As the youngest of a family of three, with siblings both eight and fifteen years older than myself, I’m used to peace, quiet and most often getting my way. Since I joined AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), my life has been flipped upside down; I gained a team of four new brothers, five new sisters, a sense of adventure and an appreciation for service. Here’s a typical day in my life as a Corps Member in Sheridan, WY.
At 6:45am, I am awakened, not to the sounds of my soothing alarm, but to Robby running down the hardwood hall, shouting and jumping on Leah because of her latest quip on his hair. I groggily roll off my cot, trip over Casey’s books and fall to the ground to avoid Hannah’s already cracked iPhone that is charging on the floor of our tiny bedroom. I open the door and stumble down to the kitchen where I grab a box of cereal to find it empty. I blindly grab for another box and smile when I’ve found one that actually has substance. I struggle to get a bowl and milk, but with Tim continuously in the way of wherever I need to be, I eventually give up.
As 7:45am approaches, we all pile into our 15-passenger van and we bump and bounce our way down Sheridan Ave and arrive on time to the Timberland site. We are greeted by our site supervisor Eliza, handed down tasks, and then we get to work. At this stage, there’s a bit of everything going on. Teammates are working on the roof, cutting on the saws, spackling siding, building the deck…but there’s so much more than that going on. Casey is battling her fear of heights by climbing up on a ladder to hammer some nails. Injured Dana is inside doing measurements because she doesn’t want to let her team down. Matt, the college city boy from Philly is learning his way around a hammer and nails in small-town Wyoming. Nineteen year old Robby is learning and teaching with a sixty year old volunteer.
Around noon, my stomach is grumbling from my misfortune at breakfast. But like clockwork, volunteers from the community have come and donated lunch to us volunteers. Instead of dropping off sack lunches, these volunteers bring the most amazing food and spend time talking to us, asking about our program, and who we are as people. It’s that simple kindness that keeps me motivated when things get tough.
We plug along in our projects in the 90 degree heat, taking water breaks where Amanda plugs her roller-skating birthday party and the AmeriCorps VISTA boys try to rile up the AmeriCorps NCCC boys whenever they can.
By 4:00pm, we are dirty, sweaty and exhausted…but it doesn’t end there. We’re piled in the van once again, onto the YMCA where we have our tri-weekly physical training (PT) as required by our program. Leah and the boys go to the weight room to “get their swell on”, Amanda hits the pool as if it were her natural habitat, and the rest of us girls take the cardio room by storm armed with our iPods, water bottles and the latest copy of either Self or US Weekly (depending on how much grief one can take).
We return to our little duplex (which is a toasty 85 degrees as we keep forgetting to install the air conditioners) and descend on the kitchen like vultures on a fresh carcass. I watch in awe as Leah, Tim and Robby start their vegetarian bean masterpiece with the extensive use of spices as Hannah hurdles over their work to throw her Hot Pockets in the microwave before it’s in use. Matt and Jeff are overwhelmed by the site and slip into mini-comas in their room until the carnage is over. Casey and I settle on the same pasta, sauce and garlic bread that we make every night. Once everyone has some kind of meal in front of them, it’s time for Service Learning.
Service learning gives us a chance to learn about our current project, the town around us and/or important social issues of the time. Our team is a great mix of ages (youngest is 19; oldest is 25) from a diverse mix of places (from New York to Minnesota) which makes for interesting and exciting debates.
Around 9pm, the night starts to wind down. People are reading in the living room, making phone calls on the hill, doing team position work around the table or sharing a laugh on the porch and watching the sunset.
By 11pm, I am back to my cot thinking over the day. In one day, I have helped build a house for a family in need, conquered my own fears and faults, worked on my physical health, learned more about the community around me and bonded with my new family with members from different backgrounds and beliefs. Because of the NCCC program and the various organizations like Habitat for Humanity, I am not the same woman I came here as. Thank you, Habitat, for giving us the opportunity to volunteer with such an amazing group of people and for such a great cause.
Vaya Kiel
AmeriCorps NCCC - Green 1
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