The Start of the Program

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By: Ariana London

I am very excited to be starting my year of service with the SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps. We are beginning the year with 5 months of education service and ending with 5 months of conservation work. The transition to living at Hawley has been interesting to say the least. I have never lived with more than 4 people at one time. So, living with 17 other people has been a new challenge. Now that we are 3 weeks into the program, I have realized that living in a large community can be a lot of fun. At any given moment, you are surrounded by friends – people that are willing to listen to your problems or give advice. There is always someone to laugh or play games with. However, this also makes it difficult to find alone time. There is a very real fear of missing out on all the fun that is going on. Additionally, there can be conflicts but we are learning to work together to solve them.

I am happy with my decision to spend this year doing service with the SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps Program. I am excited to find out my education placement next week and begin teaching in schools. I am looking forward to giving back and making a positive change in the community!