Whew...this would have been better if I hadn't waited till 10 to write it. Sorry bout that, readers and self.
1. What were my expectations for the day?
2. What are the high points of the day?
3. What are the low points of the day?
4. What is one experience that caused me to grow today?
5. What am I excited about for tomorrow?
1. My expectations for today were pretty high because I knew that we would be switching up the routine. Also, I'm getting closer to my Crazy Team and making some great friends, so I expected to continue to be myself and see how those relationships grow.
2. SO MANY HIGH POINTS! We started with PT, which is Physical Training, which would offend any ROTC or Armed Forces member to participate in probably, but it was pretty fun! We would complete small exercises together; nothing too grueling or difficult. The purpose was not so much to get fit as to make us feel unified and pump us up! There were a lot of vocals and moves in unison and it was grand. I'd do it again and again in a heartbeat. My favorite was called Boom-Chaka-Lakas and I dare you to ask me to demonstrate the next time you see me. Do it. All the moves looked and sounded pretty powerful when we all did it together, and I've heard tell that later this year we're going to hold a whole-corps PT session in the courtyard in front of the Alamo. Awwww yeah.
After that, we had a lecture from an Urban Studies prof from Trinity University in SA. It was right up this Social Studies Brain's alley. She had color coded maps and statistics on the school districts and neighborhoods in SA and told us all about the schools that we'll be serving in and why they're struggling and why that doesn't mean that they aren't awesome. She was a great speaker and obviously knows and loves San Antonio. Made me super pumped to get to know this city better this year.
Also, our last session of the day was on how to live on a stipend. In City Year, we don't get a salary; we receive a 1000-a-month living stipend from Americorps (So thank you all for my money!) and the opportunity to receive 200 a month in food stamps (Thanks for the food too!). So former corps members and expert cheapskates gave us tips and tricks for actually saving some of our money every month. It was awesome to actually think about being in charge of my own money. I see it as a personal challenge to save as much as possible while still having fun and doing most of what I want to do. Bring it on, stipend! You're going DOWN... .....that little chute at the bank when I put you away for savings. BAM.
Last high point was that we had a time when we could all write appreciation notes to other corps members and put them in little baggies for them to read. I loved it! I wrote as many as I could jam into the time allotted and I hope they brought happiness to those who received them! I also received a few myself and they definitely gave me a boost. Seriously, nothing makes you feel better than knowing someone was thinking about you when they asked us who we appreciated. :)
3. A low point of the day (and I hope you appreciate how deep I have to dig to find one of these) was that I realized that I won't get to spend the rest of the year with Crazy Team Traveler. Next week, we get split up into our school teams, which will be great, but I am really getting attached to all these people I've been spending my days with! Good news is that these teams give us a chance to know a set of people that we won't be working with directly all year. So when my school team is just looking a little TOO familiar, I can call up a Traveler and all will be well (because they'll "take me there!").
4. I grew a lot during our after lunch session on Power and Idealism. I think City Year does an excellent job explaining why they think that Idealists are the ones that are called to change the world and why that is an awesome thing. I think it's so important to maintain an idealistic attitude without being naive. My most growing part was when we listened to RFK's Day of Affirmation Speech. In this speech that he gave in South Africa during the height of apartheid, he explains that idealism is the one thing that we can count on to promote change. He outlines four dangers to idealism: Futility, Expediency, Timidity, and Comfort. If you'd like to hear the speech, click here. It is a magnificent speech and a perfect addition to any day or situation. Hearing the obstacles that we run into on our journey to changing the world, it all made perfect sense. Why people tend to lose their fire for change when they leave college, why older people think younger people just have their heads in the clouds. Besides the fact that sometimes they do, they get caught in the traps! The two that hit me the hardest was Futility. The Futility danger is the idea that one person could not possibly make a difference. The problem is so big and so bad that I might as well not even try to solve it. I've heard this from so many people about so many issues! It's SO EASY to think that we can't do it. So I came up with a phrase that I'm going to use to evade the Futility trap:
1. What were my expectations for the day?
2. What are the high points of the day?
3. What are the low points of the day?
4. What is one experience that caused me to grow today?
5. What am I excited about for tomorrow?
1. My expectations for today were pretty high because I knew that we would be switching up the routine. Also, I'm getting closer to my Crazy Team and making some great friends, so I expected to continue to be myself and see how those relationships grow.
2. SO MANY HIGH POINTS! We started with PT, which is Physical Training, which would offend any ROTC or Armed Forces member to participate in probably, but it was pretty fun! We would complete small exercises together; nothing too grueling or difficult. The purpose was not so much to get fit as to make us feel unified and pump us up! There were a lot of vocals and moves in unison and it was grand. I'd do it again and again in a heartbeat. My favorite was called Boom-Chaka-Lakas and I dare you to ask me to demonstrate the next time you see me. Do it. All the moves looked and sounded pretty powerful when we all did it together, and I've heard tell that later this year we're going to hold a whole-corps PT session in the courtyard in front of the Alamo. Awwww yeah.
