Hi everyone! My name is Emma and I am from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. That’s only 2 and half hours away from Missoula, but surprisingly I had spent very little time in Montana before I made the move. Before I started my service with AmeriCorps, I was a tad bit farther away than Idaho. I was living in Peru and working as a Peace Corps Volunteer as a water sanitation and hygiene facilitator. Due to the current state of our world, Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide were asked to pack their bags and evacuate immediately. All of a sudden I was on a chartered flight leaving the air force base in Lima, headed back home. It was an abrupt ending to my time in Peru and it all happened so quickly I barely had a moment to really process the reality of the situation. I was supposed to be in Peru for another year, but suddenly found myself back in Idaho wondering what the heck I am going to do now. I really loved the work I was doing in Peru and wanted to find something fulfilling for work back home. Quarantine for me, was a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to slowly reintegrate back into life in the US. This slow-paced quarantine gave me a chance to dive deep into the job search. I found a position with AmeriCorps serving with the International Rescue Committee and my eyes lit up. I was offered the job and made the move to Missoula in July.

Since then, I have been getting to know this lovely town with all of its quirks and charms and trying to find my place in the community as well. For a while I was struggling with the fact that I really didn’t know anyone here. Friends have always been a big focal point in my life. Making friends as an adult is hard and even harder during a pandemic! I found myself looking forward to Thursdays because that is the day the IRC has its staff meetings. I would ride my bike through the stunning old neighborhoods near campus and meet my co-workers at the usual corner of the park where we held our meetings. It was so refreshing to have in-person interactions (with masks on of course). Little by little I was making connections with co-workers and other community partners involved in the refugee community. Missoula was slowly starting to feel like home.

*Me and JV AmeriCorps Volunteer, Kelsey 

Fast forward to today and we have arrived at the month of love! So naturally, I want to focus this blog post on all of the L-O-V-E I feel everyday serving as an AmeriCorps Leader at the International Rescue Committee Missoula. I mentor 3 refugee students weekly and this has brought me SO much joy throughout my service. With the elementary students a lot of our time together is spent eating cookies, playing word matching games (their favorite), and singing along to TikTok songs. Forming relationships with these kids has been one of my favorite aspects of service. I love seeing them learn and grow, not only academically but as the wonderful people they are becoming. Serving with high school students makes me feel inspired all over again to never stop learning. They have big goals and I feel lucky to have a part in helping them achieve them.

*Making gingerbread houses with refugee students 

*Touring Missoula College with refugee high school students

Across cultures, love can be commonly expressed through food. Missoula is home to refugee families from Syria, Eritrea, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Every time I visit a family I am met with delicious coffee, Injera (an Eritrean bread), baked goods, and even homemade pizza! Even though we do not speak the same language, I can feel and taste their love through their food. Serving at the IRC has given me the opportunity to connect with a community of people that are so interesting, full of life, kind, open, and big-hearted. I have learned so much about other cultures, about myself, and this new town I am living in. I am looking forward to seeing what the second half of my AmeriCorps service has in store for me!

 *Traditional Eritrean food