Last Night!!!

Well it is the last night of peace and quite before the CMs get here.  This week has consisted of getting everything ready for their arrival! Part of that preparing included me and a few other TLs unloading over 100 sleeping bags, going through all of them to make sure they had all the right parts, loading them onto a truck, taking them to the dorms, unloading them and distributing them into all of the rooms! That was a long morning!

We also got to find out our teams! I have a total of 9 people on my team, 7 girls and 2 guys! That should be fun! My team is an IA team, which stands for Individual Assistance. We will be providing information to individuals and families applying for disaster assistance. We will provide information on Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) and community relations outreach, and assist in responding to congressional inquiries. We could be at the Joint Field Office (JFO), a fixed or mobile DRC, shelter, call center, or a Regional Office. This means we will be working directly with disaster survivors and assisting them in getting the help they need!

Today we went over last minute things to make sure we were ready for tomorrow. I got things prepared for my team by getting together a list of expectations I have for the team. I also typed up a small paragraph welcoming them saying how excited I was to get to know them and work with them over the next 10 months and gave them a roommate agreement to fill out! I gave them my contact information and some candy and placed it in all of their rooms! Best Team Leader Ever!! :)

 

 

I am getting excited for them to get here and meet them. I found out today that I will be making runs to the airport tomorrow to pick some of them up! It is pretty neat that I will be one of the first ones they meet when they get here!

Wish me luck!!!

Here we go!!

Exhausted!!

Wow! I am sorry guys. I have not written in a while.
Last week we finished our Hands of Peace training and learned that once our CMs (Corps Members) get here two teams will be paired together and we, as the TLs, will have to conduct the training for them! I'm pretty excited about that! It should be a fun day!
We also had diversity training and got certified in Mental Health First Aid. That was a really long class but it feels good to be certified in that!
As Team Leaders we have specific rolls or jobs that will have to do while on campus when the CMs arrive. The role I was assigned is Residence Life. That means I, along with 3 other TLs from different units, are in charge of coming up with activities to do to keep the CMs occupied in their free time. Things like movie night, trivia night, coffee crawl, etc.. We are also in charge of getting groups together and taking them to the store, or doctors appts. and anywhere else they might need to go! I am looking forward to seeing how all that goes!

This weekend we had a much welcomed long weekend! Since we were off on Monday for Presidents day, a few of us decided to go into San Francisco for the weekend! It was beautiful. I loved the city, all of the culture and diversity. We got to see a lot of the city and the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge. We even drove across it and found a little beach to go to. The view was breath taking and the pictures do not give it justice. I could have sat there all day staring out into the ocean, but they wouldn't let me!! The only negative thing I have to say about San Fran is that it SUCKS to try and walk around. There are hills so steep they have to put stairs in the side walk to keep you from falling! So if you are planning on going more than a few blocks you have to call a cab or hate yourself for thinking in won't be that bad of a walk!

Today was back to reality, but thankfully we were not sitting in a class room the whole day! We had our van training! I am now certified to drive the 15 passenger vans!!
Now it is bed time!! I am exhausted!

Thank You Greenville Tech!

Today has been my favorite day so far of TLT! (I'm refusing to acknowledge the fact that we had to run. A lot. In the freezing, rainy, cold, dark weather this morning)
Today's training is what was called Hands of Peace! This training was directed by the campus counselors. It was focused a lot on how to communicate effectively with our team. We went over some active listening skills and non verbal's. Thanks to the amazing teachers in the Human Service Department at Greenville Tech, I was well prepared for all of the exercises and activities that we did. I knew how to actively listen, use key word encouragers, non verbal's, open body language, and how to let my partner speak without interrupting or offering advice. It is amazing how much of my schooling from Greenville Tech has melted over into the training I have been getting here. Time management, case management, counseling techniques, cultural diversity, and essentially every skill I learned in my Human Service classes. I am extremely grateful for the teachers I had and for them taking the time to lend their expertise, otherwise, going through this training would be significantly more complicated.
We did several of these activities as well as played a few games! We had to sit and listen to the person across from us talk without saying anything, just use non verbal's and then we switched and had to be the one to talk for two minutes. We got in groups and decided on an object that we wanted to build (hypothetically) then they gave us tinker toys and we had to actually build it, without speaking! We had an opportunity to talk to and get to know some of our fellow team leaders on a deeper level which, I feel, only made our bond that much stronger! It was great to see how much everyone really wanted to be here and was engaged in all of the activities!
At the end we broke up into our Units and came up with a charter in which we, as Units, agreed to live by for the remainder of our service! This was ours:

