The Science of Lauralogy

Week One of City Year Basic Training Academy (BTA) is over. The weekend would be ending its natural conclusion; however, for the second week in a row timing allows for an additional day to be mixed into what little is left of our free time here in Miami. After my last post, I feel the need to emphasize that I’m doing okay. I’m alright. Despite my little emotional setback, I don’t have anything to complain about. I’m still alive. I still have a house with good roommates. I still have friends and future friends. I’m still completely broke, but one day that won’t be such the case. (hopefully). I’m trying to eat and trying to sleep. Kinda failing at both, but  I feel alright. I’m taking everything day by day. I’m rife with excitement for the potential City Year promises. On that note, a brief breakdown of this week in Laura’s City Year.

After eight hours of registration, my first day of City Year broke for a three-day weekend. When we recovened on the following Tuesday (Sept 1), the entire Corps was together for the first time. We were assigned into teams of approximately 8 Corps members and one senior Corps member who acted as our leader for the next week. My team called ourselves the “Team Na, Na, Na” (in the vien of Mr. Will Smith’s “Getting Jiggy With It” not Steams’ “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”). For the next week, whenever the Corps broke into smaller groups, be it for Physical Training (PT) or ice breakers or our service project, these were the kids I was paired with. We talked about our reasons for coming to City Year and our reasons for wanting to serve, our goals and our pasts. When I wasn’t paired with them, we sat through workshops and whole Corps ice breakers/games. I feel I’ve met every Corps member this week. I know most names and definitely all faces. Half of them have either rode in Tobey or hung out at my house. I’m amazed at how quickly I’ve left behind my slow-to-warm shell in favor of diving in head first. It helps, of course, that I’m living in the biggest CY house with a whole slew of extroverts.

On that note, a brief-ish overview of my housing situation. I’m living with 5 other Corps members. Aside from some loudness issues, we all mesh really well. I’m once again amazed at how quickly we’ve become an urban family. I’ve yet to have to leave the house in order to cool/have some quiet Laura time and I don’t imagine this will be an actual issue throughout the next 10 months. During our first Community Meeting at BTA, Tommy stood during the Appreciations section and told the whole Corps how much he appreciates living in our house and how he’s amazed at how well we as a whole, despite coming from literally every corner of America and every background possible have made our situation work. No other house seems to share the bond we’ve got going now. Not to mention, we’re clearly the most attractive house in all of the Corps. So that’s something, too. Although apparently that doesn’t mean the youngest Corps member wants me. But really, I think he’s fronting on that issue. We’ll see. While I was originally gonna request that he be my bus buddy for BTR, now I will not. Perhaps for the return trip, but I doubt it. I’m kinda (trying to be) over him. Once again though, we’ll see. He does have god awful taste in music, so that’s something to ease the transition.

Back to City Year, all the passion is contagious. With every moment that I’ve spent in BTA (and even PT, if you can believe it), I’ve grown more excited to actually get into the school, to step into my red jacket for the first time. I know that I’m going to be walking around from this year, a better person and at least one school in Miami will be better off for my service year. So woo, go me. And Basic Training Retreat is gonna rock.