do that! So, now I have to work on trying to get off my plan and get on someone else's. It's just one thing after another here. I did go to a Bible study that some of Maureen's friends are a part of and managed to make a few solid friends. We ended up going out to Eat the Worm afterwards, which was a lot of fun. It's a bar/restaurant in the Old Market area of downtown. The Old Market has lots of cutesy shops along with good restaurants and bars. It's the hip scene in Omaha.
On Wednesday, we finally had things to do here. I woke up and was not feeling sick, so I knew that I had officially made the transition to feeling comfortable calling Omaha my home for the next 10 months. We had a tour of Creighton University and met with admissions and student services. While I enjoyed the campus, I got more out of just having something to make me get going in the morning. We had a few great meetings and got a chance to see more opportunities that our students can have in college. I was impressed with their dedication to their students, but then again, their students are paying quite a bit of money to attend. You get what you pay for. Later that day, we went over to pickup some furniture that we managed to get for FREE! A sister of someone I know from Hudson lives in Bellevue (10 min from my house) and held onto some furniture for us. They gave us a dining room table, a console, and kitchen cart and a dresser. All we had to do was get there to pick it up. Thus far, we've spent a grand total of $125 to furnish our living room and dining room. Not too shabby for having lived here for about 4 days at that point.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Great Move Pt. 2
I am now officially blogging in OMAHA!
After waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get on the road from Wisconsin, we made it here around 1:30/2ish. Good ol' Goldy (the Buick) stuck it out through the Iowa highways and was way more reliable than normal. If you didn't read my previous posting, my parents managed to fold my mattress in half and shoved it into my backseat. A little crazy, right? I was paranoid the whole way that the mattress was going to rebel and flip open and knock me out. Obviously, that didn't happen. When we were driving through Iowa, around Ames, a torrential thunderstorm rolled in and made it almost impossible to navigate the freeway. You know what made it even harder? When people driving tan vehicles didn't turn on their lights. Really? You're not going to turn your lights on when it's POURING outside? Really? Ok. Fine.
Upon arriving in Omaha, we met my landlord: Bob. He's this super cool guy who is in-the-know about Omaha. He invited my parents to stay at his house when they visit and he's already mentioned having the roomies and myself over for dinner. Also, he's just giving us random furniture. He left a table in the house for us and is bringing chairs over at some point. In summary, he's awesome. Our house, however, is semi-sketch. It's an older townhouse, built in the 70s (I believe). It's on the edge of being in a not so great neighborhood, but I think that will give us the opportunity to really live in the community that we are serving this year. It currently has a cat smell lingering from the previous tenants but we're working to get rid of it. Our bathroom needs a little recaulking action and we need a possible rodent hole to be closed up in the kitchen. It's an old house, I get it. Life isn't perfect. I was hardcore cleaning the bathroom earlier and am now suffering from a bleach headache. Note to self, layoff the bleach.
My plan for tomorrow is to go to a church that is about 3 blocks from our house and scope it out. I know that for my own personal faith and health, I need to get involved in a spiritual community immediately. There's a possibility that I could be working in the nursery at this church on Sunday mornings, but it's not for sure yet. I'm going to rope Kelly in and make her go shopping/thrifting with me to get some random junk that would be super helpful to have (she doesn't know of these plans yet). I think that will be a pretty solid day first day in a new city.
On Monday, Bob is going to come and do some cleaning and fix random things that we have compiled on a list. Kyle is also moving in then, so hopefully we can all start to get in sync and get started on our year of service. I just want to be at my school and learn more about my kids!
Today, I'm feeling surprisingly ok with being here. My acid reflux has been flaring up due to anxiety and I've been having trouble sleeping the past few nights but I'm feeling settled right now. I'm currently sitting in the Barnes and Noble at Crossroads Mall (yes, I already ventured to the mall). I think that the more I drive around and feel things out, the more it will feel like home. No guarantees that I wont be crying later tonight, but I know I can do this! It's going to be tough to be away from my family for the next 10 months, but I know that I will come out of this stronger than ever. Keep the prayers coming my way, I definitely need them!
After waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get on the road from Wisconsin, we made it here around 1:30/2ish. Good ol' Goldy (the Buick) stuck it out through the Iowa highways and was way more reliable than normal. If you didn't read my previous posting, my parents managed to fold my mattress in half and shoved it into my backseat. A little crazy, right? I was paranoid the whole way that the mattress was going to rebel and flip open and knock me out. Obviously, that didn't happen. When we were driving through Iowa, around Ames, a torrential thunderstorm rolled in and made it almost impossible to navigate the freeway. You know what made it even harder? When people driving tan vehicles didn't turn on their lights. Really? You're not going to turn your lights on when it's POURING outside? Really? Ok. Fine.
Upon arriving in Omaha, we met my landlord: Bob. He's this super cool guy who is in-the-know about Omaha. He invited my parents to stay at his house when they visit and he's already mentioned having the roomies and myself over for dinner. Also, he's just giving us random furniture. He left a table in the house for us and is bringing chairs over at some point. In summary, he's awesome. Our house, however, is semi-sketch. It's an older townhouse, built in the 70s (I believe). It's on the edge of being in a not so great neighborhood, but I think that will give us the opportunity to really live in the community that we are serving this year. It currently has a cat smell lingering from the previous tenants but we're working to get rid of it. Our bathroom needs a little recaulking action and we need a possible rodent hole to be closed up in the kitchen. It's an old house, I get it. Life isn't perfect. I was hardcore cleaning the bathroom earlier and am now suffering from a bleach headache. Note to self, layoff the bleach.
My plan for tomorrow is to go to a church that is about 3 blocks from our house and scope it out. I know that for my own personal faith and health, I need to get involved in a spiritual community immediately. There's a possibility that I could be working in the nursery at this church on Sunday mornings, but it's not for sure yet. I'm going to rope Kelly in and make her go shopping/thrifting with me to get some random junk that would be super helpful to have (she doesn't know of these plans yet). I think that will be a pretty solid day first day in a new city.
On Monday, Bob is going to come and do some cleaning and fix random things that we have compiled on a list. Kyle is also moving in then, so hopefully we can all start to get in sync and get started on our year of service. I just want to be at my school and learn more about my kids!
Today, I'm feeling surprisingly ok with being here. My acid reflux has been flaring up due to anxiety and I've been having trouble sleeping the past few nights but I'm feeling settled right now. I'm currently sitting in the Barnes and Noble at Crossroads Mall (yes, I already ventured to the mall). I think that the more I drive around and feel things out, the more it will feel like home. No guarantees that I wont be crying later tonight, but I know I can do this! It's going to be tough to be away from my family for the next 10 months, but I know that I will come out of this stronger than ever. Keep the prayers coming my way, I definitely need them!
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Great Move Pt. 1
I move to Omaha in the morning- WHAT?! I have no idea how this happened. Training flew by and I honestly don't even remember really packing for today. I had the chance to say goodbye to almost all of my best friends in the past 24 hours and am so blessed with their support. This week has been a little rough with my anxiety about moving and starting a whole new adventure. Everyone has asked me to either call when I get there or to set up a Skype date (btw my skype name is brok0030).
Currently, my mattress is folded in half in the backseat of my 94 Buick Century and my box spring managed to fit into my dad's car also. Who puts a mattress folded up in the back of their car? Only the Brokaws. All vehicles traveling to Omaha are completely stuffed. Absolutely no room for anything extra. Thankfully, one of my friends from high school is currently living in Des Moines and her parents are coming to visit her this weekend. They were gracious enough to take my random non-essentials: sewing machine, knitting supplies, a mirror, a painting and a shelf. I'm definitely learning how to live on less each time I move around and I keep remembering how different things were in 2007 when I moved into my first dorm room at Morris. That summer, I worked to make sure I was set and ready for moving away to college and probably bought a bunch of random junk I didn't need. This time around, I'm trying to lose as much stuff as possible.
