January

So! January!

I returned home from vacation feeling a bit homesick. But, Education Season is just kicking into high gear!

My TP (joking name for Teaching Partner) James and I went to work constantly planning like crazy for our series on Environmental Ed, and our After School Program (Nature Club). For the First grade, we've been teaching them about all sorts of things, from Solstice to Winter Adaptations, Cultural Types (Agricultural, Hunter Gatherer, etc), and human rights. Lots of songs. My GODDESS they are ADORABLE! But then, we give them back after a mere 1/2 hour! ;-) For second grade, we've been rocking the HABITAT lessons, playing lots of fun games, and learning all sorts of things about animals, plants, and how we all live! Third grade is SHARP! We're teaching them about natural resources and conservation. They've been learning intensely about preserving water, soil, food and fossil fuels! Fourth grade is one of our favorites. We've been studying the basics of CONSUMER ETHICS, and why there's no such place as "away". Fifth grade are our most responsive. We've been discussing cultural attitudes towards the land, and learning debate over environmental issues! Sixth grade has been studying intense consumer ethics, voting with your dollar, etc. They're a tough room. But we get through to some of them. 5th and 6th are doing a poster contest right now through us! Good stuff, and I'll be sure to post the winning entries!

Nature Club is alot of fun. Tuesdays from 3:15 to 5pm. We've had fun with... track ID, tree ID, nature journaling, camping skills, knots, outdoor skills and ethics, camouflage, and coming up we have Hopi pottery, a field trip to the Bog, Nature Art and more! There are a few tough ones, but we manage. It's mostly a blast!

When we aren't teaching Tuesday through Thursday all day, we have various things to keep us busy. Mondays go:
8AM - Community Meeting
9AM - Community Chores (the good stuff! Deep cleaning the whole place!)
10AM - Usually some sort of training or working in our Leadership Team (see below)
12PM - LUNCH!
1PM - Lesson Planning
5PM - Done for the day

Fridays are a bit more free-form, but usually some combo of Leadership teams, lesson planning, special projects (I'm heading up a poster campaign for the MA Dep't of Conservation!) and special Manual Labor projects! We clear trails for local land trusts, work at a farm, or do carpentry around camp! Good times!

My Leadership Team is the "Pond Loop Trail" group. We're in charge of designing, signing, mapping and interpreting a really cool trail that is about 1 mile, and goes all around the pond here in Hallockville. Other teams are PR, Hawley Nature Camp (a 4-day camp for about 200 kids we do here), and The Green-Up Team (improving our eco-footprint). We rock.

To clarify, we live in the town of Hawley. Our little camp used to be its own town, Hallockville. Our mailing address in Plainfield because they're closer and will drop off our mail to a box here instead of down the road a mile or so. Yuppers.

Highlights of January include getting lost snowshoeing at Mt. Greylock and stumbling on an old abandoned ski lift that never got built...
and that's about it. Work, work, work. I promise to put up more pics tomorrow of me and where I live, and write about the first half of February. Sorry for the delay, folks!

We interrupt this broadcast...

for a special announcement.

I have finally posted SOME pics....of other people. In order for you to get to know the folks here, I will tell you a bit about them...

Meet THE STAFF!

JONAH = Program Director. One of those perfectly organised awesome communicators. A nice guy. Loves Yoga, music, and kindness.
WILL = Conservation Coordinator. Master woodworker, martial artist, primitive skills junkie, and all-around super guy. Badass guitarist.
JACKIE = Education Coordinator. A beautiful person. Patient, kind, and makes us tolerate small children for months on end.
DUSTIN = Chef extraordinaire. Master of Veggie chefery and supercool dude. Excellent musician.

Meet THE CORPS!

