It's official!

Julie, the Job Corps counselor for me and Flor sent me two text! One yesterday morning to me personally and the other this morning to both me and Flor, but for some unknown reason I didn't get that one, so Flor had to forward it to me on FB. They said -

Yesterday @ 9:04AM -

Julie: Good morning Alex, CONGRATULATIONS! You've been approved!

Today @ 11:02AM -

Julie: Hi girls! You've both been approved now. I already booked you for the 11th. The next step would be to come in on Friday April 7th to pick up flight info. :) Hope you guys are excited and ready to go!

I'm so happy!! This is actually happening! There's no doubts now! This is so unreal! For the first time in my life I'll be living in another city, away from parents and guardians, learning how to actually be an adult. Like a real adult. Who lives on their own. Works and pays taxes! Maybe even drive idk, but anything seems possible right now!

I have flight info and a ticket like what?! I'm so scared, but not of living alone and away. Mostly of childish things like the inevitable FULL BODY health exam and blood test they take. Did I emphasis full yet?? Trust me that alone is going to be it's own post.

Also of leaving my dog. That's the biggest fear. The health exams are only temporary, but being away from my dog for so long... who knows. Not like he's old and I'll never see him again, but idk I love my pup so much.

Anyways this is a Job Corps diary, not a Alex has an unhealthy codependency with her dog diary sooo...

UNTIL APRIL 7TH 

... or the next exciting update!

Updates on leaving, etc.

This morning my grandma was kind enough to take me to the school districts building to pick up my school and shot records and take them to the Job Corps building. Now the only document that's holding me back from leaving is just my proof of health insurance.

Also side note my grandma took me to Taco Bell and I realllly appreciate this because I love smothered burritos and the frozen Airheads slushies. My grandmother is a blessing in my life.

The est. departure date changed from March 28 to April 4. 

My friend needs more time to get glasses and I need time to get my proof of insurance. Also I'm no longer angry about last night, bless.

Job Corps Termination and an argument with my dad

I was going to put this rant/vent on my main blog or a diary or something, but technically it's Job Corps related. I told myself anything and everything Job Corps related comes here. ANYTHING. Including heated arguments with my dad. 

During the orientation our Job Corps admission counselor made it very clear that if we are 18+ in Job Corps and we get terminated they will walk us to the gate with our stuff and say good bye. They would not be having the tax payers paying for a plane flight back if we mess up. They stressed this. It's justifiable in my opinion. I mean Job Corps pays for your flight there and winter breaks, room and board, three meals a day, uniforms, allowance, transportation, everything right down to laundry detergent. That's not mentioning the thousands and thousands of dollars tax payers pay for us to have an education for our trade, college (if you go through them), tutoring, and drivers education. 

Personally, I think it's completely fair for them to throw out those less grateful who use and abuse the program. Why should someone busted for pot and alcohol get a free ride home on tax payers money? They made the zero tolerance policy very clear. We sign many papers stating we will follow it. Job Corps does so much the least we can do it follow the centers and federal rules placed.

*And I'm only using alcohol and weed as an example because they say that's the #1 reason people get terminated WEEKLY. Personally I like to drink and have fun like every other soon to be 21 years old who was born and raised in the infamous Sin City. Job Corps makes it very clear that under their roof that's a no-no and if they catch you they will throw you out no mercy. Fair enough.

SO GUESS WHAT I'M NOT DOING IN RENO!

The Interview

The orientation counselor put MAJOR stress on looking the part in our interview and being on time. "Real world" job interviews pretty much.

He said, "if your interview is at 9' o clock you better be here at 8:45!"

So here was your girl's attempt at a "job interview" outfit. 

And as for the interview itself, it started by watching two short videos on Job Corps and ended filling out papers. A lot of papers. So many papers. I practically signed my life away on this day. Again can't complain. I met Julie and she again stated Job Corps policies and pretty much said I'm going. Probably March 28, but if not then the first week of April. I also switched my main trade from Medical Office to Pharmacy Tech today. I have to check in weekly with her and meet her again on Tuesday with my final paperwork!

Ready for the interview

So that "homework" they wanted to talk to me about... 

THREE MORE ESSAYS! T-H-R-E-E. 

... Uhm what? How did I go from having to do one by next week to four by tomorrow?! Regardless took me 5-6 hours but I'm finished. Is this supposed to be my first "real world" lesson? What's the moral of this lesson supposed to be though - Things are bound to change and get harder and you just gotta suck it up buttercup???

If so adult life is cruel and I technically didn't sign up for this. I mean Job Corps yeah I signed up for that, but life I did not. That was all my selfish parents. I didn't ask for this! Oh well this is what I'm destined for ... Bright side, the essays are done. Now I just have to do the interview tomorrow!  Also Julie told Flor she's going to try to keep me and Flor together. Plane ride and dorm! Not 100% for sure, but she'll try! I hope my adult life is full of people like Julie because she's a goddess.

Also the "full" health exams they do include blood work among other things I'm uncomfortable with ... Can't really complain though, can I?

Here's where it get's exciting! According to Flor, Julie wants to ship us out the 28th! That's less than two weeks!! 13 days!!! Maybe it's because I didn't even know about Job Corps existence a week ago, but this is all going so fast.

Change of plans! AH!

