The first 8 days of GSV has been really overwhelming, in ways both good and less desirable.
Orientation was one looong week in rural Jersey (who knew?) where I met all the other volunteers. There are about 30 of us, mostly in NYC but some in Jersey and abroad. We spent most of the time going over the history of the organization and the four tenets of the program (simplicity, social justice, spirituality, and community, in no particular order). We had a lot of large and small group conversations about what those topics mean to GSV, to us, and to each other. It was very interesting to learn so much about the other volunteers, and to be able to speak about the concepts both theoretically and practically. I especially found the spirituality discussions to be interesting, since I had been so resistant to them in the beginning. At the end of the week that I had gained an appreciation and understanding of all of the different things spirituality can mean, and ways in which I’m interested in incorporating it into my life. It’s definitely going to be a long and slow road to get anywhere solid in that area, but I really enjoyed the initial conversations.
On Saturday we moved into our new place, which is top floor of a functional Catholic high school. The space is so large that my roommates and I ride scooters around the hallways! We found a few dead cockroaches (and then some alive ones today), and the space is very institutional looking and impersonal. With that being said we’re all really excited to make it as homey and our own as possible, and to make the most of the ridiculous amount of space we have. Oh, and did I mention the two porches and rooftop access with a view of the Manhattan skyline, or that I can see the Triborough (?) Bridge from my bedroom window?
Today was our first day of on-site orientation, and we were out from 8am-8pm. Long day. We were first briefed by Good Shepherd Services’ HR department, and given our first paychecks. If you calculate our earnings, we make $1.25/hour. Yikes! Talk about living simply. I won a game of Shepherdy and got a $5 Starbucks gift card, which was pretty cool. We filled out forms for health insurance and other boring things, and spoke to the Directors of one of the placements, a transitional housing organization for young-adult females who need life skills before leaving the foster care system for “the real world”. They were very informative and personable, and it sounds like a really great program. We left from there to my placement, Marian Hall, which is a very similar program and serves a younger population (12-19-ish). It is connected to a crisis center where the same girls can come to live if they can’t stay at home, and many girls travel from that program to mine. The staff at these programs were a little less personable and the space wasn’t big enough for a tour of our size, so I left there feeling disappointed and anxious.
We tour the other volunteer sites tomorrow and Wednesday, and our first day of work in Thursday. I’m anxious to see what I will be doing, and to have a conversation with my supervisor. My role is to be a good role model and support person for the girls, but I’m still foggy on specific duties. Tonight is our first spirituality night, and tomorrow will be our first community night. I’m really excited for this year, and for all of the opportunities and experiences I’ll be exposed to!
In other news, Dave is coming home tomorrow and I’m super excited, even though I won’t have much free time during the day =/.
Orientation was one looong week in rural Jersey (who knew?) where I met all the other volunteers. There are about 30 of us, mostly in NYC but some in Jersey and abroad. We spent most of the time going over the history of the organization and the four tenets of the program (simplicity, social justice, spirituality, and community, in no particular order). We had a lot of large and small group conversations about what those topics mean to GSV, to us, and to each other. It was very interesting to learn so much about the other volunteers, and to be able to speak about the concepts both theoretically and practically. I especially found the spirituality discussions to be interesting, since I had been so resistant to them in the beginning. At the end of the week that I had gained an appreciation and understanding of all of the different things spirituality can mean, and ways in which I’m interested in incorporating it into my life. It’s definitely going to be a long and slow road to get anywhere solid in that area, but I really enjoyed the initial conversations.
On Saturday we moved into our new place, which is top floor of a functional Catholic high school. The space is so large that my roommates and I ride scooters around the hallways! We found a few dead cockroaches (and then some alive ones today), and the space is very institutional looking and impersonal. With that being said we’re all really excited to make it as homey and our own as possible, and to make the most of the ridiculous amount of space we have. Oh, and did I mention the two porches and rooftop access with a view of the Manhattan skyline, or that I can see the Triborough (?) Bridge from my bedroom window?
Today was our first day of on-site orientation, and we were out from 8am-8pm. Long day. We were first briefed by Good Shepherd Services’ HR department, and given our first paychecks. If you calculate our earnings, we make $1.25/hour. Yikes! Talk about living simply. I won a game of Shepherdy and got a $5 Starbucks gift card, which was pretty cool. We filled out forms for health insurance and other boring things, and spoke to the Directors of one of the placements, a transitional housing organization for young-adult females who need life skills before leaving the foster care system for “the real world”. They were very informative and personable, and it sounds like a really great program. We left from there to my placement, Marian Hall, which is a very similar program and serves a younger population (12-19-ish). It is connected to a crisis center where the same girls can come to live if they can’t stay at home, and many girls travel from that program to mine. The staff at these programs were a little less personable and the space wasn’t big enough for a tour of our size, so I left there feeling disappointed and anxious.
We tour the other volunteer sites tomorrow and Wednesday, and our first day of work in Thursday. I’m anxious to see what I will be doing, and to have a conversation with my supervisor. My role is to be a good role model and support person for the girls, but I’m still foggy on specific duties. Tonight is our first spirituality night, and tomorrow will be our first community night. I’m really excited for this year, and for all of the opportunities and experiences I’ll be exposed to!
In other news, Dave is coming home tomorrow and I’m super excited, even though I won’t have much free time during the day =/.
