Today was my second day of core training as an official Maryland Public Ally.

If you don’t know what Public Allies is or what individual members do, I urge you to research it. Under the Americorps umbrella, Public Allies are individuals who devote 10 months of their time to service a community by working with a not for profit organization.

My placement site is with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake area. I will be working with them to increase their volunteers specifically black males. This entire program is going to be challenging and beneficial in so many ways. The people are amazing and I can’t wait to get to work and see positive incomes.

Side note: I’m taking public transportation this whole week and so far the sights have been mind boggling. I mean this woman on the light rail freaked out after her daughter stuck an eraser up her nose. Mind you, the entire time I watched the little girl take the eraser out of the mechanical pencil and play with it including putting it in her mouth. I guess at some point, I should’ve spoke up and told the woman about her child. But some where between me being amused with the little girl and her mother not paying any attention to her, I chose not to do anything. Sorry.

Then another woman got on the light rail with her daughter and her bike. Apparently, she was taking her to the park. As they sat across from me, I couldn’t help but watch the woman. Her eyes were hanging low and she could barely focus. The only explanation was that she was high. I just shook my head and felt sorry for the little girl.

Despite those crazy instances, there were good times too, like a woman giving me her day-pass. The light rail is much easier to navigate than the DC train because it only goes in two directions, north and south. Another bonus is that parking at the light rail is free where as parking at the DC train stations can be five dollars or more.

It’s going to be interesting to see how I plan on juggling work and grad school. Hmmm…