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...

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!

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.

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.