Community Service

For the past 4 weeks, we've had one day service projects about once a week. These consist of my team and usually a few others getting to the destination by about 7:30 and working until 3, with 45 minutes for lunch. So far, I've dug trenches (mentioned in a previous post), done odd jobs at a homeless kibbutz type place (community of homeless that work and live together in a sprinkle of cottages in downtown Sac), raked and weeded McKinley garden in downtown Sac, and cut back brush in another community park/garden. They've all been daunting in their own way. Let's discuss...

Since most days we wake up between 5:00 and 5:24 in the morning (depending on time required to get ready for PT), having a service day means that we get to wake up at 6:15 instead. A huge upgrade. At the sanme time, it lulls us (or me, at least) into thinking that I can stay up hours later than normal. So I've actually only been to 1 service day not tired and hungover (sorry mom). Glancing around at all the other groggy faces at breakfast allows me to conclude that everyone else is in the same boat (buying beers for them the previous night is another clue). Let me remind you we are all wearing our "made for a hurricane, earthquake, mudslide and volcanic eruption all at the same time", 45 pound combat boots, a pair of ill-fitting khaki cargo shorts with zippers replaced by buttons just to make peeing that little bit more difficult, our grey Americorps T-shirts tucked in, the bottom of which is hidden by a belt whose buckle is from the year 2025 that the government time-traveled back to us. We sloppily shove cereal into our mouths and pile into the van. The 20 minute van ride to the work site seems to take about 2 minutes instead. We get out, the project sponsor (the head maintenance person at the park or a community leader) briefs us on our task, and we get to work.

The hardest part is seizing up our task and realizing that we are always the ones to shovel the first dirt pile or whack the first weed. Usually nobody has touched the spot for what looks like years. We aren't exactly brought in for finishing touches. The first hour goes by soooooooo slowwwwwwwwwwllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Easily the hardest stage of the community service process, it's hard not to lean up against your tool after exerting a high level of effort and just look around at how many more times you will have to repeat the action. It's demoralizing. You're just starting to become conscious of where you are and how you got there and instead of relaxing you have to shovel, or rake, or weed. The first hour is the toughest hour.

But then progress becomes visible. Everyone gets encouraged. Chatter begins. It's so much more enjoyable raking while talking. Silence just exists to catch our breaths. Some people sing (I dislike this act, it makes me feel uncomfortable for some reason), some play word games such as 6 degrees of kevin bacon, and some just talk about whatever it is they feel like talking about. Before you know it, the place is starting to look pretty good. The next hardest step is the time between 10:00 to 11:00. The "infatuation phase" ends. Lunch is close, but your muscles are starting to get sore. People are starting to get bored with the activity. Someone groans that it's only 10 and people start muttering under their breaths. Somehow we push through and get to lunch. Which sounds so much grander than it actually is. Lunch is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, and a granola bar. Hello 5th grade, good to see you again.

Productivity takes a nose-dive post lunch. Everyones just too tired to continue efficiently. The same parts get done over and over again. Nobody wants to start a new task. The Team Leaders try their best to be encouraging, but in reality they are thinking the same way as us, they just get paid to do their job. Most of them are between 23 and 25 anyways, still young enough to not feel fully responsible. We finish up at 3:00, with renewed vigor and the relief that comes with knowing that we won't have to do this until at least next week.

Community service is funny because it sounds so sexy while in Americorps to be all gung ho about it, to accumulate as many Indedpendent Service Project (ISPs) hours as you can while still being trained. And then when you get there to serve, it's always just: Ugh. You can plan and plan and plan and it sounds like you're "getting things done", but then you have to go do it. And that part isn't nearly as fun. It's incorrect to assume that all of us in Americorps NCCC love to be on the front lines of the community service initiative. Don't get me wrong, they are here. And they do a great job. But the majority of people here like the concept of service, even if we don't like the act. That's why we applied and decided to come. We know we won't like it, but we've committed ourselves. There's no turning back. And that's why it's imperative that you get to know your team well. They remind you of your past and the other parts of your life besides Americorps NCCC and raking and shoevlling that have made you who you are at that instant. You're always telling them things about yourself that they didn't know, and vice versa. They keep things in perspective.

Coming soon: San Francisco weekend and Castro Street