"We need a mom to anethesia, stat"

Iowa Mission of Mercy:

We had our first mini Spike project! For four days Team Green/GangGreen went to Newton, IA near Des Moines to serve at an Iowa Mission of Mercy (IMOM). The IMOM is a two-day free dental clinic for any child or adult that needs dental services. MOMs occur in 10 states across the U.S. The clinic was held at the Iowa speedway, and while I didn't get to race on the track, I drove golf carts around at breakneck speeds. The project was great and we did everything from escorting patients, to conducting exit surveys, to childcare, translating, and supply runs. I loved working in "Restorative" (fillings) because I got to talk to the patients and try to keep them happy as they waited in 8 hour lines. Also, my teammate and I organized a huge line of patients in doing the wave. Patients were able to receive hygiene, fillings, root canals, impressions, and partials- all for free! A few of our members even got to have work done. At some points it was difficult because we were all very tired. We woke up at 4:30 to leave to start work at 5:15 and often didn't stop working until 8 or 9pm, aka 15 hour work days. However, it was worth it to escort patients into the doors in the morning and then encounter them again that afternoon and see how happy they were to receive care. There was even a story of a woman who was talking about selling her wedding ring to pay for dental care. Then she heard about IMOM and was able to get everything done for free. Overall, 1558 patients were seen and $843,000 of free dental care was provided!! Even more amazing was that an entire dental clinic with 90 stations fit into a SINGLE tractor trailer.

I swear that last photo wasn't posed....
ok I lied.

In other news, I am still enjoying my uniform. Except that I got some sort of dental gunk on my sweatshirt and I think it bleached it. Now I am prepping for another week of training. I'm really tired because even when we got back yesterday, I did homework (completing project reports and getting ready for our debrief this morning) until very late. I'm really glad I got to see the interworkings of a project though so that I can be a better Team Leader when the Corps Members get here. Tomorrow is diversity training!! I hope they ask for my World of Difference expertise.

OH. Last week I made falafel for everyone!! We had hummus, pita, Israeli salad, tahini, tzadziki sauce, falafel balls, and chicken. I don't think anyone really knew what to do with it. But it was delicious! I also taught them to say Shana Tova. We're working on it.

Iowa: It's easy to spell.

VINTON:

Welcome to Vinton, IA! Population 5,103 (5,263 with all of NCCC). I arrived last Wednesday and I can honestly say I've never seen so many corn fields. Or soy bean fields. Apparently soy bean plants add nitrates to the soil so that more corn can be grown (because they don't have enough already). It is beautiful here though. I'm living for these first two months of Team Leader and Corps Member training in the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School (IBSSS), which was once home to over 200 students including the sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Now there are a mere 8 students, but we are livening things up.

Last saturday we took an official tour of the town and went to see GI Joe at the $2 movie theater. The theater is fantastic and you can 'reserve' a seat for $.50 for which they will put a handsome plastic marker on your chair. We also toured the post office, library, and coffee shop. But by that point we has walked a full block circle and were back at the post office again. I really like the town. It's quaint and you don't have to worry about getting run over because tractors only go about 15mph and therefore provide ample warning time.

One evening we explored a local bar called Mickey's. It was fully equipped with middle America bar necessities: A few old men, neon palm tree decorations, and one suspender toting farmer with a beer belly, bellowing out hokey karaoke in the corner. As about 10 of us entered, every local in the bar set down their drinks, turned, and stared at us in silence. Four minutes later their initial shock subsided and we slowly made our way to a table.

TEAM GREEN:

I am a part of "Team Green," because the Team Leaders (TLs) wear green shirts as opposed to the corps members who wear gray. I am in full uniform (shirt tucked, belt, no earrings larger than a dime, BDUs-battle dress uniform) whenever I am at work/training, which is most of the time. Soon I get my steel toed boots! And now for a dashing picture of me and my fellow TLs:



The people are really nice and from all over the states. Three of us are coincidentally from Upstate NY! Despite being in a rural area we've been doing lots of activities (disc golf, changing tires, etc.) and tonight we are going to Cedar Rapids to celebrate a Birthday, but I still want this shirt: