Here comes the storm!

Well, tomorrow marks the arrival of the Class 14 Corps Members. As of last Friday, the count was at 433. 433! There were less than 100 Corps Members AND Team Leaders during my Corps Member year. I am really excited to see all the people who will be starting out like I did. All the fresh faces and names to learn I am sure will be mind-boggling. I'm also nervous/curious about how the Staff and Team Leaders are going to be able to handle so many bodies. This class in the Western Region will be the biggest one on any campus in the history of the program. The Corps Training Institute (or CTI) will go until the week of Thanksgiving. The Monday after Turkey Day, the teams will depart for their first phase projects.

Since I am a Support Team Leader, I will not have a team to lead. I will be supporting the Silver Unit TLs and the Silver Unit Leader in whatever they need support with. There is a chance, however, that I will be sent out on a project. I could go as a substitute TL if another TL becomes sick or has to leave (temporarily or permanently) or if there is a disaster somewhere and a composite team is formed. A composite team is just a temporary team of CMs from different teams and an STL (like me) leading them. I would love to lead a composite team, but it makes it difficult to figure out plane tickets to come home for Christmas (Dec. 21 to Jan. 2, btw). I am learning that a huge part of this job is just going with the flow and knowing that if I don't have all the information right now, I will get it eventually when I need it. Flexibility is the name of the game here.

I am stoked for the new CMs to get here, but I will miss the quietness in the dorms and the time with only the TLs. From now on, I think chaos will run my life for a while. I just need to remember to take time for myself once and a while and to relax.