MARY = The Biologist. A badass at heart. Super witty and generally cool. Loves mugs of milk, crocheting, and sleep.
RICK = The Poet. Future Monk, long-winded but fun to listen to, super nice. Loves books, tea, and extrapolating.
GABE = The Physicist. So funny, laid back and kind. Loves knitting, cards, and loungin'.
KARA = The Teacher. Super sweet and fairly traditional. Loves Classics, Kids, and Cooking.
MEGHAN = The EcoWarrioress. Super chill and funny. Loves veganism, hemp clothing, and sports.
JAMES = The Archaeologist. My teaching parter. Super laid back and witty. Loves tea, reading, and sketching.
ALYSSA = The Signer. Awesome chica who's fluent in Sign Language. Loves knitting, baking, and her Army man Jordan.
ME = The hippie. I like me, and others do also. I read alot, drink a lot of coffee, and study language often.
HANA = The flowerchild farmer. Born and raised in upstate NY. Loves horseback riding, sports, and dancing.
LINDSAY = The Rock Chick. Came here with Paul. Loves skiing (water and snow), dancing and rock n roll.
PAUL = The Punk Dude. Came here with Lindsay. Loves snowboarding, playing guitar, and being a smartass. Love these 2.
KRISTINA = The Chameleon. Loves everyone and makes us love each other. Sweet as candy. Loves reading, knitting, and hiking.
ERIC = The Director. Not of programs, but of documentaries. My BFF here. Loves film, literature, and silence.
MATT = The Soccer Hound. Nice, quirky, quiet. Loves Ireland Soccer, computer games, and British rock.
KARL = The Entertainer. Class clown and a heart of gold. Nicest guy ever. Loves playing music, talking, and making everyone feel good.


Those are my people. Additional characters in my life include Miss Tracy (First Grade Teacher at my school, and my lifesaver who gets me outta here on weekends to hang out at the bar!), Kelly (Will's fiance and nice chica), Celia (Dustin's Girlfriend), and alumni who come hang out sometimes. I'm surrounded by an awesome bunch.

Sometimes it's a bit cabin-feverish, but overall I'm lucky to know everyone, one way or the other. And, in just 6 weeks, 8 new members will arrive for Trail season! I can't believe it's almost half over!....

Oookay, so I'm the worst blogger ever. Seriously.

I can admit to that. No excuses this time other than, I suck. Really. At updating this thing. Soo....what ever have I been up to since Mid-December you may ask? Well, let's see...

December 20th through January 2nd was winter break. I flew home to DC whereupon I got to see my fabulous family and wonderful friends. Had multiple Christmas dinners, starting with the one here in Hawley. It was lovely, the staff decorated with a travel theme, and we all received tickets as we entered the dining hall with our name and destination on them, so cute. The table was beautifully set, and they made a train station/airport/bus depot soundtrack for the opening. After a beautiful dinner of lamb (her name was Gertie), sauteed tofu (my fave! It was magnificent!), and some standard favorites, we had the MOST HILARIOUS variety show ever. We're all totally crushed that we were too dumb to tape it. Hosted by one Richard T. Richards (pics of everyone to be posted! Look in the profile picture section!) in the style of a late-nite host working at a bus station, many great acts went on, myself included. We had Kelly the Mystical Mind Reader, a trio of downhome bluegrass, a re-enactment of a skit previously performed by myself, Rick, Lindsay and Gabe (an interpretive dance of a future event - it was funny, trust me). We had Karl and Kristina (K2) playing Silent Night on guitar and Harmonica respectively. We had me singing a Tori Amos number and playing my geetar. We had an amazingly hilarious skit (15 minutes!) by the staff parodying what they do when we aren't here, how they torture us, previous years, and the ultimate battle to NOT be director (AMAZING! We were CRYING with laughter! Literally! All 16 of us on the floor!). We had dance routines, more sketches, and me again, this time with Karl, doing a duet of "More Wine" (by Julianna Raye and Rufus Wainwright). We killed, naturally. ;-)p After 3 hours of this mayhem, we all got ready and packed our bags for departure. I hit road to the airport at 1:30am with friends, to arrive by 4 (snowstorm!) and then catch my plain at....yeah...9:30am. Woohoo.

Upon arrival, I got picked up by mom, and we had a fun tour of around BWI 3 times (don't ask...the easiest airport ever...we were just giddy and forgetful! Heehee)....So, I had 2 wonderful dinners at mom's house - one for John's family and one with mom's side. Both were deliciously fabulously fattening and meat-filled. It was awesome to see everyone. After being away for so long, but being still somewhat close in proximity, it was super-nice for me. I miss my fabulous fam! Got super presents, spent the first X-Mas with my bro not believing in Santa (sad. very sad. but we all got to sleep until like 9am for a change!). Spent quality time with everyone, including my friends on New Year's. Then...alas....back to Hawley.

