FEMA Corps: Parent Trap

Day 21 - Monday (3), Another typical day with classes. We had a class today broken up into two parts. One was a member development class as an individual and Part 2 was still a member development class but about professionalism. So basically just going over the basics of being a professional when working. Shaking hands, making eye contact, and things of those manners.

After lunch, we attended our First Aid/CPR/AED training. It was a little bit boring for me because I took a course on the same info but more in detail a couple years back, but it was a good refresher for me. And my certification just expired so it was good for me to renew it again.

We got done about an hour early today so I took a 30 minute nap and waited for my parents to arrive. They arrived here about 7:30 pm. We went to dinner and chatted for a bit. They were tired so we didn't spend too much time together, but hopefully we'll see more of each other tomorrow.

Day 22 - Tuesday (4), The morning went by relatively smooth with our classes. The afternoon was a little more bumpy. We had to do security for FEMA. So we had our fingerprints scanned, took a picture for our badge, and to get our iPhone and laptop. Their Internet was not working/really slow so the badge process took a really long time. Normally I wouldn't mind, but my parents were in town and I wanted to spend the little time we had together with them. But we will definitely have to finish the FEMA part tomorrow since we were unable to complete it all today.

So I was unable to get my badge today due to Internet issues so I left and spent the night with my parents. I later found out that the rest of my team got their badges so it looks like I was the problem! So my name of 'problem child' still lives on. We also didn't get our iPhones and laptops today because we ran out of time so hopefully we will get those tomorrow!

After FEMA security, my parents and I went to dinner at Newks. It was a modern American restaurant with soups, salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. We each got our own salad and a small pizza to share. Both were very good! We then went back to their hotel and they brought me some movies I wanted from home and some medications for me. We then set up my Dad an Instagram account and taught him how to follow people and post pictures. You can follow both my parents on their Instagram! And mine is on the right sidebar of this page if you would like to follow me for updates. Then both of my parents got fascinated by the emojis on their phones and that's pretty much how the night went! :)

They drove me back to campus and I showed them the main campus building (Green Building) and my room. They met some of my teammates and friends from other teams. It was too dark to show them the whole campus, but they explored a bit earlier when I was still help up in security processing.

Day 23 - Wednesday (5), Mom and Dad took me out to breakfast today at the Waffle House near their hotel. We each ordered hash browns and shared a pecan waffle. They were both good! We, then drove to Shipley's Donuts and got a dozen for my team. My team loved it and but it made all the other teams jealous but of course I shared some! :)

Today was also induction day, which officially enrolls us in the program. It was about 1.5 hours, with quite a few speakers including one from our national director. There was cupcakes and punch afterwards. My parents got to meet more of my team and friends. My friends all told me later that they really enjoyed meeting my parents and that they were super nice, which I'm glad!

After induction, we went to this little place called the Tomato House for lunch. It was this really petite building off to the side of the highway. It was pretty full by the time we got there, but we squeezed in. There wasn't really any big ticket items to eat, but I got a grilled cheese with tomatoes and we order a few sides, such as fried green tomatoes, fried okra, yams, and some black eyed peas. The tomatoes on my sandwich and the friend green tomatoes were really good. Very juicy and fresh. And the rest of the sides were really delicious. In my opinion, it was a little expensive, but it was definitely worth it and I would totally eat there again.

I then returned back to campus to continue my FEMA security process. I was able to finally get my FEMA badge, my work laptop and iPhone. My FEMA badge picture looks really bad! Don't bother scrolling down; there is not a picture below! Nice try though! We had to keep our face straight (resting face) and it looks like I got arrested and my mugshot was just taken. It's not one of my more better ID pictures. We then spent a couple hours in a classroom setting up our electronic devices and our government issued emails.

After getting off work, I spent more time with my parents because they are leaving tomorrow morning :(. We went to an Italian place called Billy's for dinner. We ordered eggplant parmesan and a veggie pizza.

After dinner, they took me to the Riverfront Murals. The wall in which the murals are painted on is actually a flood wall in which it shows the deep history and the crucial roles in which Vicksburg played in the American society. It was really interesting to read all the placards and it felt odd to think that we were all standing on battlefield grounds where guns were fired, people sacrificed their lives for their side and what they believed was right, and a battle actually took place exactly where we stood. It was really crazy to think about all of that and the history. After the murals, we went down further to catch the sunset over the Mississippi River, which was beautiful!

Day 24 - Thursday (6), We started the day by eating at Cracker Barrel for breakfast today. I know! We do eat a lot! :) I got French toast, Dad got a parfait, and Mom got hash browns with biscuits and fried apples. The meal was better than Waffle House and the menu had a lot more options.

