By Jenette Vogt
Thinking back to the day that I moved into the Jackson Volunteer House, I can’t stop myself from laughing because I know that I was a nervous wreck. I remember pulling up to the house and freaking out about what door to walk in, so I just sat in my car. Eventually, I had to get out because I could not be the weirdo who just sat in her car for 10 minutes.
Needless to say, community life scared me silly. I was so worried about not getting along with the other volunteers in my house. What if they were terrible cooks and I hated the food they made? What if they didn’t like the food I cooked? What if they watched strange TV shows? What if, what if, what if? I could go on forever with the all the questions that ran through my head on my way down to Kentucky that day. In the end I knew there was only one way to get the answers to all of my questions and that was to jump right in and figure it out as I went.
I feel like I should tell you that I grew up in a huge family. I have four brothers and two sisters so I know what it’s like to live with eight other people under the same roof. I have had plenty of arguments about not replacing the toilet paper roll, taking too much time in the bathroom in the morning, and burping at dinner. But the thing about living with family is that they have to love me no matter what. They’re stuck with me and I am stuck with them. I didn’t have that luxury when I moved into a house full of strangers. Could I be my complete self around them? Would I be judged for burping after dinner? Would people sit on the kitchen floor with me and eat and talk? Would living in community ever feel like living at home?
Now that I have been here for a few months, I like to think I have a pretty good handle on community life. I think I was so nervous about living in community because I thought that I would have to change to fit in, but that has not been the case at all. I have been extremely blessed with wonderful housemates, who are great cooks, even better company, and some of the best belchers I have ever met in my life. I am extremely lucky to have found those little things that I needed to find to make the Jackson Volunteer House feel like my home.
Jenette is an AmeriCorps Camp Educator/Summer Camp Counselor living in the Jackson Volunteer House. She is a 2016 graduate of Eastern Illinois University. Opinions expressed in volunteer blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of CAP or the Volunteer Program.