I don't know what happened! I was just peacefully minding my business watching 101 Korean girls dance in sync to a song that reminded me more of JPop - Don't ask ok! Besides the point, anyways Flor (friend who I went to orientation and told me about Jobcorps) texted me.

Today 1:42 PM

Flor - Alex julie* is gonna call u to get u I'm tomorrow

Me - Wait...

Me - What?

Flor then calls me, informs me I'm on speaker. She and Julie want to know if I can come in tomorrow @ 2' o clock instead. This way me and Flor can go in together I guess and have a more likely chance of leaving together too. Which is amazing that they're considerate enough to try to keep friends close during this process. They could of just kept my later time next week and thus have me approved and shipped later too. So in all I'm grateful!

... But, I didn't start my essay yet. I thought I had a week still to go to finish. So now I feel like I'm back in high school researching and frantically trying to prepare and type a well written paper the day before it's due. Which was the opposite of what I wanted to do. To top that off Flor said she's going to text me even more "homework" that Julie wants done by tomorrow.

My interview went from one week to tomorrow! I'm suddenly so nervous! So very, very nervous! Send help!!

I wasn't nervous a bit before, but something about the interview being tomorrow and that text from Flor makes my heart feel like it's stopping.

*Julie is Flor's and my Job Corp counselor through the admission process.

Um, just kidding lol

I GOT MY CALL~!

My interview is next Thursday @ 10:30am

She seriously called before I could even hit publish on my last post lolol

Waiting for this call!!

At the orientation we were told that the counselors would start calling people to set up their interviews. They said not everyone would get a call asap, but they would start. So me being me waited by the phone until midnight just in case I got the call - 

NO CALL. 

I'm just so bummed out... I know not everyone was gonna get through the list yesterday, but I was hoping badly I would at least. I REALLY just want to get this whole interview and acceptance process over with! I just want to know badly if this is something that's going to happen or not and when!

To make things worse, my friend who I went with to the orientation got her interview date before me. I guess she called them since she had a question about her ID and while they were on the phone they said they'll just set it up now since they were super busy or something. Two birds, one stone type deal I guess.

I'll give it till like 3-4pm today and then I'm probably going to call them because I have a few questions myself. Maybe if I'm lucky they'll set my interview up too!

Jumping the Gun?

So I may be "Jumping the Gun" here making this blog. I haven't even gotten accepted yet. That aside, I applied for the Job Corp program.

For those who are unaware about this program, never fear! I too just learned about it less than 2 days and will try to explain with the knowledge I learned within 48 hours!

To sum it up myself, it's a program by the U.S. Department of Labor that take "adult-children" who still live with their parents (me), and are broke and unemployed (me), and have no hope being a functioning member of society (@me). 

Thanks to the unwilling charity of the taxpayers that basically help sponsor us "adult-children" and some actual children, we pick a trade and get shipped to centers to learn how to one day be functioning members of society who don't leech off of taxpayers.

We live in very organized and strict dorms, go to "work" in the trade we chose, and get a $25 allowance if we behave. If we don't behave then they walk you to the front gate, and say goodbye to your sorry soul. Good luck scrapping up $$ for the bus home!

This ain't college kids. You don't have "Summer" and "Spring" breaks. You get one chance a year to go home and see the family and that's three weeks of Winter break and then it's right back to the center.

There is no wild parties. They will drug test you. They will breathalyze you. There are uniforms. You can not leave the fenced-in center without a pass. Wifi is limited, governed, and on at 5pm (after "work") in certain areas only.

You have curfew. You must be up at 6AM and home at 9PM week days.

After you wake up and before bed you deep clean your dorm. 8am - 5pm is your work time. No phones or swearing at your "job" or you are out! Oh and for the promiscuous people in the crowd say, "Bye-bye" to your sex life. You get pregnant, you're out. If you're in the opposite sex's dorm area, you're out.

Tragic, huh? Well not for this virgin really, but I'm sure for the freakier peeps..

The funniest thing to me is you are not allowed to have anything with alcohol in it. Mouthwash, Hand sanitizer, face toner, etc. I guess kids are getting too "creative" and "desperate" finding ways to get drunk and high... 

The basic gist of this place from what I'm getting is it's taking high school and prison and just mashing the two! Can you complain though?! Of course not. It's FREE and most importantly, it's your last resort ... or your "fresh start" depending on your perspective. Like I told a friend they can tell me to shave my head bald and I'd happily do it for all they're offering.

Yeah it's strict, but when you're not the one paying you literally cannot complain. Be grateful. It's not all horror. They feed you three times a day. Give you an allowance to buy basic necessities, have clubs like Zumba to keep you occupied and away from Mary Jane. Plus give you so many opportunities to better yourself with your education, and job training, and even helping you drive if you don't yet!

And fortunately there is a friend I'm joining with and there are people I know who are already there and enjoying it rules aside. Hopefully we get in, fingers crossed! So far so good. But supposedly getting in is the easy part. Staying in without being terminated is the real challenge.

So back to my question? Am I also "jumping the gun" being willing to pack my stuff and head to Reno on a program I just learned about mostly yesterday at an orientation downtown. Probably.

But if I get in I will not miss this opportunity! 

Even if that means getting wasted on my 21st is now ruined.