My family is planning on driving to Omaha, moving me in and then driving back- all in one day. Kind of crazy if you ask me, but if they want to drive for over 13 hours then that's their prerogative. Sorry for the short posting, tired and need to get to bed for the big move in the morning!
Currently, my mattress is folded in half in the backseat of my 94 Buick Century and my box spring managed to fit into my dad's car also. Who puts a mattress folded up in the back of their car? Only the Brokaws. All vehicles traveling to Omaha are completely stuffed. Absolutely no room for anything extra. Thankfully, one of my friends from high school is currently living in Des Moines and her parents are coming to visit her this weekend. They were gracious enough to take my random non-essentials: sewing machine, knitting supplies, a mirror, a painting and a shelf. I'm definitely learning how to live on less each time I move around and I keep remembering how different things were in 2007 when I moved into my first dorm room at Morris. That summer, I worked to make sure I was set and ready for moving away to college and probably bought a bunch of random junk I didn't need. This time around, I'm trying to lose as much stuff as possible.
My family is planning on driving to Omaha, moving me in and then driving back- all in one day. Kind of crazy if you ask me, but if they want to drive for over 13 hours then that's their prerogative. Sorry for the short posting, tired and need to get to bed for the big move in the morning!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Training Day 2: Complete
As you've all been eagerly anticipating my update on training- you're in for some great stories.
Our Admission Possible training is being held at Concordia University because we've outgrown the space at the AP office. Since I'm technically working in Omaha I was given the option to stay at the housing that all of the Milwaukee and other Omaha people were staying at also. I definitely took this up because I DO NOT want to commute from Hudson in my car that only gets like 22 mpg. I was getting ready to move in to the Carondelot Center next to St. Kate's on Sunday and got a text from Kelly, one of my Omaha roomies, that read, " I just battled a cockroach in the elevator!". All I thought was here's a great start to our year.
Training on Monday was awesome. Myself, Kelly and Kyle rode the bus over from St. Kate's with the Milwaukee people and I just happened to run into Peggy Pond, a youth studies buddy on the bus! It was a great surprise that made my day. Once we arrived at Concordia everything hit me. I am actually moving to Omaha in less than 2 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be serving with AmeriCorps this year and to build relationships with my juniors. I did this for a reason. I am however, just starting to realize that I wont be around any of my friends in the Twin Cities for the next 10 months. On the other hand, I'm also remembering that I will be making meaningful relationships with my students, too. Plus, Kelly, Kyle and Maureen are great (Team Omaha)!
During session yesterday, we did organizational mapping and physically put pictures of all the AmeriCorps Coaches, VISTAS and Leadership Team on a wall. It was inspiring to see all the people in the different roles at Admission Possible. It's crazy to think that while we're all doing different work we're all working towards the ultimate goal of helping low-income kids to be accepted and enroll in college.
Today, in training, we had a sociology professor from Augsburg College come to talk about social capital and the Matthew effect (rich get richer and poor get poorer). He did a great job of explaining and demonstrating how even people like Bill Gates, who we look up to being the exception from the rich rule, were given opportunities that lead them to be where they are today. For example, Bill Gates grew up in a priveleged school district that could actually afford to have access to a computer in Seattle. This was a time period when almost no one had computers, not even colleges! Even though he built a computer out of his garage, he was given experiences where he could actually play around with computers to learn. Our kids need these times to experiment with technology and science.
We also delved into situations when kids enter kindergarten and are immediately tracked based on their ability to read. If they read well, they are pulled out of class and taught math while the others are left in the classroom and are still being taught to read. Those still learning to read will almost ALWAYS be a step behind the group that knew how to read in kindergarten. I've heard this before in many research and policy papers, which is why HeadStart and other pre-k programs are being pushed so much now. There is not an even "start" line for our youth.
