New Orleans

So I am back in New Orleans for my last round of AmeriCorps. We are working with Emergency Communities. I don't really like this project because I don't think they are helping the community in the long run. They are helping them now which is something to be needed but they are not teaching the community how to function without them. I am just worried that the people in the community will have a really hard time when they leave. But I have only been here a week so. Man the living situation sucks. We are living in a gutted out church and with in that an army tent so there is no natural light at all. And not only am I living with all my roommates which I don't mind but I have other roommates that are these big rats and cockroaches. So in the church there is no running water so we have to walk across the street to Emergency Community Center to take a shower, drink water, or for a bathroom.

Easter Seals

The past six weeks I have been living in Des Moines, Iowa working for the Easter Seals at Camp Sunnyside (http://ia.easterseals.com). Camp Sunnyside has several camps running during the summer, they have a resident camp that is for children and adults with disabilities, a teen camp that is for teens with disabilities, and they also have a day camp for children with and without disabilities. I worked most of the time at the day camp because I loved seeing the children with and without disabilities interact. Most of the time you could never tell if a child had a disability. It was so much fun playing with the children all day and learning how to over come the challenges that comes with working with children with disabilities. The first few weeks I had my hair pulled, bit, hit, thrown in to the walls, and sat on by a child twice my size. But half way through the project I learned how to get myself out of that situation with the children and how to calm a child down before they get to the point of hitting. I have learned so much about disabilities and about myself while at this project. The children and adults taught me a lot and I hope I was able to return it.

This round I was with a different team Fire 7 and I had so much fun with all of them. They were all so much fun and we all seemed to get along. There was no drama which was really nice. I am going to miss this team.