Thanksgiving Eve

Over the past month, the day before a staffer leaves for a rotation home, or to return home for good, I observe behavior bordering on giddiness. Today at the Joint Field Office a muted version of this permeated the building. Though many of us are only getting a day off (Thanksgiving), and the rest of us three or four, it was obvious how jubilant everyone was at the opportunity to spend a little time with families heretofore ignored, and to relax.

The 'work hard/play hard' mentality dominates here, though unlike at The Daily, the hours are so long play is put off for weeks or months. While I have been working here for only a month, and have not experienced many high stress moments myself, the quarters in which we work are so close that we are all affected by the moods of each other. The mood was lighter, people cheerier, and the day progressed if not faster, then more enjoyably.

Today I also realized how close we have become. Obviously spending eleven hours a day, six days a week with the same people builds bonds, but as people headed home today, the goodbyes were surprisingly meaningful. This despite the fact that we will all reunite in just a few days. I attribute these ties to our shared experiences. Not only are we all working together on these disasters, but many of us are far from home, friends and family. Many the local hires have been severely impacted by the hurricanes themselves, homes destroyed, family scattered.

With all the criticism FEMA continues to face (which we watch daily on CNN), we are also bonded by an 'us against the world' attitude. The more criticism we face, the more we stand with one another, growing closer.