It's a Bittersweet Symphony

So T minus four days until I leave the Last Frontier. The goodbyes have already started and the clearing out of the apartment has commenced. It's kind of a weird spectrum of emotions. From October to February, I wanted nothing more than to get the heck out of here and never look back. But in the weeks and months since, I have committed to Alaska, for better or worse. I'm not sure what exactly prompted the change of heart, but the "love the one you're with mentality" has made all the difference. I have met some truly amazing people that have touched my life in ways I couldn't have even imagined. And if I'm at all doing what I came here to do, hopefully I've impacted them in some small positive way as well. Have you ever stopped to think on moving day or on the last day of school, that you really might never see these people again? These people who were woven into the fabric of your life, these people you saw day in and day out. Realistically, I know that I will probably never see any of my Homework Club kids again. Even just the thought of that brings me to tears. While I may not get to see them every day any more, I have to trust the impact that our time together will have on them (and me) well into the future. There's a quote from the movie remember me that says it best, "Our fingerprints never fade from the lives we touch." Couldn't have said it better if I tried.

My going away party at Homework Club with some of the
coolest kids you're ever going to meet.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

For our after school program, we are starting a new meal program called the Childrens Lunch Box. It's a really amazing program that brings full meals to kid's programs all over the city. For many of our kids, this may be the most substantial meal they get all day, so it's really quite a blessing. Yesterday, two women showed up with about 8 kids in tow, looking for the free meals for kids. Apparently, our little after school program ended up in some newsletter advertising for free meals for kids throughout the summer. At first I was a bit overwhelmed at the 10 extra strangers at our doorstep, but after hearing that these women had been driving around all afternoon looking for a place that would help feed their kids, I took a step back to really think about what that meant. I took for granted that I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not I would have dinner when I came home. Granted, it might have involved brussel sprouts or something else I didn't enjoy, but I always knew there would be dinner on the table. I think we tend to think of hunger as this far off problem, but parents in our own communities can't feed their kids. Not every kid is fortunate enough to have dinner waiting when they get home. Next time we are standing in front of the fridge, taking our pick of the overwhelming mass of food inside, we need to remember that.

Mr. Mojo Risin'

So last Monday I woke up to a call offering me a position with Semester at Sea. This morning, I woke up to a call offering me a Team Leader position with the National Civilian Community Corps as a Team Leader for fall 2010. If this job mojo keeps rolling, I may be president next week. Just saying. :)

For those of you not familiar with NCCC, it's an AmeriCorps program for 18-24 year olds who are "stationed" at one of 5 campuses throughout the United States: Vicksburg, MS, Vinton, IA, Denver, CO, Perry Point, MD, and Sacramento, CA (where I'll be). Along with their Team Leader (me!) and their team of 8-12 people, they work on 6-8 week long service projects called spikes. They complete 4 spikes within their region of the country during their 10 month commitment. I'll be serving in the Pacific Region, serving Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the Pacific Territories. I'll move to Sacramento on September 1, do a month of training, meet my team for another month or so of training, and then hit the road to get my service on! For more information about NCCC, click here.

It's a combination of just about every job I've ever had: Collegiate Leadership Consultant for Gamma Phi Beta, working in student affairs with college students, and AmeriCorps. It's going to be pretty exciting, not gonna lie.

And double bonus to have a job lined up for when I get back from Semester at Sea!

Dear Persistence, Thank you for paying off. Love, Elizabeth

Last summer I applied for Semester at Sea for what must be the 45th time. I've applied for probably for 5 positions per semester for 3 voyages a year. Times about 5 years that's about 45 times. I've never been that committed to applying to anything in my life. Last July, I'm driving to Houston with my friend Heather in one heck of a rain storm when I get a phone call from an area code I didn't recognize. Instead of screening as I usually do, something made me answer the call. It was the Dean of Students from the Semester at Sea Summer 2010 voyage calling to offer me an interview. I was dumbfounded. Out of all those applications I'd submitted, this was the first time I'd ever even gotten a response! I had a phone interview in July. I wasn't offered a position, but the Dean did ask if I would mind being on the alternate list. Figuring it didn't hurt to keep my name on the list, I said okay. And that was the end of it. I accepted a position in Alaska, moved to the Last Frontier, and the rest you already know. Until about two weeks ago...

I received an e-mail from the Dean of Students asking if I was still interested in being considered as an alternate for the summer. And my answer, of course, was yes. So I had secretly been praying that someone broke their leg or got pregnant, just so I might have a shot at an opportunity I'd wanted for so long. Then on Monday I get a phone call around 7:30am Alaska time. My initial reaction was, "WTF? I'm still sleeping." But when I listened to the voicemail, I couldn't believe it. Unable to go back to sleep, I returned the phone call ASAP. I was offered a staff position on the summer 2010 Semester at Sea voyage!!

I went through a roller coaster of emotions and a mile long list of "What ifs?" on Monday. All along I had said that this was the opportunity I'd drop everything for, but when it came down to it the thought of actually doing so was a little intimidating. A friend here in Alaska asked if I was going to take the position. I told him, "If you were offered this opportunity and you didn't take it, I'd punch you." So I knew that was my answer. I called back to officially accept the offer on Tuesday morning. Tuesday night, the realization that I'd been offered my dream job hit me like a ton of bricks. It's not an emotion one experiences every day. It's a joyous, amazing, terrifying, and overwhelming experience all at the same time. A whole new set of questions came about. "If I get my dream job, then what's next?" After having a minor freak out about having to put my life on hold in a matter of weeks for this opportunity, the excitement returned. This is absolutely going to be the opportunity of a lifetime. Awesome.

So after going through all of the ups and downs I went through in Alaska, finally getting to the point where I was content to stay and finish my AmeriCorps term, I'll be leaving Anchorage at the end of May in order to set sail with Semester at Sea on June 10.

I leave from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and between June 10 and August 21, I'll visit Barcelona, Spain; Citavecchia, Italy; Naples, Italy; Piraeus, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Istanbul, Turkey; Casablanca, Morocco; and Alexandria, Egypt. The itinerary for the summer 2010 voyage of Semester at Sea can be found here. So pretty much it's going to be the best thing ever. I guess persistence really does pay off. :)