Why working at WGA is the best way to see Denver

Two Words: Field Trips.

With all intensives 2 field trips are generally scheduled per week in order to allow the kiddos to get out of the classroom and really see the field that they are interested in. So due to this, I have gotten to see a lot of Denver and the surrounding area. This blog post is dedicated to that.

Cool places I’ve seen in Denver thanks to DPS.

NREL (National Renewable Energy Lab):

We got to go both to the NREL facility as well as to the NREL wind turbine testing center which is very beautiful and very top secret. At the wind turbine testing center, ex NFL Panther’s (yes the kids made fun of me for about an hour after I told them I was a Panthers fan) football player Sean Tufts talked to us about energy. After hearing about wind turbines we headed to NRELs main campus. At NREL the kids got to do experiments and learn about renewable energy. The place was actually really cool looking and the welcome center was really cool.

Colorado State University:

CSU was quite a hike from WGA… about an hour and a half to be exact. But, I had never been to Fort Collins so I looked forward to seeing it. The campus was pretty big and it was like any other college campus I’ve ever been to… really pretty. Green grass and big buildings. We got a tour of the engineering department led by same gendered tour guides which was neat. All the labs were super cool and they were doing a lot of awesome experiments and designs. For a brief moment I had the desire to become an engineer, then they went over the course catalog and I quickly remembered why that was never on the radar.

Hat Creek Energy:

We went here to learn about oil. The most impressive thing about the whole thing though was the building this business is located which was beautiful and also the awesome collection of bronze art work including one by Remington. All the bronze in the collection were old west in theme. It was really quite an impressive collection. So we got to learn about art, engineering, and the Gates Family (no, not THAT Gates family).  Oh, and they bought us pizza.  All in all it was a good day.

University of Colorado – Boulder:

Boulder is one of my favorite places I’ve visited yet during my AmeriYear, so obviously I was stoked about going again and seeing CU Boulder. The campus was absolutely beautiful and there was a lot going on. It made me miss college a lot. We introduced the kids to the perks of college including: tons of free stuff, free on campus art museum, and the world of promotional awesomeness. During our day at CU Boulder there just happened to be every middle school boys dream on campus: beautiful girls selling Play Station as a brand. These girls led us back into what was probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen. A small concert hall full of play stations. The kids went nuts. After all that excitement we actually had places to go, including a tour of the engineering department. This engineering department was even cooler than CSU’s. They had all sorts of little interactive and experiments to play with. It was a lot of fun.

JUMP STREET:

 

So my kids earned all their classroom points and we got to go to jumpstreet. Jumpstreet is this really awesome place with tons of trampolines where you can jump around. They also have a dodgeball court with trampolines where you can throw dodgeballs at your students heads. While this wasn’t the most educational of trips, I have been wanting to go to jump street since I first came to Denver, so it was kind of a dream come true!

ISP not to be confused with ICP

So during our service term with AmeriCorps NCCC Corps Members are required to do 80 hours of Independent Service Projects. Luckily for us based in Denver this includes the possibility of volunteering at Rocky Mountain Village (RMV) an Easter Seals camp in Empire, CO. RMV is a place where during the summer children (and adults!) with disabilities come for a week at a time to come to camp. However, since it is not yet summer (as the weather keeps reminding me during it’s cruel Monday/Tuesday snows each week) the camp holds respite weekends during the winter months. Respite weekends usually consist of kids coming to camp in order to give their loved ones some time to relax. However, the weekend we were volunteering was a different type of weekend which was called Talking with Technology. For this weekend all the kids who came up had just recently received a new device which they can use to talk. The weekend was all about assimilating the family to these new talkers. So not only were there 8 kids up at RMV there were 8 families. So we got to spend the weekend with brothers and sisters and moms and dads in addition to the children there. It was a weekend full of great fun. There was dress-up, arts and crafts, an ice cream party, a talent show, and my favorite part of the weekend, a chance for all the kids to do the zip line. 

