city year for kids aka winter break aka camp

alright, so the last week was CYFK -- the spring break we don't have as a corps because we are putting on a winter break vacation camp for kids at four sites around boston.

my team got placed at a largely spanish-speaking site, which was a blessing for me because i was beginning to feel useless at city year. not to say that i don't contribute in other projects, but i felt that my impact with children was no longer existent. i'm glad i got placed at that site because i got to use my skills that i am most proud of (making lessons entertaining, speaking spanish)... the lesson part came from city year and the spanish part has to do with my background.

i miss the spanish at this job, something that i hadn't realized would happen. in my previous work experiences, spanish was always something that was highly valued and utilized constantly. at city year, sometimes i translate applications, surveys or other documents but there is rarely an opportunity to speak. there are only a few corps members that speak spanish fluently, so for camp confirmations, i got tasked with making most of the spanish phone calls with 3 other people.

the theme at camp was superheroes, and we had superhero PT ready for the kids, which they definitely enjoyed once they realized everyone was going to look a fool doing it. i got to be a service activity leader with a fellow co-worker (nice to interact outside of my team) and we had a blast. our curriculum included recycling, planting seeds in cups, learning about plant parts, and brainstorming reduce/reuse/recycle ideas. the kids loved it for sure and the team leaders got involved because we asked them to and i think that it rounded out the experience for the kids. it was a service-learning curriculum, which made for an interesting interpretation from the rest of the corps... we usually think of service as painting, building stuff or landscaping.

internet & furniture

so one of my neighbors is apparently donating internet to the neighborhood. and by that i mean that he/she doesn't lock up his/her wireless so we can use it sometimes when the signal comes in, but only on martin's macbook.

so far, we have picked up more furniture in the street, a camping chair and some assorted kitchen supplies. one of our neighbors, a few blocks away, sold bradley a really sweet twin bed frame, mattress & boxspring with a trundle bed for $50 and then gave allegra a free table. so i think everyone right now has a mattress except for me. i really really want one, but it is so hard to get anything in this town without a car and lots of money. well, i would've paid 50 but the boys were working for each other and so i didnt even know bradley was getting a bed until the man called us back today.

my spanish on the other hand, is one of the most useful things. we got a deal on a sweet table the other day at a yard sale and allegra got a free frame for her mirror from the lady... spanish. holla. sometimes though, we walk down the street and i can't understand because i think the people are from the DR and that spanish is fast. faster than a tongue moving your mouth for regular spanish.

tomorrow is our first day of work, and i have to admit... i am kind of nervous. really nervous. i don't know what to expect, even though i've been living with these people, i dont know what the rest of the corps is like. although, i heard last year that with such a big corps you don't even really get to know everyone because all of the work you do is team based. i guess tomorrow is my first adventure in finding that out.