Next up - REAL education season beginning!

I'll be back in a few - I need a break already. ;-)p

Education season begins!

Woooah nellie, lemme tell ya... new found respect for elementary teachers. All teachers actually, of all kinds. I knew it was tough, but DAMN! We're teaching 3 days a week, all day. Lesson planning, evaluating, reporting, aaaaaaaaahhh. We only have a 2-day week in school then on to WINTER BREAK! Yeah! I love the school and the kids and teachers are all terrific! THe lessons have been going well so far! This is a really intense experience for people with no education degree!

I'll be home from the 20th through the 2nd. I'm sooo excited to see everyone! I think I'll be missing this place by the end though. Things are a lot less stressful these last couple of weeks, and things have been going really well. I've had moments of tenseness, akwardness, and sadness, but over all it's been the best couple weeks yet. I'm finally adapting to the weaher too! Oh, yeah, did I not tell you?

We got a double-decker storm! Last Thursday we got about 16" of snow! Had a 1/2 day Thursday in school and all. THEN on Saturday night through this morning, we got another foot or so! I can't wait to upload these pictures for you guys! They're crazy!

We've been having a great time on our off days. I've been crafting like a madwoman to create all the presents for my family and friends. Exhausting! I picked up a few new skills, but I can't disclose them yet, as many gifts depend on them! You'll find out if you're lucky! And if not, well, next time - I promise!

Secret Snowflake gift exchange has had me busy too! Two weeks of nice lil presents or things done for my person. Craziness. We find out who our person is on Wednesday. We're having a holiday party, where we'll open gifts, have a variety show (I'll be singing and playing guitar, as well as repeating an interpretive dance by request - it's a silly one, of course! I'm no dancer!) and eat a yummy dinner! We leave the next day for break!

Well, I must go to bed so I can get up nice and early to go to school tomorrow! See everyone soon!

Oh, and BTW - the building on the right is the pavillion, which is our kitchen and dining area, as well as a huge covered area to hang out in. The left one is the bunk house, and that's our beautiful pond in front! Right after a dusting of snow!

Sorry I suck at updating this thing!

SO, it's been SO eventful. I've been SUPER busy, and hella worn out. SO. Let's begin.

We had 2 weeks of education training, where we learned how to teach, essentially. Making lesson plans, working with kids, special needs, etc. It was really informative, but tiring. I've taught several lessons so far to the other corps members as practice. We all have. After those 2 weeks, WFR training started...

WFR, or WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER, is 1 step down from Wilderness EMT training. 2 weeks of incredibly intense training, provided by AERIE BACKCOUNTRY MEDICINE! The trainers were fantastic. It was SO exhausting. So, 8 to 11 hours a day of learning very advanced first aid concepts - everything from CPR, reducing dislocations, sucking chest wounds (AKA Open Pneumothorax), stopping arterial bleeds, to pulling traction on isolated midshaft femur fractures. Every day spent in the cold waether, face down in the dirt watching friends pretend to suffer and/or die. Freakin intense. They say it better than I do:

"The 72-Hour Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course is designed for outdoor professionals and outdoor enthusiasts, preparing them to care for injuries and illness in remote, challenging environments. The course is fast-paced, challenging, hands-on and fun.
Aerie's nationally recognized Wilderness First Responder (WFR) courses address injury and illness prevention, patient assessment, long-term patient management, improvised splint and litter construction, and environmental emergencies while stressing the thought processes unique to caring for patients in remote environments. Our instructors are professional care providers with many years of outdoor leadership experience. Students also receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver CPR certification."

Yeah, so I'm certified now. It was hard. Very hard. Our trainers, Cody Harris and Josh Olsen (plus a trainer-in-training, Dan - see all the bios at www.aeriemed.com) were adorable and, more importantly, really freaking good at what they do. I learned so much every day I thought my head would explode, I was so stressed I had nightmares about frogs needing CPR and people falling off mountains and me having to save them, and the thought of quitting crossed my mind, and when it was over and I passed all the exams, I privately wept with joy and relief. :-) Now, I just have to do a 16-hour recertification every 2 years. :-/ WHEW. That about killed me. But it didn't, so I'm stronger for it. And I can really help folks in some pretty bad situations. There are some things I can't do, like intubate or reset bones, but I can do a helluva lot.

