Teams today, training tomorrow!

So not having wireless in our dorm room is a pain in the ass. The only place to get the wireless is in Palmer Hall which is across the way from me so it's not too bad.

This week has been hard for me, since I'm new to the dorm life and have really had to step out of my comfort zone.

My week here before with Jason was amazing. We had such a fantastic time just driving around and seeing the countryside. We went down to Des Moines on Monday, then drove into Vinton that night to enjoy some relaxing last nights together before Wed. He helped me check in and get my stuff moved into my rooms and then, sadly, he had to drive back to Cedar Rapids alone :(. That first night was extremely hard for me. I won't bother you with the details, but I was terribly homesick. It all just hit me that I would be here, without my family and friends, for 10-months. What was worse is realizing that my next opportunity to really go home isn't until about July. So the first night was really hard.

The next day we had nothing but lectures on policies and general information all day in the Auditorium. And by all day, I mean, ALL DAY! As the day's go on, it gets easier and easier, in a manner of speaking. It still saddens me to be away from everything and everyone I love. However, meeting more and more people have made it easier for me. I've met some awesome people so far and I am starting to feel more and more comfortable about being here.

Last night we got the chance to go into Cedar Rapids and a few friends and I made it to the Target. Talk about enjoying the little things! We were so happy to be in a town of more like a thousand people! Don't get me wrong, Vinton is adorable. This town looks like it's stuck in the '50s. It's awesome. They have the local bars, which we prefer Mickeys (the local dive bar with great people), they have a 2 dollar movie theater (with 3-4 dollar 3D movies), a nice grocery store, and ALCO! ALCO is a saving grace. It has every random item and it is right across the street from campus. Its been so cold that we can only really balls up to walk there.

The other night we decided to walk to Mickeys Bar which is about 10-minutes from Campus. What a bad idea that was. The bar was great and pizza hut afterwards was great, but the walk to and, especially from, was the worst! It was about 10 degrees outside that night. It was starting to snow while we were walking there. I've completely under-estimated the degree of cold here. Yesterday was a high of 8 degrees! WHAT! I'm from San Diego. We don't experience that kind of cold! Tomorrow we are supposed to get 1 to 2 inches of snow all day. I'm hoping for more. I can't wait to see it snow a good amount!

It's strange being so far away. This whole month is nothing but training. We have so many organizations coming to do presentations with us. We are also getting certified in many things, which is ALWAYS a plus.

Today we learn who are official team is for the rest of the 10-months of service. These are the people that will be my surrogate family for the rest of this term. I'm hoping that at least one of the people I've come to call my friends will be in my team, although I'm obviously not opposed to meeting new people, clearly.

Well, hopefully I will have pictures to post next time I get on here. It's been really hard to find time to make it over to the computer lab these past few days. Luckily we had a free day today until 5. Well, until the next post!