As you can see, we all signed it and officially committed to upholding it and one another! It was a great moment! And a really great day!!

Gold!!

Sunday night:
Despite the Super Bowl being a let down we all had a really good time hanging out together! We found a sports bar to have dinner and watch the game. When the game got boring we played pool!! Like I figured, once we got back we all crashed for early morning PT!

Monday:
PT wasn't as bad today! We had a list, much like the last one, except this time all the numbers said 500 instead of 100. We broke off into small groups and had to go through the list and complete as much as we could as a group.
The rest of the day was more training on policies and procedures. We also got funds training, which was very insightful. We got our budget portfolio and got to see how we will be managing and how the break down of the funds will work! The last bit of training for the day consisted of community relations. Basically the stuff we can and can't put on social media as well as the stuff we can and can't say to the media if they approach us, which they often will!

Tuesday:
This whole day was geared toward FEMA! We got a closer look into what FEMA is and what some of the specific jobs are that our teams could be doing. The different teams will be; Individual Assistance Team, Public Assistance Team, Logistics Team, Individual Assistance Mixed Team, Disaster Survivor Assistance Team, External Affairs Team, Task Force Public Assistance Team, Task Force Federal Disaster Recovery Coordination Team, and a GIS Team (Geographic Information Systems Specialist). I'm not going to go into trying to explain all of these because it would be a long and boring explanation with a lot of government words and acronyms that you probably would not understand because I barely do! However, if you have any questions about any of them you can just ask me! I have not found out which team my team will be apart of but I am really anxious to find out what we will be doing!!
We ended the day with afternoon PT. This one was more of a challenge than the last. We started with a run around the building. 10 push-ups. A run around the building. 10 sit-ups. A run around the building. 10 arm circles. A run around the building. 10 leg lifts. Repeat 4 times! Bed!!

Wednesday (today):

NO PT TODAY!!!

Today started with National Member Handbook Training, which basically consisted of a guy reading through our member hand book that we have already read and been over! So, that was kind of a repeat lesson. The second half of the day was much better. We had Supervisory Skills training. The guy teaching it was very good at presenting and getting us involved in the discussion.  He talked about what it meant to be a supervisor/leader and the tips he had was very useful.
The best part of the day though, was we got to find out what unit we are in!! There are four different units on this campus; Blue, Green, Gold, & Silver. Each unit has its own unit leader who will be our "boss" or point of contact. They are directly above us in the chain of command and will be the person we stay in contact with for whatever we need while we are out in the field!
My unit is Gold!!!

So Sore!!!!

Ok, so where did I leave off? Oh, yes, grocery shopping. It went fairly smoothly and we even came out under budget! If we stay under budget the whole time we will probably get to go out for a nice meal as a group at the end!
Friday morning was another early morning wake up for PT. We walked into the training room and this is what was on the board for our PT.

Our instructions were to start and get through as much of that list as we could. I made it through the sit-ups and was very proud of myself!

The rest of the day consisted of more training in leadership and communication. We also broke up into groups and did some role playing of different scenarios. We finished up earlier than what we have been which was nice! A couple guys made a great dinner for us and we sat and ate as a group!

After dinner the majority of us went over to the local hang out and played some pool and sang karaoke! It was a lot of fun and a chance for us to hang out as a group outside of work!

