"Within a less than a month of submitting my AmeriCorps application, I was accepted as an PHC Member; packed up for my cross-country move; and on an airplane to the east coast."

I was born and raised in Berkeley, California and graduated from Pitzer College in Southern California, so joining the Philadelphia Health Corps meant a move across the country to a city I knew nothing about, where I knew no one. Although I had never even considered Philly as a place I might want to live, when the opportunity to join the Philly Health Corps presented itself, I jumped at the idea without a second thought. I was ready for a change of scenery. Don’t get me wrong, I love California with all my heart and miss it dearly, but PHC was offering me an invaluable chance to get hands on, direct experience in Healthcare in a community-based, public health setting, working with the exact population I one day hope to serve as a nurse practitioner.

After accepting a position with the PHC, my life became a frenzy. Within less than a month of submitting my AmeriCorps application, I was accepted as an PHC Member, packed up for my cross-country move, and on an airplane to the east coast. I didn’t have time to think about the magnitude of my impending move; all I could focus on was getting my essential belongings 3,000 miles across the country, finding a place to live and people to live with. Luckily, PHC provided some vital support to those of us who were relocating. Upon accepting a position, I received a link to a Google Doc for new members looking for housing and housemates. It had a list of questions to help us learn a bit about each other and our living preferences in a means to connect the Philadelphia newcomers. Through this resource I was able to connect with three other PHC members moving from various parts of the country and to identify a potential group to live together...now we just needed a place to live. Having never set foot in Philly, we were all at a loss about where to begin. After struggling to sort through Craigslist postings from California, and knowing I was due to start my service term in about one week, I decided to bite the bullet and just fly to Philly to find a place before pre-service orientation began.

In the end, everything worked out. After a few stressful days of wandering all over the city, looking at house after house, in areas of the city that were absurdly unaffordable to areas I’m not sure I will ever go back to, I finally stumbled on a house in Northern Liberties that was perfect--4 stories, with a roof deck and enough space for five people. I immediately called three other accepted PHC Members and persuaded them into the idea of this house.  While the price was slightly out of the range provided by our limited AmeriCorps stipend, after spreadsheets of projected finances and apprehensive discussions of affordability, we agreed that if we added one more person we could make it work. And we did – and I have grown to treasure my roommates (our landlord calls our group the “Ameri4+”).

It’s funny to think back about how serendipitous my whole move was. I moved without a place to live and knowing anyone; all I knew was I had a position and very little money. But PHC does an amazing job of creating an open, welcoming environment for members. Not to mention choosing a Corps of dedicated, fun, thoughtful individuals. I came to Philly with a couple suitcases and have found a community that I would not trade for the world. My fellow Corps members quickly became my close friends and confidants and my housemates are like a second family to me. I am so thankful for this experience and the lasting relationships I have begun to create. The Philadelphia Health Corps has provided me with professional development and direction in fieldwork experience as well as the chance to learn an entirely new city and grow as an independent individual. Just as importantly, this experience has given me the opportunity to meet amazing peers and make lifelong friends.
 

This post was written by PHC member Alexandra Goodman.
Alexandra serves at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health - Ambulatory Health Services as a Patient Assistance Program Advocate.