Right before Thanksgiving break, we had our first ceremony as a camp, all dressy-like. The program director wore a tux shirt and bowtie! :-) We got our WFR cards graduation style, shaking hands and walking down the line. Then, the education director called us up in twos, whereupon we entered our "stage" (tables arranged conveniently) and were united as teaching partners for the next 3 months. I got paired with this guy James. He rocks, and I think it'll be good working with him. We were knighted with a lightsaber and told where we will be teaching. We got HAWLEMONT REGIONAL SCHOOL (elementary), which is awesome because I'm already friends with a couple teachers vis-a-vis the bar across the street.

www.mohawkschools.org/hawlemont/

There are about 120 kids, Pre-K through 6. Tiny. I'll talk more on that in a moment.

I got a surprise ride home for Thanksgiving. I had a really nice time with family and friends, and ate plenty of good food. It made me more homesick, but oh well. Suckin it up. I get to come home in just a few more weeks for Christmas break, 12 days long! Yay! I'm totally looking forward to it. Education season is tough. We'll be teaching 3 days a week, all day. Yup. Lotsa lesson planning. It's new to me. Only a tad overwhelming.

Weeeellll....my school is neato. We had our first observation day yesterday. All of the teachers and kids are wonderful. It's a cool school, very focused on community and respect. All schools should be so peaceful(ish). I had a few highlights, like the kids in the first grade class with downs syndrome and the adorable mostly deaf boy who sat on my lap during story time (I looked like Snow freaking White in there), the 4th grade music class, and making those valuable connections over a game of Hot Potato at recess. I love it.

Well, we're back for 1 week of Ed training, then we start full time next week. That goes until April, when the other 8 come, and we start Trail season. I got a bunch of pictures, but we can only upload a tiny it per month, so I'll probably get them on here this weekend at the laundromat. I promise I'll be more frequent! The blog pic is of our beautiful pond, all frozen-like!

:-)

Love,
Me.

Week 3 begins!

Oh yeah! Made it so far!

Went to Boston Friday for the AmeriCorps Opening Day ceremony at Fenueil Hall (BEAUTIFUL AND SO VERY HISTORIC! SEE PIC!) It was great. We got lost on the way there, and were about 15 minutes late, but hey - it was still awesome. Inspirational people and great things going on in America, I tell ya!

www.americorps.org

After that, I had the day free to play in Boston! For those who don't know my family's story (Dad's side), we came from Ireland a very long time ago. Only...we weren't poor. We were rich, in fact. Filthy rich. Apparently after finding God a bit deeper, they decided to take pity on the Irish residents of Boston, and so paved all the roads through the neighborhoods in cobblestone! This was not cheap. The majority of the family fortune went to that, and the rest just dwindled away. For this reason, I decided that although I'd normally never screw with history, I took a VERY small chunk (.5" round) of cobblestone, as it is my FREAKIN' BIRTHRIGHT!! Bastards....if only they'd known just how poor their family would end up for so many generations to come...

After that, I ditched everyone because it's easier to explore by your lonesome (and most didn't wanna spend the $$), and took a lovely boat tour of the Boston Harbor, stopping over at the USS Constitution (oldest warship still in commission!) and the USS Cassan Young (a WW2 Destroyer) for some great ranger- and sailor-guided tours! Had a beer on deck of my tour boat and took some great pics (I PROMISE some will eventually come!). A lovely couple gave me an extra trolley ticket they had, and so I got a $15 trolley tour free, next! At the guide's advice, I stopped into the Roisin Dubh (Black Rose Irish Pub) for a Shepherd's Pie (YUM) and a fresh Sam Adams Oktoberfest! From there, I chatted up the awesome guide of the Ghots and Graveyards tour who, upon learning of my obsession with historic cemeteries) let me on for kid's price! (A BIG discount!) Woohoo! I had a great time, and got to go into the normally closed burial grounds at night, hear fascinating stories and learn alot about our history, all while riding a kickass trolley with skulls on it and had GREAT guides! It was wonderful!

