Frustration!

It's just been one of those days. Over the last week and a half I've been trying to figure out exactly what Starfish wants out of the 3 VISTAs in their office. I read and reread my work plan and talked to my 2 fellow VISTAs about concerns and frustrations we're all having at the moment. I think we all agree that we're in this 2 month slump. We're teetering on this fence where one side is no one in the office trusting our work and the other is Starfish staff knowing us and just letting us do our jobs. We've been here long enough to understand how the office is run and to know the personalities of the other staff members, but we're still new enough to not really have a say in how things go.

Being a VISTA is a strange position. You're not employed by the non-profit you're working for, but you have to feel like a staff member. You're not an employee, but you're not an intern. It's hard sometimes to find EXACTLY where you're suppose to fit in. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret my decision to become a VISTA or the decision to work for Starfish. I DO like it here and love what they're doing in the community. I love the experience I'm getting and am happy that I'm finally doing something I love.

Anyway, there is no training in the world that AmeriCorps could put us through that would make this part of being a VISTA any easier. I think it's something that's going to have to be discussed on a regular basis (with our supervisor and other staff members) and just waited out until a switch eventually flips on that lets us do our job without so much red tape and frustration.