I also had a chance to be in a discussion group with first-year junior coaches who are all going to be at schools where AP is brand new. We talked about some of the issues and people we may face when we come to the school. I think that Kyle and I have a great advantage because there is no history or culture of AP in the schools we'll be at. While that might be tedious at times, it also allows us to set the standards. I plan on meeting all the faculty/staff at my school and introducing myself with baked goods (who doesn't love a homemade cookie?). On top of meeting them, I also plan on intentionally interacting with them and getting to know them. While I'll generally be working with my students, I have an entire school that I need to navigate as well.
Team Omaha has the ridiculous task of recruiting students for a session that has already started! Generally, in AP, students are recruited during the sophomore year and then apply at the end of that year. They know whether or not they will be participating in their junior and senior years before they even enter summer. Then, in the fall, the junior coaches enter with a roster of all the youth they will be serving. We, however, are still unaware of what SCHOOL we'll be at let alone who our students will be.
And the adventure continues...
Our Admission Possible training is being held at Concordia University because we've outgrown the space at the AP office. Since I'm technically working in Omaha I was given the option to stay at the housing that all of the Milwaukee and other Omaha people were staying at also. I definitely took this up because I DO NOT want to commute from Hudson in my car that only gets like 22 mpg. I was getting ready to move in to the Carondelot Center next to St. Kate's on Sunday and got a text from Kelly, one of my Omaha roomies, that read, " I just battled a cockroach in the elevator!". All I thought was here's a great start to our year.
Training on Monday was awesome. Myself, Kelly and Kyle rode the bus over from St. Kate's with the Milwaukee people and I just happened to run into Peggy Pond, a youth studies buddy on the bus! It was a great surprise that made my day. Once we arrived at Concordia everything hit me. I am actually moving to Omaha in less than 2 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be serving with AmeriCorps this year and to build relationships with my juniors. I did this for a reason. I am however, just starting to realize that I wont be around any of my friends in the Twin Cities for the next 10 months. On the other hand, I'm also remembering that I will be making meaningful relationships with my students, too. Plus, Kelly, Kyle and Maureen are great (Team Omaha)!
During session yesterday, we did organizational mapping and physically put pictures of all the AmeriCorps Coaches, VISTAS and Leadership Team on a wall. It was inspiring to see all the people in the different roles at Admission Possible. It's crazy to think that while we're all doing different work we're all working towards the ultimate goal of helping low-income kids to be accepted and enroll in college.
Today, in training, we had a sociology professor from Augsburg College come to talk about social capital and the Matthew effect (rich get richer and poor get poorer). He did a great job of explaining and demonstrating how even people like Bill Gates, who we look up to being the exception from the rich rule, were given opportunities that lead them to be where they are today. For example, Bill Gates grew up in a priveleged school district that could actually afford to have access to a computer in Seattle. This was a time period when almost no one had computers, not even colleges! Even though he built a computer out of his garage, he was given experiences where he could actually play around with computers to learn. Our kids need these times to experiment with technology and science.
We also delved into situations when kids enter kindergarten and are immediately tracked based on their ability to read. If they read well, they are pulled out of class and taught math while the others are left in the classroom and are still being taught to read. Those still learning to read will almost ALWAYS be a step behind the group that knew how to read in kindergarten. I've heard this before in many research and policy papers, which is why HeadStart and other pre-k programs are being pushed so much now. There is not an even "start" line for our youth.
I also had a chance to be in a discussion group with first-year junior coaches who are all going to be at schools where AP is brand new. We talked about some of the issues and people we may face when we come to the school. I think that Kyle and I have a great advantage because there is no history or culture of AP in the schools we'll be at. While that might be tedious at times, it also allows us to set the standards. I plan on meeting all the faculty/staff at my school and introducing myself with baked goods (who doesn't love a homemade cookie?). On top of meeting them, I also plan on intentionally interacting with them and getting to know them. While I'll generally be working with my students, I have an entire school that I need to navigate as well.
