Joplin, Missouri!

My team's first assignment is Joplin, Missouri. You may remember that Joplin was hit by a devestating EF5 tornado in May of 2011. Thousands of homes, the high school, businesses, and a hospital were destroyed and 161 people were killed in the storm.

The community of Joplin has rebuilt much, but there is still evidence of the storm throughout the city. My team is here to wrap up the temporary housing program that gave people a place to live while they rebuilt their homes and lives.

We are thrilled to be here and I am humbled by both the power of the storm that ripped through this place and by the human spirit so evident in this community and their efforts to rebuild.

New Mexico!

Because four weeks of training in Denver wasn't enough, I headed down to the New Mexico desert for two more weeks. I have no pictures from those weeks because we were on a federal facility that did not permit any photos. They also enforced curfews and dress codes. It was certainly an interesting experience.

Training was pretty intensive, with eight hour days and only one day off. I am so thankful to finally be done with training and heading out to begin work!

My Team!

It was a crazy process, but I am now a proud member of the team Tundra 4!

My position is Community Relations (CR) which is essentially a three-part job. When a natural or man-made disaster gets a Presidential declaration, CR teams deploy immediately to assess the situation in the community, interview community members, inform survivors how to register for assistance, and report on our findings so that resources can be allocated effectively.

The best part is my lovely teammates who crack me up and teach me things every day.

Denver!

Right now, I am living on a college campus in Denver with around 180 other 18-24 year olds. We are training here until mid March for our year of service. Here are some fun things I've gotten to do thusfar:

> Went to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater
> Headed downtown, 16th Street Mall, etc.
> Read some of my poems at the Mercury Cafe's poetry reading
> Dungeons and Dragons
> Trained to drive a 15 passenger van
> Was issued uniforms
> Visited Lookout Mountain where Buffalo Bill is buried
> Making new friends
> Lots of public transit

This Friday I will be assigned to a team and job which I will have for the rest of the year. I cannot wait!

Pictures

At any point, if you'd like to check out pictures of what I'm up to, click on the "My Flickr" link on the right side of the blog. Enjoy!

Go!

On February 11th, I boarded a plane at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport with one checked bag, a backpack, and a pillow. This was the beginning of my new adventure. For the next ten months, I will be living out of a suitcase, traveling in a 15-passenger van, and working in several different communities around the United States. This is a year of service and simple living. I hope to learn and grow a lot and to experience many new things.

Home

Yes, I made it home safely and soundly last night.  I can hardly believe I was only away for eight weeks; I experienced so many things.  My time in Costa Rica was truly amazing, and it was hard to say goodbye to my host family, the staff at CIME, and the staff and children at Casa San Lazaro.  Thanks for all your support, prayers, and thoughts over the last two months.  And lastly, two more lists:

Favorite things:   
    1) My family: Marcos, Yadhi, Marco Antonio, McKenzie, Sebastian, y Tedi 
    2) Food: plátanos maduros, arroz con leche, casados 
    3) Nature: cloud forests, the ocean, lizards 
    4) Spanish:  I LOVED being able to communicate en español!

Biggest things I learned:
   1) Humility: I got pretty used to feeling awkward and clueless :P 
   2) Confidence: it’s a lot easier to speak up after having to do so in español 
   3) Direction:  I’ll be heading back to Superior in a week or so, ready to take on my final year at UWS = )