Red Crossed Out

Well, it's my last day as a VISTA for the American Red Cross of West Alabama, so I thought I'd do a compilation list of things I learned during my year here.

1. Don't expect someone to tell you how to do your job. While it would be nice to have a supervisor get you started on the right track, it's not always going to happen. Sometimes you'll just be handed a bag of keys and get told to find out where they go because your supervisor got fired and no one knows what to do with you.

2. Things change quickly. In the time that I have been here so many volunteers and staff members have cycled out or moved on. This is where I wish I had a compilation video of all of them smiling with some dramatic music in the background while we all reminisce.

3. If you don't like something, fix it. If you live with a cracked out, high, wasted twenty-eight year old ex-marine, then find somewhere else to live. Don't endure months of stolen food, forgotten vibrators, and loud but thankfully short sex acts.

4. Have more than one thing to do with your life. Even if you love your job, you've got to find something else to do with your time or you will get worn out. So whether it's a healthy competitive addiction to trivia or a weekly voice lesson, have something that gets you out of a work mindset. Just avoid getting in the middle of fights at Waffle House unless you want to be a background youtube sensation.

5. Working for a nonprofit is hard. It's not a nine to five desk job. You have to work nights and weekends and sometimes at a moment's notice. Even if you complain, you know it's what has to be done, so you do it regardless of any Volunteer Assignment Description or regional supervisor's sour face. Seriously, why won't she smile? It can also involve a lot of getting thrown under the bus.

6. Unfortunately, the only way to get things done the way you want them is to do them yourself or to be less anal about them. Waiting around for someone to fix the server or figure out why the lanyard people are continuing to call you from New Delhi isn't going to do any good. If a group is complaining about a health fair not getting planned, you might as well take on the project so that it happens. Even if it completely stresses you out, you do the work because you know it's needed. I am so proud of Brazos Abiertos and the help it brings to the Latin American community every year.

7. Post college friend creation is a difficult process even with living in a town full of people you know. I have noticed that the quality of my friendships have increased as the quantity has decreased. Who would have thought? Along with this, age and intelligence are not factors to be considered in making friends. This was something I had already picked up on a little bit, but nothing proved it more to me than my friendship with James.

8. Life is too ridiculous not to laugh. With my living situations and fire clients pretending to be kidnapped or using their money for parties at Surin, I would not have survived this year without a sense of humor and a coping mechanism of making memes. You also need people that you can talk to about cows being in trees, trying to find a non existent Birmingham office, Clara Barton wearing hot pants, getting the runaround, picking up ferns, and crazy ERV teachers.

9. I LOVE food especially when it's free. My weight gain can attest to that. I will eat anything, and it will not mess up my stomach. I also apparently love chicken more than anyone else and really need to give chitlins a chance.

10. I HATE DESK JOBS. In a year, I never developed a proper sleep schedule due to reading fanfiction and watching episodes upon episodes of television shows. I am not meant to sit at a desk for hours and be up before 8 in the morning. My coworkers will agree that it generally takes me an hour or so to fully wake up, and even after that I'll fall asleep if I'm not doing something.

11. You can't do work like this without it's mark on you. Sometimes this is literally after you run into a trailer hitch, but luckily when you work at the Red Cross everyone is first aid trained your injuries are well taken care of.

12. Working at poverty level is one of those character building experiences. In this year, I have personally worked with close to sixty families who have been affected by single family house fires and a larger number who were affected in the Centrepoint tornado. These experiences have reminded me what things are important, so it's hopefully limited my complaining about money issues and led to me being even less materialistic.

13. Life is all about relationships regardless of their length. I have gleaned so much from month long friendships with community service volunteers that I hope to see again as well as from people I have known all year. None of these people are very similar to me. Military veterans, Montanans, former gospel singers, senior college students, random people at improv shows who end up being your stage manager, sassy special needs adults, family caregivers, old volunteers who make blunts out of pipe cleaners, and ambien lovers have made my family this year.

14. Give back to what's important to you. For me that was my beautiful hometown of Tuscaloosa. When I left after senior year came to an abrupt end because of the tornado, I felt terrible even worse when I went to Phil Campbell and saw my grandmother and aunt's destroyed homes. This year has allowed me the opportunity to see my city get back on its feet, and I got to help in that process. It also made me not be Tuscaloosa centric. There are eight counties I now call my own, and I care deeply about the plights of each of them. Find what's important to you and help make it better.

That's all I have for now. Maybe I'll expand on it later, but I've got some free food to eat in a little bit. Thank you for reading and being a part of this experience. I can't wait to share the next ones with you!