So yesterday was the big ceremony that we’ve been hearing about for so long now. It’s the official induction into our year of service and marks the end of our month of training. It was also, coincidentally, the coldest freaking day I’ve experienced so far up here. Weather in Seattle before this has been, so the locals tell me, unseasonably awesome. It’s been sunny and clear with just the gentlest touch of a chill. People have been flocking to the shores of the lake and wearing shorts and t-shirts, organizing Frisbee games and generally frolicking in the sun.
But apparently Seattle has just been trying to seduce me. It wanted to get me into a relationship that I couldn’t easily wriggle out of and then BAM! it hit me with the neurosis and estranged children.I huddled into my nice new red jacket and tried to smile at the cute little third grader who sang a song about how he has dreams and can be anything he wants (a song which, by the by, is now embedded within my cranium), listened to speeches and did crazy exercises in front of most of downtown Seattle while dodging the pouring rain.
I felt inspired, lots of people told us how awesome we were and pledged to do all the stuff that I had signed up for, but froze my toes off.
We then went, toe-less, to do our first big day of service. All 60 something of us red jacketed idealists took part in a bucket brigade where we moved 7 tons of gravel down a steep hillside to make a trail. And that’s not hyperbole either, that was the number confirmed by the park ranger who knew just how much gravel he had ordered in the first place. Unfortunately we got a little bored with just passing buckets from hand to hand and singing, so we started throwing the empties to each other to make it more interesting (screaming BUCKET! as we did so). This resulted in one of my roommates getting a bucket to the face and her going to the hospital to get stitches on her lip where it was busted open (to add insult to injury, she spent 8 hours there, someone died in the room with her, the car taking her home broke down and she locked herself out of her room).
But it was great having the entire corps together doing something, and finally getting a chance to get our boots dirty. Now on to Monday… I’m going to try not to worry about it.