Team Omaha has the ridiculous task of recruiting students for a session that has already started! Generally, in AP, students are recruited during the sophomore year and then apply at the end of that year. They know whether or not they will be participating in their junior and senior years before they even enter summer. Then, in the fall, the junior coaches enter with a roster of all the youth they will be serving. We, however, are still unaware of what SCHOOL we'll be at let alone who our students will be.
And the adventure continues...
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Training TOMORROW!
Whaaat? My College Possible training starts TOMORROW! I'm so excited to get going but can't believe that summer is basically over. My last week at my summer job was slightly stressful because I had to plan for all the upcoming field trips in my absence for training. I cannot believe that i'm done with that job already. I had a great time on fieldtrips (also, I'm the tannest I've ever been).
The info I was given for training is very vague and all I know is that it's from the 22nd to the 31st and that I'm staying at St. Kate's for it. Day 1 of training is at Concordia University but I have no idea what I'll be doing after day 1. I really just want to meet the other coaches and hangout with my roomies!
The info I was given for training is very vague and all I know is that it's from the 22nd to the 31st and that I'm staying at St. Kate's for it. Day 1 of training is at Concordia University but I have no idea what I'll be doing after day 1. I really just want to meet the other coaches and hangout with my roomies!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Lingering Thoughts
Who knew that trying to pack your life into 2 cars could be so stressful? Ok, that's an understatement. I think that I knew how hard it's going to be but have refused to acknowledge it. Thankfully, I have some amazing friends who are willing to help me with my move to Omaha. Emily, one of my CA friends, is actually from Omaha and is going there next week. She VOLUNTEERED to take stuff down for me- awesome, right? I wonder if her parents know that they will have my stuff in their house yet... Kyle, one of my future roomies, is going to haul stuff down for me when he goes back after training. No more worries about where all of my kitchen stuff and extra clothes are going.
So I have a few questions about Omaha:
1. Do they refer to bags at a grocery store as "bags" or "sacks"? One of my high school friends from Hudson went to school in Iowa and informed me of this oddity. I've never heard anyone in Minnesota OR Wisconsin refer to "sacks" before. Emily told me it's still "bags" but I want to verify this.
2. I hear that you go in and out of sketchy neighborhoods in Omaha. Does Omaha's sketchiness equate to Minneapolis's sketchiness? I don't want to be that person who gets mugged in their first week of moving somewhere new.
3. How prominent will my Minnesotan accent be there? I usually have it under control, but I know it slips out sometimes. Will I be the laughingstock of the non-accented Omaha? (see video http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/68929/may-10-2006/better-know-a-district---nebraska-s-2nd---lee-terry)
4. Is there ever free stuff to do? In Mpls/St. Paul you can pretty much hit up a festival in the summer or random events in the winter every weekend for free. Will I lose this? :(
Also, does anyone have any crazy good packing tips? I try, but sometimes fail at moving.
So I have a few questions about Omaha:
1. Do they refer to bags at a grocery store as "bags" or "sacks"? One of my high school friends from Hudson went to school in Iowa and informed me of this oddity. I've never heard anyone in Minnesota OR Wisconsin refer to "sacks" before. Emily told me it's still "bags" but I want to verify this.
2. I hear that you go in and out of sketchy neighborhoods in Omaha. Does Omaha's sketchiness equate to Minneapolis's sketchiness? I don't want to be that person who gets mugged in their first week of moving somewhere new.
3. How prominent will my Minnesotan accent be there? I usually have it under control, but I know it slips out sometimes. Will I be the laughingstock of the non-accented Omaha? (see video http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/68929/may-10-2006/better-know-a-district---nebraska-s-2nd---lee-terry)
4. Is there ever free stuff to do? In Mpls/St. Paul you can pretty much hit up a festival in the summer or random events in the winter every weekend for free. Will I lose this? :(
Also, does anyone have any crazy good packing tips? I try, but sometimes fail at moving.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Jitters
Welcome to my first blog posting about my new adventure to Omaha. If you are a friend from the Twin Cities who is reading this, you should already have started planning when you're going to come and visit me. For real.
