Waiting for the tattoo parlor to open...

I’m at Hey! Café on Magazine Street in New Orleans. So great. Quiet, chill, delicious freaking chai, and I just saw a sign that says they’re a “favorite place on Google”. Oh, and their wireless server is called Youre a champion. Awesome.

They have pictures on the wall of this place as a
barber shop way back in the day

I really love this city and I absolutely love this area of town. I thought I would be ecstatic to have only a week left here, but I’m beginning to realize just how sad it is going to be to leave. Not just the city, I’ve finally gotten used to being a site supervisor and I actually think I enjoy it. Damn Ashley, a day late don’t you think?

I put myself through a mock-baseline today. This transition will be the first baseline I’ve run since the original; what with my sickness the second baseline and inclement weather the third. I better have improved! My mock test was pretty great. I’m under 14 minutes for the mile and a half for sure, my crunches just don’t stop, and my push-ups have improved by one or two… which is a milestone for me.

Gosh this chai is great… they even steamed the milk for me and added espresso.

I only have a couple months left in this program. I think I’m going to miss it. I mean unless I get team leader and then I’m going to loathe it for another ten months, but deep down, I love this program. It’s pretty damn amazing. I can’t tell you how much I’ve grown in the last 8 months. As a person, as a leader, as a contributing member to society… I know exactly who I am, I have direction in where I want my life to take me, and I’ve found an incredible way to serve my country.

It’s pretty awesome.

Everyone should do something like AmeriCorps. EVERYONE. Vista, State and National, or NCCC. Look into it. So many outlets in so many fields, it’s too incredible not to join.

That is of course, if AmeriCorps is still up and running for very long. If you follow me on facebook you’ve seen the many “save AmeriCorps” links I’ve posted. Funding has been extended to April 8, by the way. So our waiting game has gone into overtime. We’ll have to wait and see what happens I guess.

If you’re unaware of what I’m talking about, feel free to check out this here link and become aware. It was written on March 7 so it doesn't have any of the new information, but it's still pretty informative. I think the entire H.R. 1 bill is something we as Americans should be looking into and speaking up about. 

In other picture news:

Kari and I went on another nature walk around the swamp next to our house.
Man made canals look cool, but smell like shit. And have dead nutria floating around.

Then I hate a burrito on our roof. 

Kari ate subway on the roof with me. 

Stealing is wrong. Unless it is internet from your neighbor. Then it's their own damn fault for not password protecting.

Okay. It’s going to be a long update. Hopefully I’ll be entertaining enough that you’ll read all the way through.

First Topic: St. Bernard Project

This is my sponsor this round. I was sent through three weeks of training in mold remediation, insulation, drywall, mudding, flooring, and finishing work. I can not tell you how amazing it feels and how empowering it is to have all of these skills under my belt. The three weeks of training I went through was nothing but. I woke up everyday so excited to go to work and learn with Delta 6 (the team that came down with us) on a house. SO MUCH FUN. Then, the three week training period ended and we were sent out to site supervise our own house. STRESS THROUGH THE ROOF. Running your own house, leading groups of volunteers, teaching these skills to people who have never been on a construction…. This shit just isn’t for me. I do well enough with it I think, I just stress myself out way to much over it. I’ve been one of the lucky few who have a co-site supervisor most days. I’m really pretty great at everything I’ve been taught, I just have an issue with being able to teach it to others.

Table saw training. Sweet Shades, I know

I thought for a while I just sucked at leading volunteers (which was overwhelming and discouraging because I want to be a Team Leader later this year – more on that later), but then I was put on a mold house which doesn’t take any skill, you scrub, rub, paint, and fog, so you don’t have to teach anything. I was awesome at leading those volunteers. I hung out, cracked jokes, was very informative about the New Orleans area, answered questions, rallied the team when I needed to… it was great. I can lead. I just lose faith in myself when I have to lead volunteers on something I’m not even sure I’m great at, like mudding. I’ve been working on it though, rebuilding that confidence, asking questions when I need to, and faking it when I don’t get immediate answers. I think I’ll probably finally have the hang of it in the next two weeks – which is when I leave! Awesome.

Painting baseboard training. It's confusing work. 

…actually, it is awesome, because these are important things to have in being a team leader. This project has been the most difficult, my least favorite, and incredibly stressful. However, it is the one I have grown most in. I wanted to be a team leader during CTI, but didn’t think I could actually handle it. First and second round, I thought about applying, but constantly second guessed myself in whether or not I could handle it. With only two weeks left in this round and all that I’ve been through, I know I can handle it. Which leads me to….

Second Topic: Team Leader Interview

It was last week. I don’t think I did great. I know everyone says that… but for realsies. I was just okay. I didn’t completely suck, but I didn’t completely blow them away with a totally awesome interview. I was just okay.

This is where I took my phone interview. The back room of a house in the process of mold remediation during a thunder and lightening storm. The house had no windows. It was nice and loud for me. 

I started off great. I was confident, spoke clearly, calmly, and coolly. Then they started asking me questions, I hadn’t thought about. Like what would I do if I had a corps member who felt like they didn’t belong to the team and wasn’t enjoying they’re time in AmeriCorps. …Well, shit. I don’t know what I would do. I said I would talk to that individual, to get a better understanding as to why. Then I said that I found that question difficult, I’m not entirely sure what I would do, I would have to call someone, like the campus counselor or my unit leader and ask for help.

…shit.

I was just okay.

So now, I’m stressing like crazy about the interview. Okay is not a good feeling. I’d much rather have the feeling that I was horrible. It would be easier to deal with. Right now I feel like it could go either way and I don’t know how to prepare for that.

I need to stop worrying though, I’m making myself sick. My head wont stop pounding, my throat has been sore for a few days, I’m incredibly tired. Which makes me worry that my mono is going to relapse. Which stresses me out even more!

Shit!  Next, non-stressful topic!

Third Topic: Mardi Gras

Was so great! St, Charles Avenue was the place to be, and I was definitely there, 5 days straight! Parades, booze, making friends with strangers, dancing, more booze. I cannot believe I had the energy to keep going. It was too much! I have soooo many beads it’s insane and I didn’t have to show my boobies for them! Just bat my pretty lashes and smile. I got roses, and stuffed animals, and cups, and I can’t wait to send them all to my nieces and nephews.

The REX Parade

Beads and Booze

Fourth Topic: New Orleans

This is such an incredible city. I think everyone should come down and visit for 2 months at the least! It’s so big and vibrant and exciting and there is just too much to see and do and learn! Garden District is so beautiful, I could live there forever. French quarter is a ton of fun, such a great area day and night. Uptown has got some terrific little shops. Those are really the only areas I’ve explored, I know if I had time to adventure out more often I’d fall in love with all of the other areas of New Orleans.

The south just continues to win my heart. Northwest, you better watch your back.

For funsies: Team Yoga pic

Life without an internet connection...

...means less internet updates!


St. Bernard Project. So much too say, too lazy to type it.
Over all I am enjoying the project. I've been sufficiently trained in construction and I've been forced to become comfortable in leading a group of people.

It has been incredibly difficult at times, but it has also been incredibly fun at times. I still struggle a little with the new team, but I have grown tremendously on this project round. I have been told by many previous corps members that third round is the toughest.... they were completely right.



None of this makes any sense. I'll have to try this again some other time.

It's Mardi Gras weekend...... I'm exhausted and in a perpetual state of being hung over.