Now most of you should know how much I love Experiential Education considering I spent 4 years in undergrad working for Venture doing just that. I love the idea of pushing yourself  out of your comfort zone and growing through that push. So, you can imagine how it was to watch kids with disabilities go down the zip line. Some kids were able, though wheelchair bound, to use their arms in order to climb up the wall and zip down. For those unable to climb up, the opportunity was not lost. The kids were still able to experience the thrill of zipping down the zip line after being pulleyed up to the top. The look on the kids faces as they zipped down was something that I won’t soon forget. It was such a look of happiness and joy. To be able to do something they had never done before and experience it was something to behold. It was such an awesome thing to see.

Beyond the zipline, the atmosphere at RMV is magical. The staff there is awesome and it is clear that they really love what they do. It’s refreshing to see people who really do love their jobs and thrive at them. It was also a great experience to share with my shuffle team and I think it brought us closer together. We bonded over our mutual love and attachment to the children and the camp. We had a really great time and were able to “Leave our Mark”, quite literally in the camp directors home.

Unfortunately not all ISPs are so lovely… like when you get to one and they tell you ‘just stand there’ but what can I say, it got me my last 30 minutes of ISP hours and  some free SWAG. My enthusiasm for my task and my pouch of free stuff can be seen in the picture below.

Dirty Jobs

Today a possum (possibly cat) jaw bone fell on my face. It was just another typical day under trailers putting up insulation… and by typical I mean I was under a trailer on pallets in 4 inches of standing water with garbage, animal feces and possibly human feces. I was minding my own business ripping down some insulation that another group had left up and out of nowhere something swings down and hits me in the face. Totally like in a haunted house. Now at the moment of the attack on the face I really didn’t know what had just hit me since the visibility under a trailer is not the greatest. So I slowly turn around and notice that it is this…

GROOOOOOOSS! (I don’t know why Meaghan is touching this with her bare hands. Sick)

Yes. That was swinging from a string into my face. I proceeded to scream and yell and then throw it out from underneath the trailer. I took a few deep breaths and went back to work. About a half hour later I hear something fall onto my pallet so I put my ungloved hand (I was nailing and it’s easier to hold a nail without a glove on) onto whatever had just fallen on my pallet and it’s the JAW. I squeal and throw it out again freaking out that it was a different one. Upon confirmation with my teammate I found out that he indeed threw the jaw unto my pallet. But it’s ok because later that day he sat on a dead mouse and heard its back break. You know what they say about karma.

Vivi and I give our official thumbs down to working on pallets in standing water. And to possum bones of course.

But, at the end of the day I can only take a nice sigh of relief in knowing that today was my last day under those disgusting trailers and that no matter where my life leads me that I can likely say I will never be back under one ever again, at least not one in New Jersey on a Superfund site crawling in human feces, animal skulls, and bugs. So never try to one up me with your disgusting job because you will not win. Unless you’re Mike Rowe, who gets paid much more than my AmeriSalary. 

Oh, and when going under trailers is becoming too much, God gives you a snow day… here are some pictures from our snow day snowball fight on Friday. 

Where did I leave off?

So, Dalen came to Staten Island to surprise me for Valentine’s Day. While he meant for it to be a Nicholas Sparks-esque surprise, he is really terrible at keeping secrets, and I am really awesome at figuring out surprises so I knew he was coming before he got there. It was really nice for Dalen to be in Staten Island with me. For one, I had my own personal exploring partner back, and also he had a room with a bed rather than a cot. So all in all I won. We spent a lot of time that he was here working with World Cares and a lot of time hanging out with my team, and a lot of time in transit either walking or riding. However, all this time we got to spend together, so we were both very happy.

Luckily for us I got an unexpected day off on Dalen’s last day in town. So we were able to go to Manhattan and see the sites. We got NY pizza with Dalen’s old NCCC friend, went to time square and central park where we had a photo shoot with Meaghan. But mostly we just walked and explored. The only downside was the freeeeezing cold wind (oh and Dalen’s duffle bag he was having to carry around everywhere we went). The southerner in me will never like the North East in the winter.

