Happy Thanksgiving Break!

It is so nice to finally have some downtime! Right now I'm sitting in the Cafe Earth coffeeshop in downtown Silverton (this is where we usually go to get internet when the internet in the house isn't working), sheltered from the endless rain that we are graced with here up in Oregon!

Thanksgiving yesterday was quite nice... a bunch of us drove into Salem for the afternoon and sat in a coffeeshop so we could use the internet. Everything--even McDonald's--was closed!! Understandably, I guess, haha.

After our afternoon at the coffeeshop we came back to our house, got ready for dinner, and then headed over to the Oregon Garden Resort for a complimentary Thanksgiving dinner buffet! Originally, the parents of one of the girls on my team had made reservations for us there (at $25 a person), but when the Resort found out we were going there for Thanksgiving dinner, they offered it to us on the house since we were doing work for the Garden. It was such a nice gesture!

Eight of us were at dinner last night because two people on the team went home for Thanksgiving. I envy their opportunity to be home and see family and friends for the holiday, but given the exorbitant cost of plane tickets, the relatively short four days of break we have, and the fact that in three weeks I'll be going home anyway, I decided to just hold off and wait until Christmas break to go home. Two of the women on my team went over to Salem, rented a car, and are headed up to Seattle for the next few days. They'll be living on somebody's couch using this website whose name eludes me (it's a website where if you are travelling, you can connect with people who wouldn't mind hosting you at their house and showing you around). So right now it's six of us here in Silverton, and two of us (me and Dan) are here in the coffeeshop. Three at at the house, and one is at the house of an elderly lady he met last weekend, who invited him over for dinner at her house tonight.

This weekend should be pretty great. It will be filled with movie watching, book reading, hanging out, eating, and the occasional work session. Right now I gotta go though... Dan and I are headed to the Resort to check to see if we have any mail, and then we need to find a place to get the left windshield wiper of our 15-passenger van fixed... it isn't working, so if it rains (which it does OFTEN here in Oregon), we can't see through the windshield!

Okay, I'm out. Hopefully will be back later to write more and post pictures. We'll see if the internet in the house is feeling like working tonight, haha.

Stinky Stuff!

Because we're working with manure!! It smells pretty nasty, and unfortunately, because it is raining and because we are shoveling it and planting things in it, it gets all over us! Yuck!!

Actually, we just finished our manure project, and that is definitely a good thing. It was pretty smelly, haha. We had to transplant grasses which were at the bottom of a hill and spread them throughout the entire side of the hill by splitting them in half, digging up the back half, carrying them to a hole (which we had previous dug in the ground), putting them in the hole, and then covering up the plant roots with manure and dirt. We did this for about 450 plants. And add in the fact that it was rainy, cold, and slippery (because of the copious amounts of mud that develop when it rains), it was quite an adventure! Haha.

The work at the Garden is pretty tiring (and dirty, and wet, and cold!), and now that we are embarking on our third week of work here, we are definitely starting to feel a little bit on edge. As always happens with teams, some disagreements and frustrations will arise, and that time is now for us. Some people feel like they are working harder than others. Some people feel that others are not being considerate. Some people are doing their chores while others are not. Etc, etc, etc. And as the Team Leader, it is my lovely job to get that all sorted out.

I really love being the Team Leader, though, and I am not really worried about the team. According to Tuckman's Model of Group Formation/Dynamics (not sure which it is, haha), every team goes through five stages:

Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Adjourning

Right now we're hitting the Storming phase, and to get over this hill we need to communicate, sort out conflicts, and the like. As the Team Leader, it is my responsibility to make sure the team is running smoothly, everyone is having a good experience, and that the work is getting done. It's really interesting, actually, because the people on my team are so different and have pretty different backgrounds.

The breakdown in age goes as follows:

18: 1
19: 0 (he just turned 20)
20: 2
21: 1
22: 2
23: 2
24: 2 (including me)

So as there is a huge amount of development, growth and maturity that happens between 18 to 24, people don't always see eye to eye. But the idea is that people communicate with each other so that misunderstandings don't happen. However, when THAT doesn't happen that's where I come in!

I've had lots of talks with people on my team and have helped people see the other side of whatever issue they are having with other people on the team, and I think it's been pretty useful, actually. It's been quite a learning experience for me, too.

I also have learned that while I don't get stressed out every easily, when I do get stressed out, it is NOT a good situation! Haha. When stressed, I definitely don't manage my nonverbal communication very well, I don't think clearly, and I don't work with other people nearly as well! That's an area I need to work on. Luckily, I very rarely get stressed (only when everyone else around me is really stressed about something that concerns me), so it's not an overwhelming challenge.

...

As for what we've actually been doing though! Last week, we worked in the Amazing Water Garden (which has a bunch of reflecting pools... it's quite pretty) removing unwanted brush on top of a stone wall and then tilling the soil so that it can be planted with new plants. We also spent a good portion of the week working on what the horticulturists at the Garden call "ATM Hill." It's the hill where we've been digging holes and transplanting grasses. Really, really tiring work! Other than that, we bent wire hangers into staples to use to hold burlap coffee bags in the ground (it will serve as a weed liner on a hill near the front of the Garden), worked the burn pile (making a big fire into which we threw unwanted brush), used hedge trimmers to cut spirea bushes around the Garden's Wetlands area, drove Gators to and from the burn pile... and lots of other cool stuff!

For now though the coffee shop where I am at is closing, so I think it's time to go! I'll finish this post and add pictures later! Or maybe I'll just write a new post. But for now, toodles!

Week 2 at the Oregon Garden!

Well, we are almost finished with work week number 2 at the Oregon Garden! Fun stuff. Stuff we've done this week included:

- Clearing blackberry bushes (they are vicious!) and using the string trimmer to clear brush on a hill near the front of the Garden

- Creating a burn pile near the back of the Garden and throwing brush cleared from other parts of the Garden into the fire

- Using hedge trimmers (one looks like a chainsaw and the other looks like a lance) to level and trim spirea bushes around the Wetlands area of the Garden

- Cutting and bending wire hangers into staple form for later use in stapling burlap coffee bags into the ground (to serve as an anti-weed liner)

- Raking all of the trimmings from the hedge trimmers onto the path and taking them down to the burn pile in Gators

- Transplanting native grasses from one area of ATM Hill next to the visitor's center to other areas of the hill (smelly, smelly stuff since this involved using manure as fertilizer... oh and it was absolutely exhausting cause it involves exorbitant amounts of digging!)

We've been doing a nice variety of work, and it's cool because we get to cycle people through different jobs so no one gets bored or tired. And being the Team Leader is a lot of fun because I get to work all the different jobs and check in with folks to see how they are doing. Our work also provides me with lots  of time to chat with everyone on my team and learn more about them as people. Recently, actually, we have been joking about all of our idiosyncrasies. It's funny because a lot of us are starting to pick up on other people's habits and then take them on as our own. Funny how that happens when you're spending a lot of time with other people.

Good stuff!

Portland (this past Saturday)

Well our first week here in Oregon was pretty great. Despite the fact that for all but one of us, this is our first time in Oregon, we are really loving it here! The town of Silverton has definitely grown on us, and it's weird to think that we've only been here for a week and a half... it feels like it's been much longer than that!

This past Saturday we went to Portland to check out a city that many of us had heard many great things about but to which we had never been. We got brunch at this place called the Daily Cafe and then headed over to Saturday Market to do some local shopping for trinkets and souvenirs. I took a little detour however and spent some time over at the REI, where I quickly found some waterproof gloves (the primary reason I went there) but subsequently spent an hour trying on different waterproof jackets. I found this really sweet jacket (the REI Shuksan) that I was seriously considering purchasing but ended up leaving at the store because it cost $300, and I didn't (and still don't) need a jacket enough to qualify such an expense!

In Portland we also spent a considerable amount of time at Powell's World of Books, perhaps the largest bookstore in the country (or so they claim). You could spend a week in there and there would still be areas you'd never see! Luckily, the areas of the bookstore that I tend to inhabit--psychology, self-help, and Eastern Religions--were all together, so I didn't need to go through the store in search of other areas of interest of mine.

One thing I like about Powell's is that they sell new AND used books, which is awesome because all of the books I ended up buying were used and cost considerably less than they would have if I had bought them new. For example, I bought a hardcover book called "In Praise of Slowness" that when new costs $25 but at Powell's I purchased it for $7. Pretty sweet deal. The other books I bought were "The Art of Friendship," "The Art of Conversation," "FISH! For Life," and "The Paradox of Choice." Good, good stuff!

Afterwards we walked around the city just a little bit and then stopped by this place called Voodoo Doughnuts, where they sell these weird and exotic doughnuts of all different types, shapes and sizes. We got a few boxes for the whole team and enjoyed them on the way home.

We had dinner back in Silverton at the local bar, Mac's, and I ran into someone I had met in Silverton last weekend at the coffeeshop, and she introduced me to her friends, both of whom work at the local hospital. It was pretty funny, only because every time I go to Mac's (or the coffeeshop), I run into someone I met before and end up meeting someone new! I am feel pretty home in Silverton already!

So that was our day in Portland. Quite a bit different from Silverton, but a pretty cool place nonetheless. The team and I are thinking of heading up there again sometime after Thanksgiving, because then the Christmas lights will be up and we'll be able to explore other parts of the city that we didn't get a chance to explore this time around.

I'm loving Oregon!

Stuff I'm Learning in Oregon! (written Monday, November 8, 2010)

Today was our first day of work! It was pretty awesome but pretty challenging. Our task today was to construct a path leading from the Oregon Garden Resort down across a green lawn to the Axis Fountain (one of the fountains in the OG). It basically consisted of using shovels to shovel 4 inches of dirt along the future path, which is about 5-ish feet wide. Then we load the dirt up in to Gators (little 4-wheel drive trucks) and drive the Gators down to the dump pile. Once we get all the dirt out of there (we got about half of it done today) we’ll lay some cloth covering and then lay down woodchips for the actual path. We’ll do that tomorrow! Today was quite an adventure… here are some lessons I learned today:

Although it might not seem like a great idea when you think about it (or when you first wake up), waking up to do 5:45am PT is a blessing in disguise. It is hands down the best way to start the day!

8-hour workdays spent shoveling dirt around all day are long and exhausting! We only did half a day today and it was pretty brutal. But we are going to be so super strong by the end of this round, it will be awesome.

The work is much more enjoyable when you play games! We played this game where we pick a letter and then we go around the group and everyone has to name a movie starting with that letter and if you can’t name a movie then you’re out… so for example, we picked “M” and people went around with “Mulan,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Men in Black,” “Man with the Golden Gun,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Monty Python,” etc.

Weather in Oregon is unpredictable. Seriously, the only predictable thing about it is that it is unpredictable! It will be sunshine and blue skies and then twenty minutes later you are caught in a downpour. And then once you have scrambled for shelter and gotten all your raingear on, it’s sunny again. Funny stuff, seriously. As a general rule of thumb: always have your raingear with you. We learned this the hard way today!

The upside to the perpetual cloudiness and showers in Oregon is that when they finally clear you are treated with gorgeous rainbows. At least one awesome rainbow per day, I’d say!

As the Team Leader, managing work progress and effort is something I will be learning a lot about this year. It’s a tough balance to find between getting the work done and maintaining team morale… especially when everyone is working in the rain shoveling muddy dirt!

I need to eat constantly to sustain my energy levels… snacking on 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a day seems to be sufficient, haha.

The best way to get work done is to get work done and have fun at the same time!

Driving a Gator is a ton of fun. It’s like a little car with no seatbelts and even though you’re only going like 10 miles an hour it feels like you’re speeding!

The most effective way to dig a shovel into the ground is to stick it in and then jump on it. It’s a lot of fun, too!

Wearing wicking synthetic baselayers can be a lifesaver when you get caught in a downpour without your raingear on!

I really don’t mind being dirty. As long as I’m not the only one, haha.

Even days that are cold, wet and muddy can be a blast.

And it’s much easier to have fun doing tough work when you’re with other people!

Oregonians are some of the most friendly, likeable people I have ever met!

Welcome to Oregon! (written Sunday, November 7, 2010)

Hello from Oregon! It’s been a really long time since I posted an update… I was really afraid this was going to happen… so there are a lot of new things to talk about!

So in no particular order:

1. Yes, I’m in OREGON! It’s awesome here… I’m here with my Team, and we’re staying in this little town of 7000 called Silverton. It’s a pretty quaint little place. We love it here!

2. Also, I have a TEAM now! Last time I wrote, I was talking about my Pod, which was a pretty awesome bunch of 8 individuals. My Team has 10 people on it, so it’s a bit bigger than the Pod, but it’s definitely not any less awesome. The picture on the right? That's me and my team right after we built our team box (which we put in our van to hold supplies and stuff).

3.  After two months, we’re finally done with training! I know last time I posted, the Corps Members had just arrived, but we went through a whole month of training with them. I’m really glad to be done with training… it’s nice to not have to spend most of your day in a classroom, haha.

4.  Our first day of work is tomorrow, and we’re doing work at the Oregon Garden, a botanical garden in Silverton, OR. It’s an hour south of Portland. It’s looking like it will be a pretty awesome project!

5.  No longer are we living in the dorm-like buildings in Sacramento… now we’re living in a 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom (eek) house with a kitchen, dining/living room and den. There’s no internet here though, so I have to go to a coffee shop in town (only a 5 min drive) in order to get internet. Minor inconvenience aside, the coffee shop is awesome and I definitely don’t mind going!

I feel like there are a ton of other things to update about, but for now I think this will do. Let’s talk about the town of Silverton!

I was actually a bit apprehensive about living in Silverton at first, only because it is such a small town. There are 7000 people in Silverton, so after Sacramento, this place is TINY! There is one stoplight in town, I think… and when we went on a tour of Silverton our first day here, it took all of 10 minutes to walk around town haha. Coming here, I was pretty worried that there would be nothing to do and that we would be isolated and bored… but that doesn’t seem like it will be the case, which I’m very happy about.

Pretty much everything in Silverton is local and quaint, and it’s pretty awesome even if it’s really small, haha. We’ve eaten at a few restaurants here, and all of them have been pretty fantastic. We had brunch at this place in Silverton called O’Brien’s yesterday morning, and the pancakes were seriously so big that they covered the entire dinner plate they were served on!! The picture on the right is from our brunch there.

I think my favorite thing about Silverton though is the people. Everyone here is so incredibly friendly and easy to talk to. I have had at least two conversations with strangers here in Silverton that were over an hour. It’s awesome! There is this guy Monty who runs this Green store (about sustainability) that has a coffee shop in it (and wireless!) and he is just the most fun guy to talk to. When he talks to you he is always smiling (even his eyes), and it makes it hard for you to do anything but smile, too. People here are so friendly, it’s not to be friendly back. And they seem to love living in Oregon. Which makes it hard to not love spending time here!

So things are pretty awesome up/over here in Oregon. I’ll write more about the Oregon Garden tomorrow once we’ve had our first day of work (a picture of the Amazing Water Garden area of the OG is to the right). I am thinking it will be pretty sweet. I am really excited about this project!

And I’m really excited to work with my team. I think we’ll have a lot of challenges this year but so far I have been very impressed by the people who have stepped up to mentor and lead the rest of the group when they need to. As a Team Leader, my goal is to make sure everyone on my Team is being pushed and is growing and getting as much out of the experience as they can, and that can be a tough responsibility. But so far I’ve been loving being a Field Team Leader, and I am VERY much looking forward to growing and improving my Team and myself these next 9 months!