We are off for the weekend so we got to sleep in on Saturday! Since I have been used to getting up at 5:30am sleeping in meant waking up at 8:30! But those few extra hours of sleep still felt pretty good! We got to venture out into downtown Sacramento Saturday! We started out in Old Sacramento which was really pretty! It had an old western feel to it! I posted a lot of pictures on my Facebook page! We also walked to the Capitol building. It was gorgeous!! We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and walked down by the river! It was a nice day aside from everyone complaining about how sore they were. Every step we took we moaned and groaned! If our abs didn't hurt so much I'm sure we would have laughed about it!

  

Last night me and 3 other girls found an improve show to go to. We ate at an Indian place and then went to the show! It was pretty funny!
Today we are all being pretty lazy until the Super Bowl comes on. We are still trying to figure out what everyone wants to do and go to watch it! I'm sure everyone will crash as soon as it is over because we have another 5:30am wake up call in the morning for PT!

Also for anyone that is interested this is my address, and I can receive care packages while I am here on campus which will be through March after that I can receive them but I will only get them when I am back on campus which will be every 8-11 weeks or so! I can receive letters anytime!

Kacie Marcus, Class 20 NCCC-FEMA TL
AmeriCorps NCCC
3427 Laurel Street
McClellan, CA 95652

Officially Official

 

I didn't get a chance to post last night, but here is what I wrote:

Well, I didn't die!!

Today started bright (well, not bright it was still dark outside) and early! We all met outside of our dorms to start PT. Since it was wet outside we had to jog over to the training building to do our stretching. Then the first thing we had to do was see how many sit ups we could do in 2 minutes. I did 35. Then we had to see how many push ups we could do in 2 minutes. I did 30. Then came the part I dreaded the most. The 1.5 mile run. I finished it and was not the last one! But I definitely felt like I was dying while I did it! I finished it in 20 minutes. Which, I know, is not normally a good time, but for someone that does not run, I'll take it!!

After our baseline test, we only had about 45 minutes to shower, get ready, eat breakfast and be in the vans ready to go. We rode down the rode to one of the FEMA office buildings. We were ushered inside, given a temporary security badge, and told to sit and wait. A few at a time we were brought into a room and issued our very own laptop, heavy duty laptop case, and a blackberry phone! We then were escorted to yet another room where we were again told to sit and wait. They then called us one by one to go into a room and get finger printed at one machine and asked for some of our personal information. Then we went to the next station where we were finger printed again and had to take a mug shot style picture. The guy then printed us out our official FEMA DHS ID badge. (*DHS- Department of Homeland Security) This was a very long process that felt like it took forever. And we were only half way through the process.

When we received our ID Badge, we had to take our laptops and blackberry's to another room and begin the setup process. We had to go through getting our laptops and phones secure and set up our government email address. Again, this sounds simple but, to give you an idea, we were at the FEMA offices from 8:15am till 2:30pm! That is how long it took to get all of this done! It was very long and boring and a whole lot of just sitting around! We did have a chance to meet some of the guys that work for FEMA and hear a little about what they do, which was pretty interesting!

The uniforms made me feel official. The government laptop and blackberry make me feel officially official!!

We got back to campus and only had about 30minutes of down time before we had to be at a meeting. The meeting was the first of 3 dedicated to learning more about leadership. After we were split into two groups which we will remain in for the rest of TLT. My group will go grocery shopping and cook together. We have come up with a list to take to the store. Our plan is to have something quick for breakfast, like yogurt and fruit, Sandwiches for lunch then we will break up into two or three and have a designated night for us to cook for the rest of the group. We are all about to go grocery shopping now at WinCo, which is like Costco. We have a budget of a little of $300 to spend for the entire group for one week! This should be fun!

