Today I spent a large majority of my time just driving around San Antonio with my parents. We 'splored a lot and I tried to feel out the city. I failed. We just kind of drove around in a circle and my dad shouted excitedly to my mom "STARBUCKS!" every time he saw a new location. I attempted to find the Michigan Avenue type area of San Antonio, and he pointed to a strip mall and said simply, "This is Michigan Avenue". San Antonio is kind of strangely set up it's just a little area, then some high ways then a ton of strip malls. I live just outside the strip malls.
Parents took me and the roomies out to dinner, my mom was sad when I left, and complained that I cried when my friends left and not when she left.
I'm supposed to read this 100 page document for city year that I just found out about, yayyy. I'm struggling with reading and writing.
Tomorrow we are going to Corpus Christie and that is the only place I've ever been in Texas. I remember there were a lot of minor league baseball players and the surf museum.
Daily Hero: The inventor of the GPS. Otherwise I would get a lot more lost than I already do.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Got dem papers
Today was started off with a fantastic breakfast at a place where I soon will most likely become a regular. Corn tortillas to die for and a short stack of delicious pancakes for under two dollars, I'm a fan. My mom the whole time was thinking of ways that the dude from Restraunt Impossible could trick the place out (be warned, my whole family is addicted to Food Network, multiple references to various shows will most likely be made). I was just happy to have some food in my tummy. If I'd known how long the day was going to be, I probably would've ordered double tillas.
Then it was a short walk to the City Year headquarters, the place of only legend for the last couple months. It was super bright and colorful and I spent the next five ish hours filling out tons and tons oh and tons of paperwork. By the time I left almost the whole day was gone and I was in a daze from rules, regulations, new names, and new faces to memorize. But it was so much fun, I just felt like the entire time I was in a daze thinking how this wasn't actually happening and in a few short weeks I'll be sure to be back in Evanston. I'm not sure when reality will set in, that I'm actually in San Antonio for a whole whopping ten months! All the people I met seemed super fun and extremely diverse, not just in skin color but age, gender, and where they were from in the world. I can't wait to actually get to know some of them on a more than superficial level. I immediately bonded with some folks about being from the Midwest, and how weird the weather is in San An.
It was back to the apartment for the first time after the first of probably many intense paperwork sessions! The place is amazing, no dingy shack like I imagined, but a really nice complex with a pool and nice rooms and ahhh, I am going to be so spoiled when I get my first real crappy apartment. Luckily I just kind of walked into this deal without much work on my part, when I first contacted my room mate, she had already had a place arranged, and the rent is super cheap split four ways.
My room mates are all very nice and we seem to all be incredibly different, so there will always be something interesting happening in the apartment I suspect. But none of them seem to be serial killers, so my prayers have been answered. The commercial for "The Roommate" has left me a little bit chronically in fear of living with strangers. Come on that's not silly or irrational, the protagonist's name is Sarah! There are five corp members named Sarah. Maybe they will put us all on the same team just for kicks.
My parents and I found a mattress and some cheap target shelves, the bunk bed frame is soon to come sometime, but for now I am very content with my cheap comfy mattress. I'm about 2/3 ishhh unpacked, but good progress considering my room has no air conditioning or fan. I had to take periodic fan breaks where I simply stood under the fan in the living room.
To buy list for tomorrow:
FAN FAN FAN FAN FAN
Also we might head over to the Alamo, maybe it'll snow and not be 200 degrees outside.. in my dreams haha.
Daily Hero: Mattress Factory guy who sold me this amazing mattress, it was totally hassle free and definitely the simplest part of my day. Buying a mattress could have been so difficult and time consuming but I was in and out in probably ten minutes- and I got to try out a water bed!!!
Then it was a short walk to the City Year headquarters, the place of only legend for the last couple months. It was super bright and colorful and I spent the next five ish hours filling out tons and tons oh and tons of paperwork. By the time I left almost the whole day was gone and I was in a daze from rules, regulations, new names, and new faces to memorize. But it was so much fun, I just felt like the entire time I was in a daze thinking how this wasn't actually happening and in a few short weeks I'll be sure to be back in Evanston. I'm not sure when reality will set in, that I'm actually in San Antonio for a whole whopping ten months! All the people I met seemed super fun and extremely diverse, not just in skin color but age, gender, and where they were from in the world. I can't wait to actually get to know some of them on a more than superficial level. I immediately bonded with some folks about being from the Midwest, and how weird the weather is in San An.
