President Obama Has Good Timing

The service itself won’t always be easy…It’s through that struggle, the fact that it’s hard, that the difference is made. Not just for others, but for yourself.
-President Obama
Points of Light Speech at Texas A&M University

It was Obama's first Service Nation speech at Columbia that really made me think about national service outside of the military. The past couple of weeks have been a challenge to say the least, but I think President Obama's speech at Texas A&M today was really the kick in the pants that I needed. I'll be able to find another job (2 more interviews scheduled! woot woot!) so I won't have to move into the poor house and then I will be able to sleep a little easier and focus on the reason that I'm here. I'm pretty set on changing my site placement. (Really what is the point of volunteering about something that drains your bucket instead of filling it?) I am confident that the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place. So as long as Obama can continue giving a motivational call to service speech every so often, I think I can make it through. :)

To be or not to be (in Alaska)...that is the question

So it seems that a lot has happened since my last post...

I've been told I'm in the second stage of transition that usually happens when people move abroad. (Even though Alaska is a state, it might as well be abroad. Move from Manhattan to Anchorage, then you'll understand.) The stage where things stop being new and exciting and start being...well...annoying. Apparently, in this stage, I'm supposed to be looking for some sense of normalcy in this crazy place. All in all, I'd say that's pretty accurate.

About a week and a half ago, I was sitting in my sad little studio apartment, chowing down on macaroni and cheese for the umpteenth time, counting my pennies and I had a thought, "I don't have to stay here. It would be just as easy for me to do AmeriCorps at home in Omaha rent free and with some semblance of a support system."Long story short...I haven't been able to think about anything else since. The thought of getting the heck out of dodge and back to civilization. The fact that I am referring to Omaha as civilization after living in New York is somewhat surprising but also representative of the state of mind...and the actual state I'm in.

It's been a rough couple of weeks and I've gone so far as to even change my return plane ticket, putting me back in Omaha at the end of October. (If anything can come of this, please don't purchase plane tickets at a time of extreme emotional upheaval. Rarely anything good can come of this.) I feel that for the most part, I have mentally checked out, but then little things hit me throughout the course of the day and make me think twice (or thrice or whatever...pretty much I don't sleep and I don't think about anything else).

A good friend reminded me this evening that I signed up to do this in order to get completely outside of that bubble that all Columbia students, no matter who, are in to some extent. (She also reminded me that I probably could have done AmeriCorps some place other than Alaska, but that is beside the point.) And President Obama is again giving a call to service to yet another college campus tomorrow. (A democrat in the land of Bush...good luck with that one Mr. President.) That was pretty inspirational for me the first time so maybe his timing is right on target.

While I have done a pretty decent job of getting interviews for some pretty decent part time jobs, is getting one of these jobs enough to keep me here? (Whether or not these will pan out into actual jobs remains to be seen. Keep your fingers crossed.) Is it really worth it to essentially work full time and do AmeriCorps full time? To bust my hump to break even? While I do have a plane ticket ready to bring me back to the Heartland in a little over a week and if I'm paying $4 a gallon for milk I'd rather live in New York City than Alaska, I'm not 100% sure I'm ready to throw in the towel. If anyone has any advice on life choices at this stage of the game, please let me know. :)