Austin Update

Hello All!
Sorry it has been so long since I have updated my blog, I have been having issues with my internet at the hotel. Things are going well here in Austin, Tx. I spent the last three weeks working in the PPI department. I was calling applicants in the disaster area and inquiring about their housing situations. I have to say that the majority of the people I talked to were in good spirits and were very grateful for all the help FEMA has provided. There were a few people that disliked FEMA and felt obligated to share there feelings with me. I had the privilege of talking to one woman who strongly disliked Americorps (I enjoyed hanging up on her). I have met a lot of amazing people that work here. Most the people that I work with aren’t from Austin. They are deployed to the JFO for the disaster and remain there for months at a time. Most people here are extremely grateful for Americorps help. They all chip in weekly to provide snacks for us and occasionally cooked hot lunches for us. I sat next to a man named Jim and he is from North Carolina. He was a great help when I was trying to get accustomed to work. He had a lot of great advice about the area and he is writing up some BBQ tips for me.
Last week I was moved from the PPI department to the IA department. I am now working in the RRPP program (Rental repair Pilot Program). It is an experimental program that FEMA is experimenting with. I like it a lot better than PPI because I get to use more creativity because it is a new program. My supervisor is a young guy who got his masters from BU. Together we have come up with a lot of great ideas to make the program better. He has also given me a lot of great information about future FEMA employment. (I might apply for a FEMA job after Americorps).
There isn’t much life outside of work. My days off are spent recuperating from a long work week. I have gone out downtown a few times. Austin has so much live music I like it a lot. Saturday night I went to a Country Bar. In the middle of the bar was a huge dance floor and a lot of people were out dancing. I danced a few times but its a little harder dancing to country music. There are a lot of steps and spinning involved. I had a fun time and I hope to go back. I hope to see more of the city this week. I have a ½ day Wednesday and I am off until Monday the next week. I am running a Turkey Trot downtown on Thanksgiving; it should be interesting seeing that I haven’t been running.
I hope everyone is doing well, and I will be home in les than a month!