Shuffle round!!

Hey all!

So we just finished up our "transition week"---which is the week in between rounds that we take care of tying up the loose ends from the previous round, and prepare for the next round. This upcoming 3rd round is "shuffle round", which means that we all get shuffled around with new teams and new team leaders. I didn't think it was going to bother me much, because I was kind of ready for some new faces. But today, as people were packing and cleaning their rooms, my original team (Earth 3)..somehow kept ending up together in one room. We are all so sad to leave each other! Luckily, it will make reuniting with each other for 4th round that much better. I'm also really excited about my new team leader! He is just sooo chill and laid back, he doesn't get too worried about things. I think he's going to be great to work with.

The past week was really nice, I got to spend time with my two closest friends who are not on my team...my roomate Riley and the girl across the hall Jess. The three of us are pretty much always together when we are able to be. I also really enjoyed seeing some other familiar faces that I hadn't seen in two months!! Of course there was the typical drama going around about all of the juicy stuff that happened over round 2, but that just adds to the fun :) And of course, myself and the other members of Earth 3 all kept managing to gravitate towards and find each other..it's so weird to explain, but when you spend so long with only those handful of people you just get so used to it! So anytime I couldn't find anyone or was bored I would just go in search of Caroline, or Katy, or Jeremiah..just anyone from Earth 3 really. It's pretty ironic how we talk about needing a break from each other, but end up going back to them anyways. What a cute little Amerifamily :)

So I got to thinking about all the nifty little skills I've learned while I've been here. Not the traditional things that you learn in Americorps like leadership, teambuilding, tool safety, yadda yadda..these are the cool things.

1. crocheting
2. hula hooping (like tricks and stuff!)
3. survival bracelets
4. FANCY friendship bracelets
5. belaying indoor rock climbers
6. cup stacking
7. chinese jump rope

I'm sure there's other things too..but that's a good start. I'm becoming such a well-rounded person here, haha. But really, it's so neat all the things you learn just by being around so many people!! I'm really starting to appreciate the diversity.....because even if we're all not "friends" with each other, we definitely have a kind of "in it together" attitude about everything, and that really gives you a sense of belonging.

Well tomorrow, I'm getting up bright and early for spike travel. But for me, that just means my team is traveling 9 miles down the road! The Marycrest Assisted Living Center is housing us though, so we won't be so isolated in our dorms!! I'm excited to see what this new adventure brings, and just eager to gain even more experiences :)

Abby