I got my first choice! I’m not sure exactly who my team members are going to be, but I know what team I’m on!
First though, the retreat was wacky fun, full of all of the goofball antics I expected out of it. They broke us into “crazy” teams named after early 90s sitcoms (mine was Fresh Prince of Belair) and had us compete in series of events to see who got the most points. My team came really close to winning and there is now probably footage of me singing “You Don’t Own Me” from the First Wives Club and giving a Billy Mays type infomercial regarding a traffic cone up on youtube… but thus is life. I went ahead and participated in a skit for the talent show (despite not really having any talents that go well with the stage) with another corps member and was surprised by how hilarious everyone seemed to think it was. Somehow our little skit hit just the right chords to make everyone laugh uproariously and it was a fun little feeling.
We also had a bit of a truth and dare late night in the cabins and went hiking through the woods. The path that we chose ended up being almost entirely overgrown with blackberry brambles and we had to beat our way through the thorns to the top but that only made the view at the end all the more precious.
But I’m going to be on GYBBIS! I know it seems strange that working with suspended middle schoolers was my first choice but I remember how awful middle school was for me. My eighth grade year was the worst in my entire life, bar none. I know that it’s a terrible time for most kids and if I can help someone else through this time in their lives than I’ll consider myself lucky. It’ll be tough… from what I hear GYBBIS kids are the only group of kids that City Year works with that doesn’t really like being around us (apparently in the elementary schools City Year tend to be hugged on arrival) and that most of the fights and problems that corps members have with students happen in GYBBIS. But I’ll also be able to run a magazine club, much like the ones I participated in in high school and college, and I think I’m kind of looking forward to the challenge. Even if it is hard that means I learn and grow more from the experience, right?
Of course, right now I’m on the porch outside my house typing while music plays and some roomies play with hula hoops and practice guitar on the lawn so I’m not particularly working hard. I seriously feel like I’m living in a frat house, but in a good way. There’s always something going on if I want to be part of the commotion, but I can also go upstairs and hang out in the kitchen on the second floor if I want some peace and quiet. It’s fun, although I can feel the drama welling up already. Random hookups and arguments are brewing. There’s a large portion of the crew that’s just out of high school. That means that this is their first big experience out of the house and some of them don’t really know how to function on their own. We’re contemplating having a bit of a “talk” with some of the members of the house… like explaining that dishes don’t clean themselves and, yes, showers are indeed necessary.
But it should work out. Touch wood.