Monday- We spent the morning in sessions and with our journey team. After lunch, we headed our separate ways to join our villages (a group of service teams that come together each month and go to sessions together). We had no idea what teams we were going to be on. Each person was given a puzzle piece with a name on it. We were told that we had to find the person who the piece belonged to and then find our piece. Once we had our own piece, we were to find other people with similar pieces, put them together, and figure out which service team we were placed on.
For the life of me, I could not find the person who had my puzzle piece. I must've walked around the room about ten times before I found someone waving a paper saying "Does anyone know 'Ah-lee'?". I went over to him and looked at the name. Sure enough, it was my piece. (It was HUGE.)
When I turned around, I found a very tall guy holding a giant piece that looked very similar to mine. We gathered in the center of the room, holding our pieces in the air, hoping to attract our other teammates. It worked. Three other people came over and we were able to put it together that we were the new Civic Engagement Team. We had made it through the interview process and were well-liked enough that we were chosen for the unique team. To say I was excited for this news would be an understatement. I could not wait to meet with our three project leaders and our program manager to see what we would be doing for the next ten months.
After we put our puzzle together, the senior corps members on our team (project leaders) met us and took us to the office. We had to take the bus there, but it let us off across the street from the Red Cross Building, where our office is located, so it was very simple to get there. Once inside, we were given our individual roles on the team and what specifically each role entails. I am lucky enough to be one of the Service Coordinators, which means I will be planning and implementing many of the projects happening within our service days, including murals. I will be working closely with the other Service Coordinator as well as the Service Project leader to make sure everything runs smoothly. I am super excited.
 |
| View from the classroom I painted |
Tuesday- Everyone was required to dress down and come prepared for a day of service. In May, there was a service day, Wells Fargo Day, and there were a lot of unfinished projects at one of the schools. The Civic Engagement Team headed over to South Philly to prep the space for the afternoon of service. I spent the majority of the time cutting in on a wall before the service teams arrived. I wanted to make their jobs as easy as possible. The less cutting in they had to do, the better.
 |
| All the paints |
When everyone arrived, I delegated tasks within the room which I was working. Everyone was ready and willing to help. I felt as though I wasn't doing much, but I was told that most of my job during service days is to oversee projects. It was quite difficult not to get my hands dirty, but if there was a task someone was a bit nervous to do (i.e. climb the ladder and tear off the painter's tape), I gladly stepped in to help. It was an interesting experience to say the least, but I think I will grow to like being more of a leader with the upcoming service days.
When everything was said and done, we cleaned up the areas and headed back to Center City. It was a long day, but it was a lot of fun. I definitely got my hands on some paint, well more like in the paint, and I really enjoyed that. It took a while for me to get home, but I am certainly getting used to the 12+ hour days. It will get easier as time passes, I hope...
 |
| My corps member picture |
Wednesday- We spent most of the day training in the office, learning about important documents that we will be working with throughout our year of service. It seems pretty confusing right now, but once we actually have to use the documents for service days, I think it will click. We ended our day in Rittenhouse Square with team builders and a little concert playing in the background. It was a nice way to end a rather boring day.
 |
| All the components of my uniform! =D |
Thursday- We spent most of the day in training sessions with the rest of the corps. In the morning we went to a session called 'Teaching with Poverty in Mind' and learned a lot about the circumstances surrounding the schools we serve in. I was appalled by many of the statistics, which I will share at the bottom of the post in case
After the sessions, we headed back to the office and explored the drive with all of the documents. I was trying to familiarize myself with the paperwork I'll be using throughout the year so I wouldn't be as confused the first time I go to use them. I also spent some time researching different Peace Corps programs that will start after June. I'm still up in the air about applying, but at least I know there are options.
y'all decided to skim read most of this....
 |
| Racing in storage |
I'd be lying if I told you there wasn't a lot of work to do. I'd also be lying if I said it was easy. We had to count EVERYTHING in the unit and make note for our inventory. It absolutely sucked. It was hot and tedious, but it had to be done. We were messing around a bit towards the end and had a race in the two wheelbarrows. That was probably the highlight of our time in storage. After we cleaned up and put everything back in the unit, one of the project leaders drove us back to the city where we could grab the Broad Street Line and then take which ever other line we needed to get back home. When we pulled up to Enterprise to drop off the van, I thought we had come to a complete stop. Unfortunately, I was wrong and as I was standing up, I lost my balance and sliced (err skinned) my wrist on something in the back of the van. It hurt a bit, but I was mainly taken back by how much I was bleeding. The poor PL thought it was his fault, but I reassured him it was my clumsiness. We thanked him for bringing us to the BSL and then rode it together until we all went our separate ways.
 |
| Service wound (as of Sunday) |
Even though this week was hectic, I'm glad I was able to bond with my service team. It is going to be an insane ten months, but it is going to be great. I can't wait to see what next week has in store for us.
Before I head out, I'm going to leave you with a few things I learned this week.
•Most of the students that we serve in Philadelphia are living in poverty (More than 80% of them).
•Many children living in poverty enter school knowing/hearing 30 million less words (including a, the, and, etc.) than children living in the upper and middle classes.
•Children learn a lot of emotions, but many of the children we work with are not exposed to the same things the corps members are familiar with. For example, a student may disrespect a corps member, but not understand that they have done this. It is the corps member's job to use this as a teaching moment and educate the student to act differently in the situation. It will take a lot of work, but we've been told over and over again that the students really do appreciate all that we do for them (and so do the parents).
Cheers,
Allee
