Going to Green River

Those of you who have talked to me recently know that for awhile now whenever asked "what's next?" I've been vaguely saying "I'm planning to volunteer with AmeriCorp for a year".  Well, things just got a little more concrete.  

I finished applying for a few different positions on a Monday night... the same Monday night I was in the midst of moving out of my apartment and temporarily into my sister's.  The next day, I received emails about a couple of phone interviews and a missed call/voicemail from a man in Green River, Utah.  The position in this small desert town was basically building the capacity of their existing food pantry and expanding into more community gardening, meals, possibly cooking/nutrition education, etc.  

Great, right?  But the coordinator, Justin, said that if I was interested in the position, I had to interview that day because they were at the end of their allotted VISTA recruitment period.  The keys to my apartment were due at 5:00 and I still had a lot of cleaning to do, so that news was a little stressful.  Luckily for time differences, I had my interview at 6:00 pm our time.  About an hour after we finished 25 of probably the hardest questions I've ever answered (including doosies like "who are you?", and "describe your life philosophy in 7 words"), I received a call and was offered the position.  I also needed to decide if I wanted the position in less than 48 hours.  Long story short, after much (quick) deliberation and a couple of interviews at other locations, I chose to go to Green River.   

If you kept track, the whole thing was done about 50 hours after I applied.  I wouldn't recommend making all life decisions in that time span, but I suppose it was nice to have these things move quickly for a change.

Now for some fun facts about Green River, Utah:

1.  The town's population is a little less than 1000.
2.  It receives about 7 inches of rain per year.
3.  I think the closest town with a Walmart is 60 minutes away.  
4.  It is the last town on I-70 before a 110 mile stretch of no services, hence the town largely runs off of hospitality, some tourism, and...
5.  Melon farming.  Apparently they grow world class melons in Green River, and they have a festival called "Melon Days".
6.  It is surrounded by some incredible and strange landscapes and national parks.
7.  Green River sits on the banks of the Green River.  What?  Whoa.  
^number 7 gives me hope that I won't wither away from green withdrawals  

That little spec right there is Green River.

So, what is AmeriCorp VISTA, and why am I doing it?

Whenever I explain AmeriCorp to someone who hasn't heard of it, I usually say "It's like a domestic Peace Corp".  And I think that's the best way to understand it.  It's a national, government-funded service organization that partners with local non-profits, schools, community and faith-based groups, and the like.  VISTA was started as an anti-poverty program by President Kennedy and was later incorporated into the family of AmeriCorp programs.  While VISTA focuses on service through capacity building, AmeriCorp NCCC and FEMA Corps engage in more direct service and disaster relief.      

I think I've always had this vague idea that I wanted to improve people's lives through food and nutrition, but after an internship last summer I began to question whether that could happen in the product development role I had imagined for myself post-graduation.  As I explored other government, NGO, and non-profit options (this obviously drove my trip to Uganda as well), I came across AmeriCorp and felt like it was a really good way to see anti-hunger and nutrition programs in action in the US.  I'll get the chance to serve a community, and I think I'll learn a lot.  If you're curious, VISTA volunteers are given a living stipend equivalent to the poverty line in our area of service, so we're not working for nothing.  Just very little.  That in itself will be a great learning experience (and not so different from college).       

And why middle-of-nowhere Utah?

Well, the short answer would be: Why not?  I like adventures, and apparently I like places that start with "U".

Really, I can't say that moving to the desert was my first choice.  I pictured myself in a picturesque town in Maine, or maybe in a trendy city in Washington.   I certainly tried to make as logical of a decision as I could, which involved asking Justin, the coordinator, a series of ridiculous questions that he kindly answered.  I even called him at one point to tell him I wasn't taking the position, but after telling him that I just asked him a bunch more questions and asked for more time to decide.  It was like I couldn't let go of it.  At the end, I chose this position over others that were more logical in some ways because... for lack of a better explanation... it felt right.  I understand and appreciate the simple life because that's how I grew up, and I'm excited to become a part of a small community.  I like the fact that a small town will allow me to get involved in different aspects of community life.  Most importantly, I'm excited about the position.  It will be challenging, I'm sure, because this is all pretty new, and I love a challenge.  It also allows me the flexibility to be creative and make things happen that I think will benefit people, in addition to learning more about a non-profit.  

All in all, I'm pretty excited.  I'll miss my family and friends, of course, but I can't wait to begin this next phase.  And seriously, start planning your trips out west because all visitors will be welcome.