The AmeriLife

Welcome to life at The Point. We are the Atlantic Region, one of the five NCCC campuses in the country. We are Class XVII. There are 245 of us, from all over the country. From as far away as the US Virgin Islands and Hawaii. We are split into three units, Raven, Moose and Buffalo. There are about 80 people in each unit. When I was first led to my room my first day on campus I was so happy to see the raven on my door. It was the unit I was wishing for. Moose live in “The Village” which is a community of small houses down the road. Raven and Buffalo live in the dorms, Buffalo on the first floor and Ravens on the second. Each unit is broken into seven teams of about 9 to 11 people on each.

Every Corps Member when arriving on campus looks forward to four aspects of the AmeriLife more than anything else. One; receiving our teams. Two; Induction. Three; Spikes. And four; Graduation. Of course there is much more to look forward to but these four things are kind of like the lifeline of the AmerCorps experience. Receiving your team and induction is like a birth. Spikes are the life. And Graduation, well, obviously.

On our second day at The Point we received our Pods, which are temporary teams until final teams are picked. I was in Raven 1 and I had the best Pod imaginable. We were like a family. And our fearless leader, KJ was hilarious. In our group there was never a dull moment.

Since we arrived on February 7^th we’ve gone through medical screenings and have been in CTI (Corps Training Institute) which is just what it sounds like; training. We train everyday, Monday through Friday, from 8am until 4pm. We are trained in anything and everything; disaster relief, shelter simulation, diversity, CPR, tool safety and so much more. I may need a binder for all the certifications when we’re done. Most trainings are here on campus but some days we travel elsewhere. CTI lasts for five weeks. It’s more exhausting than it sounds.

After our first week on campus, after everyone who wanted to try out for the fire fighting team did so and the fire fighting team (The Phoenixes) was selected, we received our teams. It was a big deal. We drove into a parking lot with KJ, in our van, with the 20 other vans parked around us. It was a long, dramatic process revealing teams. But when we drove away we were in different vans with different people and different Team Leaders. Amelia is my new TL. We are Raven 4. I still go to KJ first with anything though. Amelia and I are still feeling each other out. It took me a few days to warm up to my team. They aren’t as close and fun as my Pod but they’re not bad. Even if they were, I’d have to get used to them anyway. In NCCC, your team is your family. You eat with them, live with them, work with them and travel with them. I still see my Pod around and we still claim each other. You have this bond with your Pod that I was happy to learn doesn’t go away after Pod week.

My team shares a kitchen unit with Raven 5. Last week we failed our inspection. We both blamed each other. This week, Ravens 2 and 3 were free from cleaning duties as my team and Raven 5 had to do their share as punishment. Worse fates await for people who fail their room inspections.

Physical training is three times a week. Twice in the morning before the sun rises, with Dernard. And once in the evening. The evening PT is usually easier than the AM PT’s because they’re just with the team. Morning PT’s with Dernard are done with entire units. Dernard is an ex-military man so our PT sessions are definitely military styled. Phoenixes have PT five times a week.

I don’t know who was sick first, but it spread like wildfire. Inevitable when you have 245 young people living together. I caught it from Emily. Then all my other roommates caught it. I remember warning Zac before he sat so close to me. His response, “I don’t care, if I get sick I’ll just be sick.” He said that thinking he had Superman’s immune system. He’s sick now. KJ caught it from all of us. Like a flood, this one cold covered the entire class.

March 10^th is when CTI officially ends. We are inducted on March 11^th at a big ceremony off campus. Then, without wasting any time at all, we leave for our first Spike on March 12^th.

Last night my teammate, Owen made another amazing dinner; fish, salad and mashed potatoes from scratch. Afterwards we all sat at the table in conversation, laughing and talking. At one point we all grew quiet. The other Raven teams were dining noisily around us and we just sat there taking it all in. This new life we’ve all embraced. I looked to the end of the table at Morgan, who was draining the pitcher of orange juice. He had caught my cold and was craving orange juice all week long and we finally got him some. He put his glass down with a heavy sigh, then looked around at us and smiled.
“Life is good.” he said slowly.
“I agree.” I smiled, holding up my water bottle in a toast. Up and down the table my team agreed, as we toasted to the AmeriLife.