It was back to the apartment for the first time after the first of probably many intense paperwork sessions! The place is amazing, no dingy shack like I imagined, but a really nice complex with a pool and nice rooms and ahhh, I am going to be so spoiled when I get my first real crappy apartment. Luckily I just kind of walked into this deal without much work on my part, when I first contacted my room mate, she had already had a place arranged, and the rent is super cheap split four ways.
My room mates are all very nice and we seem to all be incredibly different, so there will always be something interesting happening in the apartment I suspect. But none of them seem to be serial killers, so my prayers have been answered. The commercial for "The Roommate" has left me a little bit chronically in fear of living with strangers. Come on that's not silly or irrational, the protagonist's name is Sarah! There are five corp members named Sarah. Maybe they will put us all on the same team just for kicks.
My parents and I found a mattress and some cheap target shelves, the bunk bed frame is soon to come sometime, but for now I am very content with my cheap comfy mattress. I'm about 2/3 ishhh unpacked, but good progress considering my room has no air conditioning or fan. I had to take periodic fan breaks where I simply stood under the fan in the living room.
To buy list for tomorrow:
FAN FAN FAN FAN FAN
Also we might head over to the Alamo, maybe it'll snow and not be 200 degrees outside.. in my dreams haha.
Daily Hero: Mattress Factory guy who sold me this amazing mattress, it was totally hassle free and definitely the simplest part of my day. Buying a mattress could have been so difficult and time consuming but I was in and out in probably ten minutes- and I got to try out a water bed!!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Spare the Gun, Spoil the Child
Officially in San Antonio!
After several phone calls I have internet but not a bed hooray!
This title was inspired by a phone call to my Uncle Robert, happy 47th birthday! He (jokingly) reminded me, spare the rod spoil the child, and since I've seen so many places selling guns or talking about guns or people with guns, I abbreviated the saying a little bit.
Today was a long long long drive. We spent a lot of time on good ol' i-30 west, about 500 miles to be exact, and I actually drove a lot of the way! And slept a lot of the way.
As we drove further and further South, the people got bigger and bigger and the heat got hotter. When we stopped for dinner at 10 pm it was a pleasant 94 degrees. Cool...
Also Herman is broken, my dad ripped off part of the front bumper, so we will be finding a dealer tomorrow morning, somewhere in between finding a mattress, registering, and moving me in to my apartment (wow I'm such a grown up, got an apartment and everything).
Highlight of the day was probably the amazing sunset out my window as I was rocked to sleep by the car steadily coasting across America. Or finally getting a new watch!!! I just traded my old one in and got a new one for free, I love free stuff! This one actually works and is not inflicted by water damage.
Tomorrow, I'm pretty nervous, I'll be meeting the folks I'm going to be working with/living with/ interacting with for a whole year(ish). But I'm so excited for this new culture and to be honest I'm pretty sure I'm just too tired to be nervous, which is good because I'll probably give a more honest first impression.
I read the entire Rick Perry Wikipedia page, I heard he is a kind of big deal in Texas, so I figured I should do some investigation. He seems like a strong personality, which I can respect. I don't support a lot of his views on some fundamental issues, but he has done some good stuff according to Wikipedia. Coming from Illinois, where our past couple governors have always been iffy, I'm ready for anything Texas politics can throw me.
Daily Hero: I could have never made this road trip without my rents. They are amazing people and even though a gap year is a scary idea they have supported me and helped to get me here. Not only are they my daily heroes but my everyday heroes. Love ya mom and dad.
And a song to end with:
Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play. Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.
After several phone calls I have internet but not a bed hooray!
This title was inspired by a phone call to my Uncle Robert, happy 47th birthday! He (jokingly) reminded me, spare the rod spoil the child, and since I've seen so many places selling guns or talking about guns or people with guns, I abbreviated the saying a little bit.
Today was a long long long drive. We spent a lot of time on good ol' i-30 west, about 500 miles to be exact, and I actually drove a lot of the way! And slept a lot of the way.
As we drove further and further South, the people got bigger and bigger and the heat got hotter. When we stopped for dinner at 10 pm it was a pleasant 94 degrees. Cool...
Also Herman is broken, my dad ripped off part of the front bumper, so we will be finding a dealer tomorrow morning, somewhere in between finding a mattress, registering, and moving me in to my apartment (wow I'm such a grown up, got an apartment and everything).
Highlight of the day was probably the amazing sunset out my window as I was rocked to sleep by the car steadily coasting across America. Or finally getting a new watch!!! I just traded my old one in and got a new one for free, I love free stuff! This one actually works and is not inflicted by water damage.
Tomorrow, I'm pretty nervous, I'll be meeting the folks I'm going to be working with/living with/ interacting with for a whole year(ish). But I'm so excited for this new culture and to be honest I'm pretty sure I'm just too tired to be nervous, which is good because I'll probably give a more honest first impression.
