Things I have learned:
EVERYONE knows you are AmeriCorps. And they automatically LOVE you.
Except cops. Who apparently love to give flack to out-of-state licenses. Have yet to experience this.
The learning center is smack dab in the middle of three active volcanoes: Adams, Helens, Rainier. That being said...holy wow, I can see Rainier from my street!
Mary is adorably late and forgetful to everything. But she is awesome.
This area is not as dead as Meaghann makes it out to be
It will not be what I expect and it will be okay.
and much, much more.
I have been here for three days now. I am just now catching up because things have been moving so fast.
Day one consisted of a very tiring one-stream move-in day. I spent hours overwhelmed by grocery shopping in Portland to stock up for a foodie-less experience and arrived in Packwood around 4pm, just as the last day of the Flea market was wrapping up. My landlord Dave was in the midst of it all and had instructed me to park at the gas station across the street where I could ask for Rick. Instead I got a very gruff owner who would not let me talk to Rick because he was occupied and until I beefed up my curteous approach to a more blunt request, she gave me one of those skeptical "How'd you end up in this town" attitude. Small-town tough skin.
Dave got me to the house and showed me around. He was exuberantly friendly and eager to help in any way he could (especially with my car) as well as eager to find out my family's religious dedication. The fact that I was raised in a Jewish and Christian household was quickly destabilized by my elaboration that "we integrate a lot of different spiritual practices...I would say more spiritual than religious". All he had to say to that was "well, yes a lot of folks are doing that these days...some of us think that will change...but, whatever." It is safe to say there will be some interesting times ahead between us.
I was blown away by the space I had and endlessly grateful to be landing in one place that didn't feel confining or uncomfortable. There is even a huge deck in back that opens onto a mountain view. For the next four hours or so, I moved at a steady, uninterrupted pace to clear out every last thing from my car and put away every last thing in the house. As I moved about getting things in order, I started to notice how different it was to be living on my own. Things I never would have thought to be important cause they were always just around were suddenly building a hefty list. Refrigerator magnets? Who would have ever thought I needed those? I was fortunate to have had my bin of camping supplies because dishware, pots, pans, toilet paper had not even crossed my mind. I was even lucky enough to have a dish sponge and kitchen towels tucked away in there.
I was blown away by the space I had and endlessly grateful to be landing in one place that didn't feel confining or uncomfortable. There is even a huge deck in back that opens onto a mountain view. For the next four hours or so, I moved at a steady, uninterrupted pace to clear out every last thing from my car and put away every last thing in the house. As I moved about getting things in order, I started to notice how different it was to be living on my own. Things I never would have thought to be important cause they were always just around were suddenly building a hefty list. Refrigerator magnets? Who would have ever thought I needed those? I was fortunate to have had my bin of camping supplies because dishware, pots, pans, toilet paper had not even crossed my mind. I was even lucky enough to have a dish sponge and kitchen towels tucked away in there.
Organizing cabinets was a feat as well. Where will I want to reach for what? should snacks be down so low? How do I want containers separated out? And then I made a meal and I found I was no longer in a place with practiced composting. I started with a small plastic container and later, when I realized it would be a bit before I got around to a pile out back, I realized I could use the 5-gallon container that Dave provided for cleaning supplies. But here I was with a blank slate. How will I chose to live? I get to start molding these questions without templates.
Just as I sat down to dinner, I got a text from my neighbor Mary who was coming home from work. She came over and we shared drinks as she gave me a welcome and talked a bit about our portion of the program.
The next day felt long and overwhelming. It was a whole lot of sitting, scrambled note-taking and ice-breaker games, some of which were more beneficial than others. The information we received was helpful but it was also a speed-version of everything all at once and with the way I process things, it just brought up this feeling of urgency to go home and rewind. Paperwork, appointments, responsibilities, time-tracking, food stamps, online filing for loan forbearance, scheduling....I began to worry about being in the right place. Everyone else seemed so...everyone else. I was in a place of judgement and worry.
Day three. Challenge course introduction. The day went much better. I was tired but we got to be out and about that day and through working through the various challenges, we learned a lot more about each other than we had on the first day. Any preconceived notions or stereotypes that had been formed just dissolved. And we made a great team. Our facilitator inspired questions that we all answered so naturally, not a begrudged struggle for an answer to be detected. Before we went on the course, we did some warm ups and trust lifting/spotting and discussed our leadership styles. Our first challenge in the actual course involved retrieving a bucket from the opposite side of a river without crossing it, using only objects around us. We ended up building a very precarious plank and an even more precarious one when we had to come up with a different solution to put the bucket back. It was amazing to see the problem-solving and positivity that came about through the challenge and no one ever seemed to be outcast from the efforts. This strength worked its way through the rest of the day.
9/5/13
Every day has unfolded this experience to feel more and more tangible. Today was amazing. Since we didn't have to start until 2pm, most of the group carpooled to Chehalis to get our Food Stamp Benefits. Not only was that an awesome feeling but it also provided a lot of bonding time. The rest of the day was resplendent with new connections. In Chehalis, we stumbled upon a small native crafts store run by two sisters who buy on consignment from all fairly local artists. They were super excited to hear about AmeriCorps and offered their 40 acres to come camp on whenever we want. They also do sweats and thought it would be great if we could get the kids out for a session. And they teach dreamcatcher-making. And have a Pow-wow ceremony. and would love to teach the kids crafts. All things I am interested in integrating.
Back in Packwood, Corey, Mary, Chris and I stopped for lunch and then wandered the library where I met Elizabeth and Chloe, two librarians who connected me with a local woman starting an Organic garden in town. Wow. More falling into place.
Meeting for our packwood tour, we started in the gym where, after a brief run-down, we got to play a little bit and Corey, Chris, Jordan, Mary and I volleyed and soccered a volley ball around. I felt this fire in my core and this bliss of feeling integrated into a sport and feeling capable. It had been so long since I had played around in this way and in that moment, I knew this will be a year of rediscovery.
As we get closer to our first day in the schools, I am learning more and more about what to expect and as people play out their stories and words of wisdom, the challenges ahead have started to feel more manageable. I am starting to see ways in which I can embrace this culture more and I am excited to see how adaptable I can push myself to be.
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