Dalen left that Monday after exploring the city and it was back to work for me. We worked for a couple more days with World Cares doing mold suppression and ripping out floorboards and then it was time to move on. I’m glad that our location changed because Staten Island had begun to constantly remind me of Dalen which made me miss him a whole bunch.

We came to New Jersey where we are currently installing insulation under trailers. It’s not glamourous work. At the end of the day you are itchy, your eyes burn, and your hands and knees are bruised crawling around all day. The plus side is getting an ab work out on the job as you strain to staple plastic up over insulation. In addition to the otherwise lacking appeal of being under a trailer, the smells that exist in such a place are phenomenally awful. Many a dead animal has been found, many a different type of fecal matter (human, cat, dog, possum) has been accidentally touched, and some sort of container full of putrid smelling liquid has been removed. All in all I will not be too upset to be telling Jersey goodbye. The only downside of course is leaving the quick access to NYC.

Being close to the city has been amazing. I have had the opportunity to explore the city that could always be explored more. I got to see my first broadway show (being a theater nerd for years, this was extra amazing to me). I also got to visit some friends and family while up here which is always a nice thing to get while in NCCC. So overall I am happy to have had this experience, but in all honesty I am ready to be in the warm NC sun for a week after we complete our service here.

To Make a Long Story Short…

I travelled back to Denver. Hung out in Denver for about a week doing not much.

Then… I got on a plane and travelled to Philadelphia where we got ‘snowed in’ by the snowpocolypse and spent 3 days trapped in a hotel. Gin Rummy and Settler’s of Catan were played, TV shows were caught up on, sleeping was had. It was a rather nice relaxation for working disaster.

So that catches us up to two weeks ago I believe. So Monday the 11th we arrive in Staten Island. We get a little time to explore our new home, pick our rooms and unpack.

While Basketball Court in a home seems cool… If you decide this for your home make sure it’s soundproof. Put the Piano down there too!

We were living in the Parish Hall of a Moravian church which was really nice because we had a basketball court and a huge kitchen to cook in and most importantly a gigantic graveyard to explore.

Located at the stairwell… just in case ya know zombies come to attack from the graveyard you’re living in.

Interestingly enough Dalen, my teammate Meaghan and I discovered that the fences in the graveyard had spikes on them, you know the kind to keep people out of places… but the spikes were pointing inward. We all decided it was probably just preparation for the zombie Apocalypse which is good news for just about everyone… Everyone except people who live in the

The location of the scary ghost encounter. Also where I slept for week. The day after this we got cots… so don’t feel too bad for me 😉

graveyard. So on our first night Viviana and I are just snoozing away and I decide that I can’t sleep and finally as I’m getting back to sleep Vivi closes the window and wakes me up at which point I notice that our door is open. I point this out to Vivi and panic ensues.

I scoot my sleeping pad over close to Vivi, we put a chair infront of the door and we grab our pocket knives and prepare for the ghost/robber/zombie who is definitely outside of our door.

After exploring our home, it was into the city for a training. Unfortunately we did not realize the training was IN the city… as in in the middle of Manhattan. So we drove around for about an hour looking for a parking place for the big ole’ 15 passenger van. It was awful. The next day was more training in the Rockaways which were hit pretty bad by the storm. We learned how dangerous  mold is and how to wear our respirators. Important stuff.

All suited up in our Tyveks and Respirators

Then the real work began. We suited up in our Tyvek suits and respirators and were ready to begin work. Most of the work included scrubbing mold all day, there were a few days of ripping up flooring too which was a nice change of pace. All the homeowners that we talked to were so grateful for us to come help them. It was really amazing how thankful they were after they had lost so much and it had been so long since the storm. It would be easy for them to be angry, but they weren’t. After 2 days of officially working, I got a lovely ‘surprise’ valentine’s day gift delivered to me. Dalen is much better at describing this (http://wdalenrice.blogspot.com/2013/02/nyc-part-1-staten-island-glory.html) than I am. However, this (and the work I’m doing in New Jersey and fun I’m having in New York) will have to come in a later post, Dalen’s description will have to do for now!

