My Service Site, NDMV-AmeriCorps Family, Other Volunteering, and Settling In
My Service Site:
After about 3 months at my service site, I've finally gotten the swing of things.. Well, sort of. It never ceases to amaze me how each day is so different from the last when you work with children.
I've been learning a lot about the many situations they have at home - parents going through divorce, living with grandparents, etc. and the effect they can have on the children's moods and behaviors. I always knew I was lucky to have a healthy home and family environment, but this experience is making sure I remember it.
I'm also learning a lot, but one thing that I have yet to figure out is why some children feel the need to lie a lot of the time. If I go back to school at the end of my year with AmeriCorps, I feel like I'll have a million questions like this one to ask of my future Early Childhood Development professor.
My elementary school (site) has had quite a few special, and memorable, days this year and I'd like to take a moment to reflect on them. One day, I assisted the school nurse on a 'field trip' of sorts to the Museum Center with about 15 students from all the grades (K-8). Earlier in the year, some people came to our school to do some preliminary eye exam to see if any students needed glasses. They determined that these 15 students needed glasses and we took them on this trip to get their eyes tested further and pick out some glasses. The most amazing part of this day was that everything was free for the students - from my school and several schools throughout the city - including the pair of glasses that they will be receiving shortly.
More recently, we took Preschool-4th grade to a local high school that had an entire day of Christmas fun planned out. There must have been hundreds of parents and volunteers there that day to make sure everything went smoothly, not to mention the students of that school! First, we had a Christmas Mass in the school's gym, where each younger student participated side-by-side with their big buddy from the high school, carrying a beautiful poinsettia plant up to the altar. Then, they provided pizza, drinks, and desserts for everyone! After lunch, everyone headed to another part of the building where a festival of games, face-painting, and other activities were. The kids even got to meet Santa with their big buddies and they received a personalized gift from Santa (and their big buddy). I've never seen so many smiling faces!!
I must say, seeing such a successful volunteer-run event like that really lifts my spirits.
My NDMV-AmeriCorps Family:
Each week I meet with the 18 Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps members at a central location. The meetings really bring together the whole 'year-of-service' experience in the way that we have each other to lean on and ask advice of, etc. Not to mention the great things we learn from each other.
So far we have visited a couple service sites and met with some of the people that our fellow members work with and we will be visiting all the sites by the end of our year. Some meetings we get to know each other and ourselves better through presentations given by our fellow members on various subjects. We also take some time every month to have a piece of cake and celebrate the birthdays of our fellow members.
My Other Volunteering:
In order to ensure that I reach 1700 volunteering hours by the end of my year of service, I try to volunteer at places other than my service site when I can. I have helped out at a Power Inspires Progress Brunch, a day of Bingo Bonanza that raises money for my school, 2 health fairs put on by one of my fellow NDMVA member's service site, and even once a week at an art school for autistic individuals. If anything, I can say that this year's experiences are well-rounded.
Settling In:
I'm very happy to say that I can finally get around most of downtown and out to the southeastern suburbs without my GPS! I'm learning to love the local market and I go there when I can. It took about 3 months, but I finally went on my first hike with the Tri-State Hiking Club this week and I made a new friend.
Overall, I'm definitely feeling the tight budget, but I think I may be the happiest I've ever been. This experience is invaluable and I'm learning a lot about myself. :)
