AmeriCorps

Sooo I'm going to spend a year in Sacramento, serving on AmeriCorps.  I do not like to tell people about things I'm going to do, until it's actually happening.   What I have planned, often does not indeed come to pass.  For example, I was sure I was going to study abroad in Australia or that I was going do a sportswriting internship in San Francisco.  As I always say, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.  Well, now AmeriCorps is not just an idea; I officially got accepted.  Well unless, my fingerprints reveal a rap sheet full of criminal activity.  

I left Lifetime Fitness in the middle of October 2012.  One can hardly call what I was going to do next, a 'plan.' Looking back, it was kind of dumb to quit, when I didn't even have another job lined up.  But that is how much I hated that job.  It ended up working out because I was able to spend those weeks in between jobs, painting and working on the house.  Anyways, one day I googled 'loan forgiveness.'  As I'm typing the word 'googled,' spellcheck is all over it.  I thought it was 2013; googled and texting should be 'real' words by now.  Anywaysss, lots of stuff came up.  One that stuck out to me was PeaceCorps.  This greatly interested me, for obvious reasons: traveling abroad, serving and putting a dent in my loans.  Buttt with a little research, I found out that they only help out with specific loans, that I did not have.  So I looked at AmeriCorps, which in a nutshell, is PeaceCorps stateside.  They give you $5,500 towards loans from the government after you complete your service, with a $4,000 stipend, all before taxes.  

The more I looked into it, the more and more I liked the idea.  Same thing: going somewhere new, serving and putting a dent in my loans.  The main difference is I wouldn't be abroad.  But who cares.  I prayed about it and decided to put an app in.  What did I have to lose?  The more time went by, the more it seemed like a good idea. I'm always careful not to let my excitement about something grow too much, because this world will disappoint you, but I was looking forward to the possibility.  It almost seemed too good to be true.  After jumping through a few more hoops, my application made it through the first round.  So then I was just waiting to get placed.  I got some killer references from some guys I spent a lot of time working for back home and I'm sure they made me look better than I actually am.  Waiting.  And waiting.  It had almost been two months and I still hadn't heard anything.  One of my biggest weaknesses is my impatience.  I want everything done now.  So I started looking for ways I would spend my fall in 2013.  And then, more than two months after I was first accepted in, I found out I made it into the Sacramento Program.  I start in October and I'm pretty excited.  

I get bored easily.  Too easily.  I think I will always be a nomad of sorts.  I can't fathom spending the next 40-ish years of my life, waking up and doing the same thing I did yesterday.  Heckkk no. Once I have mastered a task and the challenge is gone, I'm ready for something else.  So this works perfectly.  It is a change of pace and it's a commitment that is not too long.  

People commented that I could probably get a good job and 'come out ahead,' because after taxes, serving on AmeriCorps you make about  $350 a month.  Well it wasn't just about money for me.   I love to see new places, I love try new things, I love to meet new people, but most of all I love to serve.  I love serving and I really love working with my hands.   I also would love the minimalist lifestyle.  It's one thing to force myself to have minimal budget but quite another to live that way because you have no other choice.  Heck yes.  

I was slightly hesitant about immersion.  I think about all the times I have been immersed in a sinful climate: sports' locker rooms, Costa Rica, Lifetime Fitness, Illinois State, public school and they all negatively impacted me. Of course, I hadn't given my life to Jesus then, but it is definitely worth thinking about.  I mean I guess I can't assume that everyone in my group will not be believers but as always I prepare for the worst.  I definitely think we should step out of our comfortable lives where we are surrounded by other Christians and I definitely make an effort to do that.  But I am really praying about an intense ten months.  I'm going to be in close proximity with 10-14 other young people.  We will spend  everyday together.  When there is a natural disaster nearby and we drop everything to go work there, then it will really be close quarters, sharing all the same living spaces, bathrooms, etc.  So I just want to make sure that I'm prepared for that.  

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.
    -Andrew Carnegie