Flexible from the F to the E.

It’s true what they say in Americorps – NCCC… the only constant is change. Looks like our time in Arizona will be cut a little short.  I was enjoying the nice warm weather and the hard work that trail building entails. However, it was decided that Sun 1 would be heading to New York to do disaster relief from hurricane Sandy. I’m looking forward to being able to experience this type of service and to help people who are in desperate need of help, but I am going to miss the warmth and welcoming that was Arizona. This past week here in Arizona has been really great. We got to work on the trail some more and we got to have an ‘enjoy the trails day’ which meant lots of hiking around where we hadn’t been yet. We also got to go to breakfast with the Rotary, have dinner with the people from Parks and Rec.

 

I also got to experience the awesomeness that is Pickle ball.  I think I found a new hobby in Pickle ball, it’s a lot like tennis but much easier. With tennis I get so irritated at how bad I am that I can’t move on to improve my skills, with Pickle ball I have a sense that I can improve so I actually enjoy the game.

So tomorrow we’re back on the road to Santa Fe and eventually back to Denver for a week until we head out to New York. Updates to come!

It’s little league season!

 

 

 

So since we are working for the local parks and recreation department they have us working on some extra projects around town in addition to working on Casa Grande Mountain. So we spent the week working on the little league fields. This consisted of a lot of raking and digging, oh and putting sod in a tractor. All in all it was a very LONG week and we were grateful that we got a ‘rain day’ on Saturday and had the day off. (The perks of living in the desert and working outside). Here are some pictures to show you all the hard work I did.  I also realized as I was watching some episodes of Parks and Recreation that my job working with the P&R department isn’t nearly as entertaining or zany as the show, which is a little disappointing.

Everything is Grand in Casa Grande.

Week one of life in Casa Grande is winding to an end. We have been doing trainings and working with some great people here in Casa Grande on Casa Grande Mountain. The people of Casa Grande have been amazing in making us feel welcomed and taken care of. We feel like local celebrities here and have already been featured on the front page of the newspaper!

This is where I’m working everydayThe mountain that we are working on is also really beautiful, it’s way different from the North Carolina mountains.

The mountain that we are working on is also really beautiful, it’s way different from the North Carolina mountains.

The Jumping Cholla got me.

There are a lot of cacti and pokey plants that want to attack us (The worst of which in this area is the jumping cholla), but we have been persevering.

My favorite part of trail building so far has been destroying the cacti that are in the way of our trail. Whether it is with loppers or by pushing them down with my McCloud it has been my specialty on the trail. I also transplanted some plants which I enjoyed.

Destroying Jumping Cholla with my McCloud

While destroying Cholla is fun, I transplanted this little bugger to make sure he’s safe.

It’s important in trail building to make sure that your muscles have names so that you can congratulate them when they have performed tasks such as removing rocks from the ground or pushing down a huge jumping cholla. My right muscle is The Hulk and my left one is Bruce Banner but I usually just call him Bruce for short.

Gave this plants a little extra moisture ;).

The Cacti are huge… no joke, they once killed a man.

 

This is where all 10 of us will be living.

 

Wrapping up and starting over.

Long time no see blog readers… sorry about that. I really wanted to write a finish-up post about all the lovely things that we got done while we were in San Antonio, and then I wanted to write a post about all the neat things it sounds like we’re doing next round so this will be a combination of the two. This will be picture heavy because as Dalen pointed out ( http://wdalenrice.blogspot.com/2012/12/lets-be-honestwe-like-pictures-right.html), everyone loves pictures.

Houses we first started working on were in ‘punch list’ phase being caulked and painted and put up soffet at.

