The office and a Soulful Sunday

Don’t be mistaken by the “frat-house-like” description, because there is no hint of frat-boy mentality! (I don’t mean to offend you frat boys, just referring to the party boy stereotype:) We had our first day in the office on Friday and it was obvious that the “work hard, play hard” attitude applies to Invisible Children. I was literally blown away by the people that work for IC. There is an insane level of commitment and work ethic from everyone on staff! Our first day of training started off with bagels and coffee (double plus), an office tour, and a welcome from the CEO, Ben Keesey (he knocked our socks off). Later on we were introduced to the IC staff and each introduction was loaded with high praises and inside jokes. They also told stories about how on more than one occasion IC staff members have pulled all-nighters in the office...I’m not kidding about these people working their tails off. They definitely set the tone in the office that they expect the same level of commitment from us. We spent 8.5 hours in the office on Friday and on Saturday. I’m totally NOT complaining, because it was oddly fantastic to be back in the work setting, even though I’m not used to an office setting.
Anyways, I’m rambling on about the first two days of work when I really just want to get to “Soul food Sunday.” This tradition originated with a past Roadie group, and it was an ingenious creation. $3 dollars each person in the house (roughly 50 + 10 other IC staff members living elsewhere) goes towards buying groceries for one heck of a southern comfort loaded meal. I’m salivating just thinking about it, even though I’m still full from eating four hours ago!! The menu was fried chicken, spicy chicken wings, mashed potatoes, fried okra, veggies, cane sauce, mac and cheese, pasta…and I’m probably forgetting some more!! Oh and did I mention that it was allllll homemade?! The best part was when we all sat down as a big, hyperactive family to eat together in the garage. First Soul food Sunday was a hit:)

A whole lot of Soul!

The Roadie house...

…is controlled chaos. I really can’t think of any other way to describe it. It is basically set up like I imagine a frat house, except I’ve never even seen a frat house like THIS. It’s humongous-2 kitchens, 4.5 bathrooms, 7 bedrooms with a total of 50 beds, a garage which is a makeshift living room, a loft, annnd a basement. Mom and Dad drove me down here Thursday and we actually arrived to an empty house…and it crazy enough to see it when there weren’t 50-some people home!
When everyone did start arriving home it added a whole new level of crazy! I honestly mean that in the best way possible though. From first impressions and interactions since then, I have determined that the people in this house are absolutely incredible. It may seem premature to make that blanket statement about fifty 18-25 year olds, but there is a concentrate of intelligence, sincerity and compassion in this house!
Since getting down here I feel like the reality of what the next four months of my life is going to be has settled in a little at a time: first seeing the Roadie house, then meeting the Roadies/Interns, and then having the first day in the office. I am also realizing through conversations with returning Roadies that the experience on the road is going to be unlike any other. Pretty much every past Roadie has said candidly that being on the road was the most challenging experience of their life. On the flipside, you can tell by the look in their eyes that they are back because they love Invisible Children and through the challenges and demands of being on the road, they were able to see the difference that they made!

The Legacy Tour...hence, the name of my blog:)

In case you haven't seen the preview to the spring 2010 Legacy Tour...



Introducing: The Legacy Tour from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

The roots of becoming a Roadie.

Three months ago I opened an Invisible Children e-mail and “APPLY TO BE A ROADIE” stared me in the face. At that point I had been unemployed for quite awhile and I was desperately hoping for a sign, a direction, or a calling. I read about the position and it all felt right…until I saw the deadline, which was only three days away. Crap, three days to complete five essay questions and a five minute personal video. That wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t take me an hour to write one paragraph because I am so neurotic about my writing. Oh, and did I mention that being filmed and seeing myself on film is one of the most painful experiences of my life? Ugh. With the editing help of my brilliant cousin Janae (who is going to be a big time writer one these days, you just wait), and my little brother with his cinematography skills, I sent the essays+video in just in time. Literally, I e-mailed them at 11:55 p.m. the night it was due.

So fast-forward six weeks, three phone interviews, and hundreds of prayers later, I was offered the position. I’ll never forget that day…getting off the phone semi-teary-eyed and walking to the top of the stairs, just to see my mom waiting for me at the bottom. We hugged, laughed, cried, made phone calls and I had an overwhelming feeling of validation. This is exactly what I was supposed to be doing for the next four months of my life!

Roadie? Like a drink you take on the road with you?

I got a good laugh when a friend dropped the "like a drink you take on the road with you" line.  However, I'm not talking about that kind of a roadie. This Roadie will be traveling around the "Mountain West" region of the US raising money and awareness for the organization, Invisible Children. For those of you who don't know, "Invisible Children is a social, political, and global movement using the transformative power of story to change lives. By inspiring youth culture to value creativity, idealism, and sacrifice, the movement fuels the most effective, adaptable, and innovative programs in the world." More specifically, IC is working to end the longest running war in Northern Uganda and also restore the regions affected by the war.  I am SO jazzed to be apart of the IC team and contribute my energy, effort and enthusiasm to a cause that I believe in. I've been told that once we get down there and working, it’s not going to be a cake walk...which is fine with me, because I never liked those things at carnivals anyway. All corny jokes aside, I am ready for the challenges ahead. (And thankfully, I have a bit of Mark Morris in me and I've never been afraid of hard work. Bring it on!) For those of you who care to follow me while I'm on this journey, I am going to try my hardest to blog-it-up. I expect you guys to keep me posted on what's going on in your life as well! I don't know how reachable I’ll be via the phone, but e-mail/facebook me often! Keep me in the loop:)
Here's an itinerary once we hit the road:

Mountain West
Prescott, AZ 2/21/10-2/22/10
Flagstaff, AZ 2/23/10-2/24/10
Colorado Springs, CO 2/25/10-3/1/10
Denver, CO 3/3/10-3/21/10
Ft. Collins, CO 3/22/10-3/23/10
Cheyenne, WY 3/24/10
Laramie, WY 3/25/10
Casper, WY 3/26/10-3/27/10
Grand Junction, CO 3/28/10-4/1/10
Glenwood Springs, CO 4/2/10-4/5/10
Aspen, CO 4/6/10
St. George, UT 4/7/10
Cedar City, UT 4/8/10
Salt Lake City, UT 4/9/10-4/19/10
Logan, UT 4/20/10-4/21/10
Rexburg, ID 4/22/10
Boise, ID 4/23/10-4/26/10
Elko, NV 4/27/10
Reno, NV 4/28/10-4/29/10
Lake Tahoe, CA 4/30/10

All my love,
Jess