Anyway, my summer has flown by and I can't believe that I start training for Admission Possible in one week: Monday, August 22, 2011. This summer I've been living in St. Paul, MN with a friend from college and going on field trips for my summer job- awesome, right? I've been having so much fun going on field trips, though, that I've kind of fallen behind on the paperwork portion of my job...whoops. Might have to play catch-up with that today.
Why are you moving to OMAHA? You are probably thinking this right now. Waaay back in April I was offered the opportunity to serve as an AmeriCorps Junior Coach with Admission Possible-in their new site in Omaha. I had some other offers on the table for serving in AmeriCorps roles in other parts of the country, but I decided that moving to Omaha would be the most financially feasible option as I would not have to fly home anytime there was a holiday or for other random things. Also, I wanted to serve in a hands-on role working with youth before I head to grad school in a few years for policy. Once you do policy, I hear that you almost NEVER go back to working with the people you actually serve. Sad face. So, here I am, chilling in Hudson for a week, training in St.Paul for a week and a half and then moving over Labor Day weekend.
One of my biggest concerns about moving is the low income that I will be receiving in return for my service. Also, that I wont have any friends. That's a big one too. So, here's my general plan for the big move to Home-aha.
1. Move (successfully)
2. Thrift some random furniture
3. Figure out my bed situation
4. Join a church and a small group
5. Actually work
6. Find a second part-time job
7. Make friends
8. Have my TC friends come and visit
9. Don't get too homesick (remember coming home for Thanksgiving)
10. Explore Omaha
I feel that putting them in a numerical order is not correct because I probably should be working on my bed before I actually move. Also, I forgot to put "Make house look cute". Oh well. My progress on this list is that I made a few wall hangings that I can quick throw up on walls with thumbtacks. I still don't have anywhere to sleep but at least my room will look cute, guaranteed.
Anyway, my summer has flown by and I can't believe that I start training for Admission Possible in one week: Monday, August 22, 2011. This summer I've been living in St. Paul, MN with a friend from college and going on field trips for my summer job- awesome, right? I've been having so much fun going on field trips, though, that I've kind of fallen behind on the paperwork portion of my job...whoops. Might have to play catch-up with that today.
Why are you moving to OMAHA? You are probably thinking this right now. Waaay back in April I was offered the opportunity to serve as an AmeriCorps Junior Coach with Admission Possible-in their new site in Omaha. I had some other offers on the table for serving in AmeriCorps roles in other parts of the country, but I decided that moving to Omaha would be the most financially feasible option as I would not have to fly home anytime there was a holiday or for other random things. Also, I wanted to serve in a hands-on role working with youth before I head to grad school in a few years for policy. Once you do policy, I hear that you almost NEVER go back to working with the people you actually serve. Sad face. So, here I am, chilling in Hudson for a week, training in St.Paul for a week and a half and then moving over Labor Day weekend.
One of my biggest concerns about moving is the low income that I will be receiving in return for my service. Also, that I wont have any friends. That's a big one too. So, here's my general plan for the big move to Home-aha.
1. Move (successfully)
2. Thrift some random furniture
3. Figure out my bed situation
4. Join a church and a small group
5. Actually work
6. Find a second part-time job
7. Make friends
8. Have my TC friends come and visit
9. Don't get too homesick (remember coming home for Thanksgiving)
10. Explore Omaha
I feel that putting them in a numerical order is not correct because I probably should be working on my bed before I actually move. Also, I forgot to put "Make house look cute". Oh well. My progress on this list is that I made a few wall hangings that I can quick throw up on walls with thumbtacks. I still don't have anywhere to sleep but at least my room will look cute, guaranteed.
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