Concrete slabs in a new development that later became houses thanks to our (and lots and lots and lots of volunteers) help!

San Antonio was a lot of fun and we really loved getting to know our sponsors and the city a little bit. It was my first time working extensively with Habitat for Humanity and I really enjoyed it. Their model and mission just makes a lot of sense to me. The San Antonio affiliate also execute the mission well making simple and affordable houses for people in poverty. Sun 1 was really lucky because we were able to see house both in the beginning of the construction process and the end. We got to caulk, paint, and do finishing touches, and we got to stand walls and put up trusses. It was great to be able to be on both sides of the process.

Viviana and I up on the roof putting up Trusses

Viviana and I with the volunteer coordinator and home owner contact. We worked with both building and with volunteer coordination

Between a wall and a truss. I nailed a truss in and soon realized that getting back out might be tricky

Sun 1 lifting trusses

Sun 1 standing walls

volunteer coordination requires a lot of sending out papers

I put up all this soffet. 🙂

Drilling some soffet with my new favorite tool.

Cutting some soffet

Bruno’s famous breakfast tacos delivered straight to site!

Soooooo goood.

It was great to be able to experience the local culture of San Antonio. I got to eat all sorts of new and fun foods like tamales and breakfast tacos. All of which were amazing.

We got to see some of the city and explore other parts of Texas as well…

Sun 1 at the Riverwalk

The Alamo

Visiting Austin, Tx

Gruene Dance Hall. The oldest dance hall in Texas.

Overall, my experience in Texas was really awesome. From the amazing food to the lovely weather and of course all the Southern Hospitality. I loved it all.

So, moving forward…. This week is a transition week and I will spend it debriefing our project and briefing for the next. Next round Sun 1 will be heading to Casa Grande, AZ to do trail building. I’m looking forward to the warm winter but not sure how i feel about the hard work that trail building will entail. I did a day of trail building with REI once and was almost certain I was dying afterwards, so I can only imagine what 3 months will be like. We’ll be living in an Aquatic Center that is closed for the season, so that should make for interesting living arrangements. It should be fun, and travel starts on Saturday. We get to drive through New Mexico, so I’m looking forward to all the beautiful scenery that hopefully we’ll see. Pictures to come :).

The postal service (The mail people, not the band)

As I was stuffing 300 envelopes with letters, I got to thinking about the postal service. Since it took me roughly 3 hours to fold, stuff, seal, and label these envelopes, my minda had plenty of time to wander. So there I was minding my own business thinking about how much I love the postal service and about how non profits were likely helping to keep them in business with the amount of mail they send out the front desk receptionist Dolores (Who I absolutely adore by the way) brought me a package from my ever doting boyfriend. It was really bizarre for her to bring this as I was thinking about the post office but that is how my life usually works out. So, it was decided that I would write a blog post about mail.

In case you didn’t know I recently joined what Sarge likes to call “The quarter pounder club” meaning that I just turned 25. Because of this, the postal service and Dolores must think that I am quite a popular girl. It is funny in Americorps how once trivial things become so important and special, for instance: alone time, driving a car and not a 15 passenger van, hot showers (so I hear, I’ve been lucky thus far), eating whatever you want for dinner, and my favorite now special thing:MAIL. I am having a love affair with USPS (Don’t tell Dalen). I love sending mail – most of you in my top 20 communicators have gotten postcard. However, unlike presents I do not enjoy sending more than receiving. I have gotten lots of mail from loved ones including an assortment of friendship bracelets, a vast amount of birthday cards and goodies, a message in a bottle, crafting supplies, homemade cards and drawings and of course lots of sweet yummies. What can I say, my people know me well. Anyway, I just wanted to take out the time to appreciate and send my love out to those who have sent me mail. It means the world to me. Here is a picture of my wall and all the mail I’ve gotten here in San Antonio. <3!

Whoops… Forgot to post the picture: (Also this is a little old so I have more love from more loves now too!) 🙂