Well, here we are. For those of you who haven't heard, I'll be going to Denver in February to begin training for a term of service with AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). After training, which will last about a month, I'll be on a team of 8-12 people, performing various service projects around the Gulf Coast and the mid-west (my assigned "region").
AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is a full-time, team-based residential program for men and women age 18–24. Members live on one of three campuses, located in Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; and Perry Point, Maryland.There's more on the AmeriCorps website.
The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service. In partnership with nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, and faith-based and other community organizations, members complete service projects throughout the region they are assigned.
Drawn from the successful models of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and the U.S. military, AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs.
So I figured I would try to keep track of my comings and goings, both for myself and for anyone else who happens to be interested on what the experience is like. And this way I won't have to tell the same story five, six, ten times. Because I'm lazy and lame like that. You're over it. =)
I know I still have more than a month left before I get on a train and go out to Denver. But my mind has been slowly filling up with all sorts of thoughts. I want to write them all down but it feels like jumbled Christmas lights ... and I don't say that just to be festive. Since I found out back in October that I'd been accepted (I had applied in early May), I've been making mental To Do lists. I've kept track of some, but most of it involves things that I need to remember to pack and buy. Nothing that I can do yet. So I'm also a little restless.
For now, I have more immediate things to look forward to: baking cookies for my mom to give to her co-workers, vacuuming the house, working extra shifts at Tortillas, working out...
Speaking of working out, PT (physical training) is apparently a big deal in NCCC, mostly due to the fact that members may have to participate in projects that require moderate-to-intense physical labor. When we get to Denver, we'll conduct a baseline test consisting of a 1.5-mile run, and as many sit-ups and push-ups that can be done in two minutes each. Well, today I actually went outside (as opposed to biking indoors with a bike trainer) and did the 1.5 mile run to see where I was at. I did it in 14:13, which comes down to a nine-minute mile (okay okay, 9:03). I also did sit-ups and push-ups, but I originally thought that the time limit for those was a minute each, not two minutes. So I'll try again tomorrow and see how I make out. I'm pretty happy with the nine-minute mile, especially considering that I did it so abruptly. I haven't gone for a run outside since the last time it was 50 degrees out. I don't think I'll push too hard to shave off any time before February. Nine minutes is a nice place to start and I've always been more about distance than speed anyway.
Well, I suppose that's all for now.
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