Mom and Dad dropped me back at campus and after we said our good byes, they started to make their way to New Orleans for their flight home. I really dislike saying good-byes and I already miss them a lot, but I know I'll see them again sometime soon.

Today work load was relatively easy. We had some background security forms to fill out online for the federal government and our specialty role write ups, which was a summary of our roles/responsibilities and our deadlines. It was pretty easy and I had majority of the day free and to myself.

We found out where we're going for our Round 1 Project! We're going to Austin, TX!!! Yay! But nothing is 100% permanent. Everything is based off what's for the best right now until the ultimate boss decides to shake things up, such as Mother Nature. Currently, there are other teams from different campuses stationed in Austin and four teams from our campus are also going. One of those teams is Summit 2! They live on the same floor as us and we're really close to them plus we work really well together! I think our Unit Leader saw that and decided to let us go together. Plus they're low on drivers and my team has a lot so we can help them drive to Austin. Both the Summit 1 and 2 TLs called a meeting with both teams together and tricked us into believing that we were going to different locations, but it was all one big surprise. Since we already hang out so much, we shipped our name together, Summit 12!

After that nice surprise, we had dinner and we went to Sonics for some milkshakes. I love ice cream and milkshakes! The night winded down with cleaning. We have inspections tomorrow so we had to clean our room and the hallway. So I tidied my room and then mopped the hallway floor.

It's getting late and we have a long day set ahead of us. We have PT in the morning, plus our ISP project. Plus the Atlantic Region campus, which is from Baltimore, is arriving at our campus to do FEMA Academy with us. They will be wearing long black pants while we get to wear the usual tan khakis pants or shorts. We do this to distinguish who's from who's campus. They will be living on campus with us and we will all deploy together on the same day to our different location for spike. Food will be catered, which may not be the best food, but we will get a nice break from cooking!

Day 25 - Friday (7), We had another ISP this morning. We drove to downtown Vicksburg and helped paint the trim around a house and paint the wood around the windows. It was a long, hot, sweaty four and a half hours of painting.

We got done early, around 2, so we headed back to campus and showered. It ate and then took a nap, which felt refreshing. After my nap, I went to the cafeteria to get dinner. Today's meal was spaghetti.

There was a talent show tonight help in our gym so Summit 12 (combination of Summit 1 and 2) and I went to watch some of our friends perform. They did really well along with the other performers. The show ranged from singing, telling jokes, playing instruments, dancing, and reading poems/writings. We have some really talented people in our class. The Baltimore group also attended our talent show, which was pretty cool!

Day 26 - Saturday (8), We had our first day of FEMA Academy today. It was another 8 hour class so it was a little difficult to keep focus and it was also a Saturday so everybody wanted to be out having fun, relaxing, and catching up on sleep!

We got off at 4:30 and chilled out in our room until dinner. After dinner, some friends and I took the 15 passenger van out for a spin. We made a few quick stops to Walmart, Little Caesars, and Sonics. I had a get a little something at Walmart real quick and I got a small malt from Sonics.

To close the night out, we watched a movie in the lounge. We got some mattresses out of our dorm rooms, blankets, and pillows and laid them together on the ground. There was quite a few people wanting to watch the movie so we all squeezed together. It was a good night with Summit 12!

Day 27 - Sunday (9), Got to sleep in today so that was really nice! Today was a really laid back day. Did some work on my computer and stayed in my pajamas for the day.

We also went to the Tomato Place and got a smoothie. I got a strawberry cherry one and it was really sweet, but also really good. We went to the cafeteria to get dinner and I brought that out to the soccer fields. There's a soccer tournament going on so we watched our TL team play against Baltimore. They lost but we still have two more teams from this campus still in the running. The championship game is tomorrow I think so I'm probably going out to watch that.

I spent part of my night in the Green Building uploading pictures and catching up on a few videos. Then I returned back to my dorm to FaceTime with my family. It was nice to chat with them especially that Corey came home and Jesse and Taylor also drove up from the bay area. So it was almost like a family reunion.

When I thought my night was just about done and I was just about to take a shower, I got a little surprise! A fire alarm went off! Yay! Good thing I wasn't in the middle of my shower because that would have been awkward if I went down to the pool house in a towel. This is our third fire alarm in less than a month and only one of them was an actual drill. I'm sure that the fire department has this location saved in their favorites in their Google Maps.

Before I leave for the night, I just wanted to give a huge shoutout and thank you to those that have sent me stuff! I personally want to thank Judy, my Grandma Connie, and my Uncle Allan and Aunt Cheryl! I appreciate it so much and it makes me feel so loved! Thank you guys!