Feeling Official

Not too much to report today! We started the day with more orientation stuff, mainly consisting of going over, in detail, what our schedule will be like for the next month of TLT (Team Leader Training). One thing I have learned is the Government loves their abbreviations. Almost everything is abbreviated so I will try to remember to specify! After that we had lunch and a about an hour and a half of free time! After unpacking last night I realized the one thing I forgot to bring is a towel! So, this morning after my shower, I had to dry off with a t-shirt!! I was extremely thankful for our hour and a half break because it gave time for me and my roommate, Amber, to walk across the street to the base exchange where I was able to buy a towel (tax free I might add)!!
There are a total of 26 TLs (Team Leaders) here going through TLT. After lunch we broke up into two groups. My group was the first to go get fitted for our uniform and boots! We received our red duffel bag that we will pack all of our stuff in when we go out on projects. We also received a small backpack that we will keep all of our documents and paperwork in to help us stay organized. Our uniform, while on campus, is black or khaki cargo pants and a green t-shirt or polo shirt along with a sweatshirt if its cold. Once we leave campus we will switch to the red FEMA t-shirt or polo shirt! We also received a hard hat (not sure yet why we will need that!), a safety vest that we have to wear during PT (Physical Training), a ball cap, a sock cap, a bandanna, and two jackets. We had to wear our uniforms for the rest of the day! Made us all feel official!!

After we received our uniforms, we had to go for medical screening. We had some forms to fill out and a drug test! Then we had to get a TB shot and a tetanus shot. If you know me at all, you will know that was my least favorite part of this so far! I hate needles!!
We then had a long meeting about expectations, uniform requirements, and safety procedures followed by dinner! After dinner we were done for the day so the rest of the night we are free to do whatever! There are a few people that did this last year, so they have been certified to drive the vans. One of  the girls volunteered to take a group to target! I rode a long because I wanted to get another blanket because it got a little chilly last night in my room!
Now there is a group of us sitting in the lounge area watching a movie! It is also the only place we can successfully connect to wifi!

 

I will probably be going to bed pretty soon because we have our baseline PT test at 6am tomorrow. This will consist of a 1.5 mile run, two minutes of push ups, two minutes of sit ups, a sit and reach test, and me praying that I don't die!! I'll let you know how that goes!!

Day 1

**Disclaimer: Sorry for all the misspelled words and typos, I had to type fast**

Well, I started the day by waking up at 3am. I got ready and finished getting the rest of my stuff together. We left the house around 4am to drive the hour and a half to the Charlotte airport. We arrived around 5:30 and, thankfully, it did not take long to check in. I said my dreaded goodbyes and was able to make it through secruity fairly easy!

My flight took off on time, 7:30am, and was about a 5 hour flight. Thankfully I had an aisle seat, unfortunately it was in front of a blulk head so my seat did not recline. It didn't really matter, I couldn't sleep anyways. So I just listen to music and read. I also bonded with the flight attendant because he saw my airplane tattoo on my wrist and I explained that I used to be a flight attendant. It was a smooth flight and landed on time in Pheonix. I was sitting in the back of the plane so I was one of the last ones off and had to rush to get to my connecting flight that had just started boarding when I walked up! So I didn't get to see much of the airport, but I did get a few good pictures from the window of the plane!

The plane ride from Pheonix to Sacramento wasn't quite as long, only about 3 hours. I had a window seat this time so I got to enjoy the view along the way! Smooth ride the whole way again! I spent the flight talking to the older lady seated next to me who was flying to Sacramento to see her new grandson be born the following day! She is orginally from here but has recently bought and is living on a farm in Texas with her husband. She said she still wasn't used to having all those animales around and is kind of scared of them. We talked for a while and she commented on my accent and the fact that I kept saying yes ma'am and no ma'am. She said people don't do that out here!

When I arrived on campus, me and a few other team leaders were ushered in a room where we recieved some paper work to sign and a welcom packet. We then took our pictures for our ID that we have to wear at all times. We took a tour of the campus and then everyone gathered in a big room with confrence style seating. All of the team leaders (26 of us) and all of the staff was there. We went around the room and introduced ourselfs, where again there was a comment made about my accent (I didn't think mine was that bad). All of the staff introduced themselfs and we got a little more info about the base and what Sacramento has to offer.

