An AmeriUpdate

I don’t know how, but my computer will connect to the internet in the laundry room- so I’m not asking questions. A little re-cap for the last few days:

Friday was the urinalysis and immunizations. Just for the record- my drug and pregnancy tests came up negative, tetanus shots hurt, and a TB test looks like a mosquito bite.

Got outfitted with my AmeriUniform on Saturday-

2 pair khaki shorts                           1 fleece vest

2 pair khaki pants                            1 AmeriCorps hooded sweatshirt

3 AmeriCorps t-shirts                      1 set coveralls

2 AmeriCorps long-sleeved shirts   1 AmeriCorps parka/jacket

1 AmeriCorps long-sleeved polo     1 sleeping bag

2 winter beanie hats                        2 bandanas

1 pair work gloves                           1 belt

1 hard hat                                        1 AmeriCorps baseball cap

1 AmeriCorps fisherman’s hat       1 red bag to carry it all… if you pack it right

Sunday was our first day off. It was also the day of the pack endurance test to see who would qualify to be a member of the Fire Management Team (“FMT”, basically Corps fire fighters). So I slept in (until 7, that’s right! 7 am is deemed “sleeping in” around here) and went to go cheer my friends on as they walked 3 miles, within a 45 minute time frame while carrying a 45 pound pack. I’d like to think that because of my cheering everyone in that group passed. Then, my friend Ashley (from Elgin, IL) and I decided to walk around the city surrounding our lovely air force base to find a place to eat. Turns out- not the best town. It’s kinda sketch, even in the middle of the day. So we went to the BK Lounge with Tucker and Josh.

Monday was the PT baseline test. Do you know how fraggin hard it is to sleep through the night when you know you’re waking up to do push ups, sit ups, and running before the sun even comes up?! I won’t share my time for the 1.5 mile run/jog/walk or the as-many-as-you-can sit ups and push ups in 2 minutes. Let’s just say I left room for improvement throughout the year, but I didn’t do as badly as I thought I would. I did fall down during the run. I was on the last ½ mile stretch and I wanted to jog the rest of the way. Following the course, I crossed the street and went to get on the sidewalk and BAM! I guess I miss stepped it or I’m not used to wearing shoes that aren’t so tight on my feet like my Chucks, because I missed the curb and rolled onto the sidewalk. So now I have a bruise on my arm, scratches on my shoulder, and some road-rash on my lower back. AmeriBattleScares!

Monday also was our first day in our AmeriUniforms. And man! My AmeriPants are so baggy. But I guess I’d rather them be too big than too small. An AmeriUniform consists of khaki cargo pants or shorts (or if the shorts are too long, like they are on Ashley, “AmeriCapris”), an AmeriShirt, an AmeriBelt, and closed-toed/closed-heel shoes. Obviously it became a huge joke amongst the members of my pod to add “Ameri” to the beginning of every word we could. Our pod leader’s name is AmeriMurph and he told us where to get fitted for our steel-toed AmeriBoots. We take AmeriClasses and we were AmeriTired because of the AmeriRun. And at noon we ate our AmeriLunch with a side of AmeriPringles.

And yesterday and today were American Red Cross training days. Tuesday was CPR/ First Aid/ AED (automated external defibrillator) with the CPR AmeriDummies, and today was Disaster Response. The TLs (Team Leaders) are telling us that by the end of this 10-month program, if you add up airfare, food, shelter, the small stipend we get, and all the certification classes and professional lecturers, the government will have invested ~$40,000 on each NCCC member!

Yesterday was my first excursion from the base since we’ve been here! Ashley, Tucker, Josh, and I all piled into Shea’s car and went to GoodWill. Turns out there are a LOT of funny costumes there right now so, of course, we had to try stuff on!

Avaters! Tucker, Ashley, AmeriJosh

Shea-Squash

Cash Cab

Tucker says "you're fired!"

Ashley... is a bee-keeping witch?

And right now Ashley and I are in the laundry room of our building. She's 18 and this is her first time doing laundry by herself. So I'm teaching her the college way- everything in one load on cold!

So that’s a quick blurb on what I’ve been up to. I’m really sorry I haven’t been able to talk to anyone so much since I’ve been here. Even our off time is full or I’m so tired because we run like 16-18 hour days here! But FaceBook or e-mail, for now, is the best way to keep in touch with me because I can read it and hopefully respond quickly and it won’t interrupt CTI (corps training institution)!