I read the entire Rick Perry Wikipedia page, I heard he is a kind of big deal in Texas, so I figured I should do some investigation. He seems like a strong personality, which I can respect. I don't support a lot of his views on some fundamental issues, but he has done some good stuff according to Wikipedia. Coming from Illinois, where our past couple governors have always been iffy, I'm ready for anything Texas politics can throw me.
Daily Hero: I could have never made this road trip without my rents. They are amazing people and even though a gap year is a scary idea they have supported me and helped to get me here. Not only are they my daily heroes but my everyday heroes. Love ya mom and dad.
And a song to end with:
Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play. Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wrap it Up
I am officially no longer in Evanston! AHHHH!
I was seen off by some amazing folks who I have been thinking about and missing all day. When folks were getting a little teary eyed my mom said "Come on guys, wrap it up, tough it out, you'll see each other again", so I decided to title this post with her in mind.
We took off at 7ish and I almost immediately fell asleep in my little cave, surrounded by pillows and all of my other stuff. When I woke up it was pouring rain with very little visibility so we stopped at Cracker barrel (my dad's favorite restaurant) and we ate there until the rain slowed a little and then got back on the road.
It seemed like as we got further and further South we kept driving under rain clouds, so it would rain for about five minutes like crazy, then stop for twenty minutes, then rainnnnn, then stop. Most of this I was asleep for. After being awake almost all night, except for a quick half hour power nap, I really needed this trip to catch up on my sleep. I have mountain dew to thank for my previously untapped energy, and that was some good ol' mountain dew.
My dad also drove most of the way, basically on mountain dew, so pretty soon I think I will have a sponsorship from them.
We stopped in Salem, IL for Subway and basically it was the biggest Subway I've ever seen. There were at least 25 people eating there and I had my first big hair sighting! Then I drove for an hour and slept for basically the rest of the trip.
At around 6 we arrived in Memphis. I've never been to Kentucky or Memphis and it really is a unique place. Most of the ribs places were closed on Sundays, so we had to miss the must recommended Rondevou BBQ, maybe I will stop there on the way home. Instead we went to some place on Beil Street. Until we got to Beil Street I saw Memphis as a very low key quiet town. Then we got to Beil. This is where everyone comes to drink and listen to music at least I gathered. Memphis is a very interesting place in that without the soundtrack of the city, it would be a very very different city. The music adds so much to the place. I had a phenomenal half slab of ribs in a restaurant with a slanted floor.
At the restaurant my parents laid down some rules for which I thought I would share, since you are following my journey and my rules and regulations, issued by City Year, or by my parents, are sure to be a crucial part of my journey. I scribbled them on a napkin in orange pen, so y'all are getting the fancy cleaned up version:
1. Don't take the car to Mexico.
2. In fact, do not go to Mexico, you will disappear and never be found.
3. No extended road trips.
4. When sharing spaces, be sensitive to others needs.
5. Don't be the dirty one.
6. Eat something green everyday.
7. If you're in a situation when you're in doubt, ask what would your parents do?
8. Don't be alone, ever.
Now we're watching Limitless before we crash on the house. Then 12 more hours to San An. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Daily Hero: Mt. Dew. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten to Memphis and I would have crashed at about 9 pm last night, instead of making it til 5 am.
I was seen off by some amazing folks who I have been thinking about and missing all day. When folks were getting a little teary eyed my mom said "Come on guys, wrap it up, tough it out, you'll see each other again", so I decided to title this post with her in mind.
We took off at 7ish and I almost immediately fell asleep in my little cave, surrounded by pillows and all of my other stuff. When I woke up it was pouring rain with very little visibility so we stopped at Cracker barrel (my dad's favorite restaurant) and we ate there until the rain slowed a little and then got back on the road.
It seemed like as we got further and further South we kept driving under rain clouds, so it would rain for about five minutes like crazy, then stop for twenty minutes, then rainnnnn, then stop. Most of this I was asleep for. After being awake almost all night, except for a quick half hour power nap, I really needed this trip to catch up on my sleep. I have mountain dew to thank for my previously untapped energy, and that was some good ol' mountain dew.
My dad also drove most of the way, basically on mountain dew, so pretty soon I think I will have a sponsorship from them.
We stopped in Salem, IL for Subway and basically it was the biggest Subway I've ever seen. There were at least 25 people eating there and I had my first big hair sighting! Then I drove for an hour and slept for basically the rest of the trip.