After that, we had a lecture from an Urban Studies prof from Trinity University in SA. It was right up this Social Studies Brain's alley. She had color coded maps and statistics on the school districts and neighborhoods in SA and told us all about the schools that we'll be serving in and why they're struggling and why that doesn't mean that they aren't awesome. She was a great speaker and obviously knows and loves San Antonio. Made me super pumped to get to know this city better this year.
Also, our last session of the day was on how to live on a stipend. In City Year, we don't get a salary; we receive a 1000-a-month living stipend from Americorps (So thank you all for my money!) and the opportunity to receive 200 a month in food stamps (Thanks for the food too!). So former corps members and expert cheapskates gave us tips and tricks for actually saving some of our money every month. It was awesome to actually think about being in charge of my own money. I see it as a personal challenge to save as much as possible while still having fun and doing most of what I want to do. Bring it on, stipend! You're going DOWN... .....that little chute at the bank when I put you away for savings. BAM.
Last high point was that we had a time when we could all write appreciation notes to other corps members and put them in little baggies for them to read. I loved it! I wrote as many as I could jam into the time allotted and I hope they brought happiness to those who received them! I also received a few myself and they definitely gave me a boost. Seriously, nothing makes you feel better than knowing someone was thinking about you when they asked us who we appreciated. :)
3. A low point of the day (and I hope you appreciate how deep I have to dig to find one of these) was that I realized that I won't get to spend the rest of the year with Crazy Team Traveler. Next week, we get split up into our school teams, which will be great, but I am really getting attached to all these people I've been spending my days with! Good news is that these teams give us a chance to know a set of people that we won't be working with directly all year. So when my school team is just looking a little TOO familiar, I can call up a Traveler and all will be well (because they'll "take me there!").
4. I grew a lot during our after lunch session on Power and Idealism. I think City Year does an excellent job explaining why they think that Idealists are the ones that are called to change the world and why that is an awesome thing. I think it's so important to maintain an idealistic attitude without being naive. My most growing part was when we listened to RFK's Day of Affirmation Speech. In this speech that he gave in South Africa during the height of apartheid, he explains that idealism is the one thing that we can count on to promote change. He outlines four dangers to idealism: Futility, Expediency, Timidity, and Comfort. If you'd like to hear the speech, click here. It is a magnificent speech and a perfect addition to any day or situation. Hearing the obstacles that we run into on our journey to changing the world, it all made perfect sense. Why people tend to lose their fire for change when they leave college, why older people think younger people just have their heads in the clouds. Besides the fact that sometimes they do, they get caught in the traps! The two that hit me the hardest was Futility. The Futility danger is the idea that one person could not possibly make a difference. The problem is so big and so bad that I might as well not even try to solve it. I've heard this from so many people about so many issues! It's SO EASY to think that we can't do it. So I came up with a phrase that I'm going to use to evade the Futility trap:
While it's not certain that I can change the world, it is certain that I can't if I don't try.
So even though reading about the coup in Egypt and the death toll in Syria and the uproar over Russia's anti-gay laws won't change any of those issues or make any of them better, I'm at LEAST better equipped to help if I know the information than if I was complacent. Even though my serving for a year in schools won't solve the dropout crisis that we have in this country, I'm at LEAST helping solve it more than I would be if I had started my teaching career this fall. And because there are 100 other people who thought that exact same thing, we're going to work together to exact some real change in San Antonio this year.
5. I am excited to watch the documentary Waiting for Superman tomorrow. I watched it in college, but it's been a while and I have a different perspective now, so I'm looking forward to watching it in a group. Highly recommended for all of you! It's about education in the U.S. and how it's kind of not as great as we like to think sometimes. I'm also excited to continue to deepen relationships and work my way to being close friends with this corps. I was telling my roommate tonight that it is painful to go from relationships that you've had for 4+ years and feel all warm and snuggly in to starting from scratch with a new batch of lovely people. I'm not worried, just excited to get past the awkward can-I-really-be-myself-or-is-myself-too-weird-for-normal-people stage!
After reading all of these posts, I can definitely see how CY is Secret-y! They seem to be very into positive energy. It must be so cool to be around so many people that are accepting of other people's cultures and lifestyles and everything. I love the appreciation letters! And don't worry, I don't think you're too weird for normal people. Be the change you wish to see in the world...don't hide your inner weirdness! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, I just posted that and noticed my picture on here.
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