First week...DONE!

This week has been all ACE ACE ACE. Between PST (pre service training) and my long commute it is really all I have had time to do. It is reminding me so much of the beginning of last year, frantically trying to meet an entirely new group of people, with everyone being anxious about the year ahead. Sadly, I've noticed that I am lacking a lot of the enthusiasm that many of the first time AmeriCorps members have right now, having gone through such a similar process last year. However, I am extremely excited and anxious to get assigned a school and dive head first into my work.

On Tuesday evening we had a "meet and greet" at one of the staff member's houses. I went with Stephen which made the experience a little easier, but overall it was a very overwhelming few hours, meeting 40 new people without much guidance.

Besides that, the last three days have been absolutely wonderful! I am feeling very happy with my decision to do this program and move to this city. All of the staff members and team leaders are EXTREMELY warm and friendly. I guess they have to be, working with young kids! We spent this week going over policies and paperwork, but also doing a lot of fun stuff to help the 30 of us get to know  each other. 

This week has also been a huge learning experience navigating the city. At the beginning of the week, it seemed like every time I left the house I was getting lost. I am happy to say that I have not been lost once since Tuesday! I have been driving and taking buses, depending on our meeting places, and I'm really getting the hang of it! The only problem is the LONG commute. I usually leave the house around 6 am and don't start until 8, so the commute is adding about 3-4 hours to my day. As much as I love living with Dave and Caree, I am unsure as to how long I can do this without being completely burnt out! I think I am going to start looking for a place to live in the city after I get my first pay check in a couple of weeks. It is nice though that all the public transit is equipped with wifi, which I am connected to as I type!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great labor day! I am definitely going to use the time wisely to RELAX!

Danielle