We got our room assignments and took our bags to our rooms to unpack. I have one roomate and we seem to get along very well! That is a relief!

After that, we had a dinner. It was a 3 course dinner consisting of appatizer, main course, and dessert. Each course we had to sit at a different table with different people. And at each table we had to introduce ourselves and tell something about ourselves. I feel like I have made the same speech a hundred times today!

Everyone here, including the staff, seem to be very down to earth and like minded! It was really fun to get to meet everyone and hear all the different stories of where people are from and who they are! I can't wait to see how the rest of the week goes and really settle in!

It's Time!!

Well, after months of planning, preparing, and anticipating, the time has finally come. In 12 short hours I will be on a plane bound for California!! I can't believe I will be in Sacramento this time tomorrow night. This past week has been hectic. Filled with last minute errands, getting things I had forgotten to get, goodbyes, and going away parties and dinners!

Yesterday I spent the day organizing my things and getting everything together that I planned on packing! Then my MaMa cooked me my favorite meal for dinner and we celebrated my PaPas 78th Birthday!! Then I spent the evening with two of my closest friends, which was the perfect end to my last normal night here! Oh, and a friend came over earlier in the day and helped my decorate my bag!

Today has been a day full of making sure I have everything I needed and figuring out how get everything in my bag! And there was more that isn't showed in this picture! Keep in mind I had to pack 11 months worth of clothing for all kinds of weather in that one bag! It was definitely a challenge!!

 

 

After several attempts of folding and rolling and packing and unpacking and packing again, I finally made it all fit! It does not look pretty and neat inside, but it is all in there and that's all that matters!!

I also have a backpack that I will be using as my carry on. It has all the important papers and electronics that I want to take in it. Also a couple books to keep my entertained if I can't sleep on the plane.

 



The morning will consist of getting up at 3am in order to leave the house by 4am and drive the hour and a half to Charlotte for my flight that leaves at 7:30am. I will have a five hour flight to Phoenix, change planes, then a three hour flight to Sacramento! I will arrive in Sacramento around 11:45am Pacific Time (which is 2:45pm our time). It is going to be a LONG day of travel!! Hopefully I can get some sleep on the plane!!

 

I want to say thank you to everyone that has reached out to me to offer words of encouragement, congratulations, thoughts, and prayers. It means the world to me that I have so many people around me that love and support me! I love all of you and will miss everyone very much!

One Week!!

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things can change. How unexpected kindness from a stranger can change your entire mood. How a random Thursday can turn into one of your best nights that you will never forget. Or how a "Congratulations, You have been Accepted!" email can completely alter the direction in which you thought your life was headed.
One week from tomorrow I will be boarding a plane to the other side of the country to embark on this new chapter in my life. I am excited, anxious, optimistic, terrified, inspired, and so much more that I couldn't even begin to put into words.
This week is going to be one of the most hectic weeks of my life. I will be receiving my flight information along with my green duffle bag within the next couple days. After which, I will have to begin the packing process and go over checking lists to ensure I have everything I will need. And then figure out how in the world I am going to fit everything into one bag!  That will be a challenge! However, the most challenging thing I will have to do is all the "Goodbyes", or rather the "See you laters", because I hate goodbyes! I have a wonderful family and an amazing group of friends that I will miss more than anything! I am amazed and blessed with the amount of support and love I have surrounding me. It means the world to me! (Even the not so subtle hints of kidnapping me so I can't leave!) So, if I don't get to see or talk to you before I go, know that your support means the world to me and I thank you!!
Just a week to go and I think it's finally starting to sink in, and while the nerves are starting to creep in, I am still very excited because I know this is going to be one of the most rewarding things that I will ever get the opportunity to experience!