So I have now finished Day 2 of AmeriCorps Emergency Response Team (ERT) orientation and I would like to tell you about it! Many of you might know that I moved here with relatively few details about what I would be doing on the ERT, and will thusly be pleased that I now have relatively more details.
First, explaining the whole AmeriCorps STL crew is kind of difficult, as we do a number of different things: not only is there the ERT, but there is also the Education Team (two of my roommates are on it), as well as other state and VISTA programs (another roomie works with a nonprofit via AmeriCorps). Basically, what ties all of these together is the principle of "making sure that people don't get left behind" by society. The motto is "getting things done." I like the simplicity and directness of these objectives.
More specifically, I learned some basics about what the ERT does. We respond to natural and man-made disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and terrorist attacks (ERT went to New York after 9/11 and to New Orleans after Katrina, for example) by doing things like clearing trees and rubble, etc. To do that, I'll be chainsaw certified and learn how to work with and repair a bunch of different machinery/equipment. I will also be getting firefighter certified by the federal government to help control wildfires. In off-hours (ha), we do conservation work with national parks and so on. How much we're responding to disasters, doing conservation work, being trained, or on rotations out of town depends on time of year, weather patterns, etc.
So basically I am on call 24/7 (once I'm trained) to be sent anywhere. They say I will spend the majority of my service time outside of STL, which is kind of okay because ERT goes all over the country - there are some maps posted of past service sites, including places in California, New Mexico, and Montana, all the way up to New England and the Southeast, and everywhere in between. Many of these places will be fairly rural and will have (at best) sketchy cell phone reception and Internet. It sounds like we tend to sleep wherever we can find an empty floor - churches, YMCAs, and schools all seem to be possibilities, as well as a jail at one point.
As far as what the near future holds for me: the Education Team and ERT will be leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) morning for a Quest training (whatever that means; they won't tell us) in Illinois. All I know is that we have a very specific packing list for two separate bags (neither of which I have packed yet, of course). We are scheduled to return on Sunday, and then ERT will be heading out to training south of Butte, Montana I believe on Monday. I know even less about that training (not even an end date - all they told us was that we'd return to STL in mid- to late-October), but I guess we will find out the essentials (probably shortly) before we leave. I will probably be mostly out of contact during that period, so don't expect too much of this blog!
In other news, the people on the ERT seem pretty cool. I don't know anyone very well yet, but it's neat to think that everyone was selected for the team (as my boss, Quinn, reminded us today) for a very specific reason. I'm excited to find out what all those reasons are.
This is going to be quite an experience for me - it seems pretty intimidating now, but that usually means that great things are in store. I'm looking forward to learning skills that I wouldn't learn anywhere else (firefighting, anyone? Car repair?) and to having some experiences that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I think that this is the kind of thing that makes you a better person when you leave. Despite a looming shadow of uncertainty, I can't wait.
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Before I sign off, I hope I do get to spend some time in STL because of these cool facts I learned so far this week:
- When Obama visited STL, he ate at Pi Pizzeria (STL-style pizzas) and said that it was better than Chicago-style. It's true, AmeriCorps gave us all a slice on our first day of orientation and it was most excellent.
- STL was built upon a complex of natural caves, where early German brewers lagered their beer.
- Both Lewis and Clark lived in STL after their famous expedition in 1805.
- The first daily newspaper in the country was the St Louis Herald, founded in 1834.
- Four foods were popularized by the 1904 World's Fair in STL: hot dogs, hamburgers, iced tea, and ice cream cones.
- 7-Up was invented in STL.
- There are more free, world-class attractions in STL than in any other US city except for Washington, DC.
- The Wainwright Building in STL was the world's first skyscraper.
- Tower Grove Park (near my house) has a coyote named Gal living in it. Gal has a Facebook page.
- STL ranked as the second safest city from food borne illnesses out of 101 metropolitan areas by Men's Health magazine in February 2008.
Plus, this is the home of Anheuser-Busch and the largest Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans. Where can you go wrong?
xoxo Liz
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