It has now been about a month and a half since AmeriCorps has ended. I've been meaning to write a new blog post to sum up my experience. I think writing one on the start of the new year is a good choice, because it's a New Year and a new beginning.
If I could choose one word to sum up my experience it would be unforgettable. As more and more time passes I keep having these cravings to be back there. To be surrounded by some of the greatest people I've ever met and probably will meet and to be a part of something huge. Before AmeriCorps I always hated the idea of wearing a logo or uniform to associate yourself with something, but this time I became very proud. I was proud to stand next to idealistic thinkers like myself who took advantage of the opportunity to live life to it's fullest. There were so many moments while I was in AmeriCorps where I stood back and thought, "this is the life!" Whether it was walking around New Orleans listening to jazz music fill the streets, dancing in Baltimore with strangers I will definitely never see again, having strangers tell me how remarkable me and my fellow AmeriCorps members were, hearing my teammates stories of how strangers told them that their smile radiates hope, working in the worst conditions and still being able to laugh about it, kayaking on a pond in Massachusetts, having a classroom of kids sing my name, or sharing my happiness with a wonderful guy while seeing some of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen. Despite it's challenges, it truly was one of the best experiences of my life so far.
More than anything I would love to apply for AmeriCorps again and go on more adventures and feed my idealistic mind, but I'm making it my New Year's Resolution to take my idealistic thoughts and put them into action outside of AmeriCorps. I can still have adventures and live in Southern California. They might not be quite as new, but there are plenty of sites to see here that I have yet to see. I want to be the traveler I was in AmeriCorps at home too. Unfortunately, I don't have the same plethora of people to choose from when it comes to travel or volunteer partners, but eventually someone is bound to join me. Until then I need to remember that it's OK to take risks alone, just like the risk I took when I joined AmeriCorps, flew across the country with only $200 in my bank account.
So even though AmeriCorps has ended, it has prepared me for a great new beginning.