At around 6 we arrived in Memphis. I've never been to Kentucky or Memphis and it really is a unique place. Most of the ribs places were closed on Sundays, so we had to miss the must recommended Rondevou BBQ, maybe I will stop there on the way home. Instead we went to some place on Beil Street. Until we got to Beil Street I saw Memphis as a very low key quiet town. Then we got to Beil. This is where everyone comes to drink and listen to music at least I gathered. Memphis is a very interesting place in that without the soundtrack of the city, it would be a very very different city. The music adds so much to the place. I had a phenomenal half slab of ribs in a restaurant with a slanted floor.
At the restaurant my parents laid down some rules for which I thought I would share, since you are following my journey and my rules and regulations, issued by City Year, or by my parents, are sure to be a crucial part of my journey. I scribbled them on a napkin in orange pen, so y'all are getting the fancy cleaned up version:
1. Don't take the car to Mexico.
2. In fact, do not go to Mexico, you will disappear and never be found.
3. No extended road trips.
4. When sharing spaces, be sensitive to others needs.
5. Don't be the dirty one.
6. Eat something green everyday.
7. If you're in a situation when you're in doubt, ask what would your parents do?
8. Don't be alone, ever.
Now we're watching Limitless before we crash on the house. Then 12 more hours to San An. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Daily Hero: Mt. Dew. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten to Memphis and I would have crashed at about 9 pm last night, instead of making it til 5 am.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Night Before
Hello Readers, Family, Friends, Strangers and Acquaintances,
So I'm leaving in about 13 hours to start my trek to San Antonio, so I figured this would be as good as a time as any to start my story. I guess I need sort of an introduction to what I am doing, so here goes.
City Year is a program which is part of Americorps. People ages 17-24 serve in an inner city across America as role models, student mentors, and run after school programs. I heard of City Year in mid April through a job shadow day and applied to serve where most needed. For some reason unknown to me, that place was San Antonio. But everything happens for a reason I guess.
My parents and I are driving 20 hours in my baby Herman, which is now packed with everything I deem necessary for a year of my life. It is surprisingly little and surprisingly a lot. Who knows how much I will actually return with or how much I will actually use.
I am currently facing the crisis of most 18 year old individuals in America, or in the world (wherever 18 is the legal age of independence (even if it's not the mental age)) at this time, leaving home and setting off on some new strange adventure. I'm sure most of my fears are the same as theirs. I envision many a night sobbing in my bunk bed blasting the Evanston song. Hopefully, that vision will not come true and I will not be homesick at all, as my track record would indicate, but my mass amounts of nostalgia are pointing me to believe in a different direction.
I hope that future blog posts will be more interesting, but basically if I were to extend this any longer you might learn just how stressed I am about leaving home, my friends and everything I know to embark, and that's just not as fun. Everyone has to leave home at some point, and this is my some point I guess. Even if it is a month earlier than anyone else.
I close with a daily hero, I'm not sure if this will continue but I think it is good to acknowledge the people that help us get over all of life's little speed bumps.
Hero of the Day: Jon and Issac who assured me that Herman was not broken and could safely transport me and all of my stuff to San Antonio
So I'm leaving in about 13 hours to start my trek to San Antonio, so I figured this would be as good as a time as any to start my story. I guess I need sort of an introduction to what I am doing, so here goes.
City Year is a program which is part of Americorps. People ages 17-24 serve in an inner city across America as role models, student mentors, and run after school programs. I heard of City Year in mid April through a job shadow day and applied to serve where most needed. For some reason unknown to me, that place was San Antonio. But everything happens for a reason I guess.
My parents and I are driving 20 hours in my baby Herman, which is now packed with everything I deem necessary for a year of my life. It is surprisingly little and surprisingly a lot. Who knows how much I will actually return with or how much I will actually use.
I am currently facing the crisis of most 18 year old individuals in America, or in the world (wherever 18 is the legal age of independence (even if it's not the mental age)) at this time, leaving home and setting off on some new strange adventure. I'm sure most of my fears are the same as theirs. I envision many a night sobbing in my bunk bed blasting the Evanston song. Hopefully, that vision will not come true and I will not be homesick at all, as my track record would indicate, but my mass amounts of nostalgia are pointing me to believe in a different direction.
I hope that future blog posts will be more interesting, but basically if I were to extend this any longer you might learn just how stressed I am about leaving home, my friends and everything I know to embark, and that's just not as fun. Everyone has to leave home at some point, and this is my some point I guess. Even if it is a month earlier than anyone else.
I close with a daily hero, I'm not sure if this will continue but I think it is good to acknowledge the people that help us get over all of life's little speed bumps.
Hero of the Day: Jon and Issac who assured me that Herman was not broken and could safely transport me and all of my stuff to San Antonio
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