Catching Up

Hello friends, family and anyone else who has stumbled into this blog.

I haven't posted in a while in part because so much has happened. Blogable events and insights have piled up so fast that anything said here will not adequately describe the wonderful but exhausting experience I am going through. I have dreaded a detailed post, so I'll keep it short and sweet.

I have currently completed one full week of Basic Training Academy (BTA) and am nearly halfway through my second week. Tomorrow we leave for our Basic Training Retreat (BTR) at Camp Wing which consists of three days of team bonding, ropes courses, workshops, physical training and fun activities. Since my last post I have attended grueling workshops on team building, leadership, classroom management, social entrepreneurship and more. I have already been placed on my team that I will be with for the rest of the year. More on that later.

I just wanted to get this post in before I head off to camp tomorrow. I hope to have a set time that I post once per week, but I am still getting used to my schedule here in Boston. My computer has finally arrived from home, so sometime after BTR expect this blog to have a few pictures in it, even some of the older posts. If you are friends with me on Facebook, expect a lot of pictures.

Though I cannot convey the whole of CY BTA in this short post, I hope this anagram acts as a random cross section of my experience.

Cirlce up in your group each morning for readiness checks.
Idealism is the vehicle of your success, power is the fuel.
T-Passes haven't come yet due to MBTA budget constraints.
You get out of this experience what you will put into it.

Your year of service is actually 10 months.
Eat out at Stuart Street Grill. They take food stamps!
Acronyms are hard to keep straight sometimes.
Remeber that at the end of the day it's not about you.

Boston's always ready.
On time is late, early is on time, and late is unacceptable.
Success includes, people, processes and results.
Teamwork is essential, even when you hate your teammates come winter.
Orange Line is a bit seedy, but it's less confusing than that hoighty-toighty Green Line.
No talking about City Year at home after 8:00 p.m.

In service,

Reese