Giving of Thanks...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it seems only fitting that I write a blog about the things I am thankful for, with an AmeriCorps lens, of course.  So, in no particular order, the things I am thankful for:

1.  My teammates, who are all "squares"
2.  My family, who loves me enough to buy me a $600 plane ticket home for Christmas and has not nagged my broke ass yet about repayment...
3.  My cat, who seems to be maintaining the level of bizarreness that drew me to her in the first place
4.  My dog, who looked extra dopey, yet excited, to hear my voice on skype today
5.  The Thanksgiving dinner that just graced my stomach, especially the fact that it wasn't bad like I had originally feared it would be
6.  My newly acquired towel flicking skills, a result of hostile kitchen encounters in 946
7.  The fact that I can turn my neck again and don't feel half as bad as I originally anticipated I would a few days ago, thanks to some intense sleep and a Z Pack
8.  The 24 some odd days that separate me from being home for the holidays (!!!)
9.  MY FRIENDS that send me cards, text me, call me, and read this blog... I think I would go crazy without you.  Seriously.  I love you all.
10.  The partial completion of my NYU Wagner application... more to come on that
11.  The football game that was FINALLY played today and was actually organized and a ton of fun
12.  The cheap moccasins I bought from Target that call my name every cold morning after PT
13.  The teachers at Larchmont that go above and beyond
14.  For not getting shot despite the lockdown and seemingly perpetual violence that occurs in the surrounding neighborhoods.  (I'm partially joking, but I'm also thankful to be safe, especially when so many others in this area are not.)
15.  For getting better at planning PT for my team and for improving my baseline scores (50 push ups, biddies!).
16.  For the 30,000 people that participated in the Run for the Hungry bright and early today and for the 10 out of those that actually listened to my crowd control directions.  But seriously, it's the largest Thanksgiving day race in America!
17.  For my sister, who gave me updates on the hour, every hour of all of the antics performed by my relatives and pets throughout the holiday.
18.  For the lack of snow in November and the thought of encountering it at Christmas.
19.  Our van, the silver surfer, rolling with the new back tire it gained this week and coming back to life after playing too much music for us, despite the truck helping us getting stuck and the jumper cables not working correctly the first time.
20.  For finally getting into AmeriCorps and having the opportunity to gain some new experiences, friends, traveling adventures, and street cred.

That is all for now, but there will be more to come soon.  The past few days have flown by, and we've had random service projects lately, since Larchmont has ridiculous amounts of vacation.  But, needless to say, Thanksgiving was lovely and I can't wait to find out what our next project will be and where... which will hopefully be occurring this week.  We shall see.  Time to give in to the tryptophan.