This weekend I did very little. Laundry, mozying, went to a local dive where they were having a costume bash, had a few and watched the Sox rock (like I really care...) and mostly just tried to recup from my cold I got last Wednesday while hanging out in the rain at night. This week is the beginning of education training (2 weeks), then Wilderness First Responder training, then Thanksgiving break. Wish I could make it home - I'm SO not eating Tofurkey. Nasty. Then 1 more wwek of Ed training, then I start to teach in the schools! YAY! Went to an elementary school today for recess and lunch with the kids. I forgot how it used to be. I'm completely terrified now. :-|

I miss everyone, and love you all! Talk to ya soon!

--S--

Week One is DONE!

And a fantastic week it was! We have accomplished so much already, it's amazing. Thus far:

*We had a group pow-wow of sorts, and got to discuss all of our fears/anxieties, and also what we were excited about. It was nice to hear everyone's reasons for coming, and made it very clear that we have a lot of common goals. Big things to remember when the going gets tough!

*We went on an all-day hike, exploring our local history - natural and societal. It was really fascinating to learn that MA was originally only 20% forest. The natives actually used controlled burning to clear out huge swaths of forest to use for planting. Since then, everyone learned that the gigantic glacial rock in the ground here is tough to work with and moved on. In it's place, the untended fields grew into the massive amount of deciduous forest we have today! The northeast region is now a main "carbon sink" for much of the world's carbon output! We have a huge amount of history hiding in the forest immediately surrounding us. On the North side of the pond is an old sawmill and dam from the late 1700's. The south side has a dam built in the early to mid 1800's. A five-minute walk reveals ruins of a once thriving industrial complex - a grist mill, a tannery, and a few former home foundations. The population of what used to be "Hallockville" was about 1000. Now, incorporated into Hawley, MA, resides a population of about 250-300. Just imagine - our little group represents a 10% increase!

*We've done many activities to build our group's sense of community and teamwork. Everyone is super-supportive to begin with, but our first community meeting revealed the many new ways in which we'll be working together. Our first frustrating ordeal was in deciding how to make decisions! A painful, 3 or 4-hour process, but we're well on our way to consensus I feel.

*Every morning we're led in a game or two to get our minds working and our bodies warmed up for the day to come. As much fun as they are, there have been valuable lessons in all of them, and it's also supplying us with a host of ways to fill time with the kids we'll be teaching, and to engage them in the natural world.

*We have great community dinners every night. They aren't mandatory, but it's nice. We hold hands and someone reads or shows and talks about something that inspires them. If you're into that stuff, it's wonderful. Being a bit of a hippie, I SO am. :-)

*Today, we went as a small group on a tour of the local sustainable housing that the county put together. It was really amazing. We saw working examples of wind power (as well as a new vertical turbine design - www.pacwind.com), fantastic active solar systems - a couple were 30 years old or more, passive solar building, including a house built by a local architect that had most of the best features of susatainability, earthen shelters, cob building, cold cellars, wood stoves that heat entire houses and water tanks, and other fantastic design elements. It was really exciting to see that there are ways to build and live that leave very little impact on the land, and supply you with electricity without feeding into the demand for energy from a massive operation. I learned a TON!

*We've already gone on a couple of social outings. As celebration, we all went to have dinner and drinks at the "Charlie", or Charlemont Inn, the local watering hole. The food was pretty good! While attempting to help a local schoolteacher remove a tick from a compromising place, I got left behind. It worked out, though, as I got to get to know the locals very well, and got a ride back to camp from a wonderfully nice lady from Connecticut. I now have friends in the area I can call on when I need OUT for a night! (Oh, and they DID realise I was gone and send out a car for me, but I was already home! No reflection on them - it was chaotic, and everyone was distracted by the excitement of the adventure! No harm, no foul!) We also went out Contra Dancing last night! Similar to square dancing. It was a blast, and I suck, but I tried. A few of us went to dinner before hand and went on a nice fall drive. Lovely!


So, kiddos, all is well here thus far! Remember my address and write to me! I want mail! Oh, an care packages! Cookies are a good thing!

Love you and miss you all!

:-D

I'm HEEERE!

WOOHOO!