L-L-Larchmont

Well, we've completed our first week-ish at Larchmont and so far so good!  The kids are crazy but it's a lot of fun.  Nothing like walking into school after a hectic morning of PT and getting stormed by little munchkins that want nothing more than to attach themselves to you and know everything about you.  They get super excited to see new people to play with and become best friends with.  Or  I was also informed it's because I'm warm and they think it's cold out here (HA HA, they do have jokes).  I informed them that where I came from it was much much colder and they should be thankful.  They remained attached, so I don't think they cared.  Such is life, but I digress.  It's been a lot of fun working amongst my teammates.  before coming here, I was working with a 7th grader 1:1 and I didn't mind it but it's a nice change to have people to joke with and eat lunch with, as strange as that may sound.  They always have something new to add or another hilarious story, and it's refreshing to have that between classes or recess.  I also really like a special education classroom in particular, taught by Mr. Tealdi.  He's PHENOMENAL.  I've never seen a special education classroom run that well, and the kids respect him and the systems he created to encourage good behavior and hard work.  Truly admirable.  For example, he has a series of repeat-back-to-me's that he does to get the attention of his students, including the "class class" "yes yes" and the mighty groan or mighty oh yeah! that follows associated behavior.  Other classrooms are fun as well but this is my favorite thus far.
On another note, it was discussed Tuesday that it is highly likely that Larchmont Elementary will close after this school year ends.  I was shocked.  Apparently this isn't the first time it's been a threat but the teachers seem to think that this time it will definitely close.  It's really frustrating from our standpoint because it doesn't seem fair, not to mention practical or good for the students, who will be squeezed into the classrooms of other schools within the district.  Not to mention the teachers, who I'm confident are not all guaranteed a job.  Unfortunately, it's not an issue as to whether or not a school will close, it's that one school will be shut down.  So even if Larchmont is magically saved THIS time, another school will close and Larchmont will still likely be on the radar.  Despite excellent faculty, and high achievements in STAR testing scores.  I'm going to the meeting about it next week, hopefully resulting in a better understanding of the situation, but we'll see what will come of it.
On a brighter note, we got to go rock climbing yesterday with Sacramento Pipeworks and it was awesome :)  Almost everyone is taking advantage of the amazing deal they cut with us, and we all loved it.  It's like a giant playground for adults, and the people there are great.  Definitely looking forward to going back!  Also, we did PT workout to ridiculous videos Wednesday, including a dance video that had everyone laughing more than working out (but hey, maybe our abs got a workout then?) and tomorrow we're going for another playground run.  Word has it there's a "Sweating to the Oldies" DVD that I must get my hands on!  I'm planning an epically horrible 80s style workout.  Lucky for my team!  Lastly, Rory bought a volleyball net and ball so today a bunch of us got to play, which was entertaining due to the varying volleyball abilities on our team.  The weather has been cooperating for such activities at least, which is crazy for November (to me, anyway).  I'm hoping to take advantage of the bike rentals offered at the same place we went kayaking.
That's all for now, I have to fetch my laundry.  But I'm hanging in here, definitely looking forward to being home in December though.  It gets difficult at times but I'm glad to be here and I'm enjoying it thus far.  Still curious about our next project, but nothing new there :)

End of CTI!!!

I get inducted tomorrow, and get to say goodbye to CTI!  Such a sweet goodbye.  It's finally time to get down to business :)  After induction we get to go to Larchmont tomorrow and go through training, and hopefully get a taste of what's ahead of us during the next six weeks.  I'm SO excited.  Apparently I've dubbed myself as the special ed pro due to my camp experiences.  I'm curious to see how this will work out lol.  Larchmont is part of a rough school district, and they can definitely use our help.  80% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and many come from difficult home situations.  Unemployment and homelessness contribute to the high mobility rate of families.  An important part of our mission at Larchmont is to show the students that we can be positive figures in their lives and show them that people can leave their lives in positive ways.  Many of the students have never had anything except negative experiences with people leaving them.  The school is literally within walking distance of the base, and I know the area has experienced many challenges, including a raised level of violence.  Right before I arrived to McClellan, someone was shot and killed at the gas station across the street, and someone else was the victim of gun violence within the school district last week.  Also, if I had a dollar for every time I heard screaming tires and sirens of police or emergency vehicles, I wouldn't have any loans.  It's daunting to envision the things we'll encounter at Larchmont, but I'm excited to see what we can accomplish and what exactly we'll be able to help the school with.  I'm also excited to see the PT plan develop.  I have an outline of what our workouts will look like during the first project but it's all trial and error.  I was contacted today by a rock climbing facility I've been trying to get ahold of to obtain discounts for our team, and I'm confident we'll be able to work something out!  I've always wanted to get back into rock climbing, and my teammates are enthusiastic about it as well, so I'm really optimistic about this working out.
On another note, this morning we had the first official baseline (because apparently the first one didn't count?) and I was pleasantly surprised at my results.  Once again, I'll include my results because those who matter don't judge and those that judge don't matter.  Ha ha.  I increased my pushups to FIFTY, which was awesome because I never thought I'd see the day.  I did 70 sit-ups, and took about a minute and a half off my mile and a half, running it in 12:28.  I'm really excited about these improvements, the only downfall is that it'll be hard to improve from here.  But I'm interested to see how far I can take it, considering I never thought I'd hit the marks I did today.
After a rough few days last week, this week has been phenomenal and it makes me all the more excited to see what project one will hold :)