Well, today was my first official day here at the SCA Mass Parks AmeriCorps program. I am having a BLAST so far! Everyone is AWESOME! The food is spectacular and plentiful, the bunks are comfy, there's plenty of space there (for now! In March, 8 more people join, and it'll get smaller fast), the directors and coordinators are so very kind and a lot of fun.

Yesterday we settled in and got a brief tour. Turns out the showers/bathrooms are 50 yeards away from the bunks (!!!), but I suppose it could be worse. They could be uphill, through the woods! Oh...wait, nevermind. They are. BUT it's all in good humor for now, as it's still nice and not frozen outside. Yet.

Today we did a few outdoor activities and got the detailed tour, expectations, rules, etc. Tomorrow is an all-day hike around the Kenneth M. Dubuque Memorial State Forest (my home!). Should be beautiful! The leaves are all changing here, and everything is vibrant and crisp. Couldn't be prettier living here on the pond.

Well, everyone, I must away! Time to go hang out in the bunks, play some board games and drink tea. Excellent! I love and miss everyone...but I'm SO glad I'm finally here!

Still need so much crap!

Jeez! Think our list is long enough? Below is the stuff I have yet to acquire. Anyone got spares?

*************************
REQUIRED (These items are mainly needed for trail season, but also used throughout year, especially first couple of weeks.)
*************************

Leather Boots- Sturdy, all-leather boots with a heavy lugged sole are required. Select these with care. You will be wearing them virtually every day for the entire summer. Buy your boots soon if you do not already own a pair. Wear your boots regularly to break them in as much as you can before you need to use them. Heavy hiking boots or logger-type work boots are best. When you go to buy your boots, tell the sales person that you will be WORKING in them, not just hiking. They should be big enough to wear with 2 pairs of socks, 1 heavy wool and
1 lightweight wool, cotton or polypropylene (this will help prevent blisters). DO NOT plan to use a lightweight hiking boot, or any boot with canvas or Gor-Tex uppers as your work boots. Sharp tools and canvas are a bad mix. Bring such boots only as seconds if you prefer to hike in them.

Sleeping Pad- A closed-cell foam, insolite, or Thermarest-type pad.

Backpack - External or internal frame pack is strongly recommended, with at least a 4,000 cubic inch capacity. Whatever brand you bring, your backpack must have padded shoulder straps and a padded hip belt. This will carry not only your personal gear but some of the group supplies and equipment as well. Don’t forget extra pack straps. A duffel bag will work, but will restrict your backcountry options. Please call us before you spend a whole lot of money.

Rain Gear- One rain jacket and one pair rain pants. Coated rip-stop nylon is recommended. You can pick up a rubberized suit at most department stores for about $20.00. Gor-Tex is fine if you already own it, but it’s expensive and looses its waterproof quality when it gets greasy and dirty.

Water Bottles- At least one 1-liter water bottle or canteen. Nalgene-type poly-bottles or “platypus” bottles are best.

Insulated mug. Think packable.

Leather Work Gloves 1-2 pairs. Heavy all-leather or leather-palmed. Make sure they fit.

Headlamp or Flashlight- extra bulbs and batteries are a good idea.

******************
NECESSARY
******************

Work Pants and Shirts- Consider the needs: a professional appearance for the schools and rugged clothing for the trails (Carhartt or other work pants).

Long Underwear- wool or synthetic long underwear for cold and wet weather. Not cotton.

Winter Coat — It gets cold here, sooner than you might think!

Winter Boots- Sorel or Kamik style. You will need something to keep your feet warm and dry for both outdoor work and recreation trips in the winter.

Winter Gloves/Mittens

Wool or Fleece Hat

T-shirts
Underwear
Wool Socks (Heavyweight and Lightweight hiking socks)
Bandanas

**********************
OPTIONAL
**********************

Hammock
Camera
Field guides
Personal first aid kit
Crazy Creek chair
Mosquito head-net
Sunglasses
Phone cards
Nylon cord
Trunk or storage box

Getting ready to go!

Trying to keep my head above water while preparing for my adventure!

If you know me, you know how much work it is for me...

but it'll be worth every drop of sweat and every lost penny...
(and maybe a night of sleep here and there)