Merry Christmas

So most of the festivities are over around here. I was able to get back to town just in time for the Schrock family Christmas on Saturday. We had everyone except one cousin in attendance. It was pretty impressive. It was great being able to see everyone and I was able to meet a few of the great grandkids for the first time. On Sunday we had lunch together and then did a taffy pull. There were a few batches that didn't turn out quite so great but it was fun and the taffy was tasty. I was also able to go shopping with Catrina and Lincoln in the evening so I was able to get my last minute gift together.

Christmas eve was spent running around and cleaning with Mom. Our family went to the service at church in the evening like we always do. Our neighbor Mertice Miller also joined us and we were all able to catch up. She is our wonderful third grandma. This year Santa brought us all sweaters while we were at church. The whole family spent the night at Mom and Dad's and in the morning we all woke up and opened stockings and presents like usual. We all had a great time together and enjoyed the different gifts. Mom was very excited about the two maple trees that Dad bought her.

Today I worked on putting together the recipe book that I got from Catrina. She printed out a bunch of recipes and gave each of us (Mom, Quinlan, and I) a binder with dividers and page protectors to put the recipes in. Then Mom copied her whole recipe box so now I have close to 100 more to put in the binder. This afternoon I went to Java House and sipped tea while catching up with Kira. After that I caught up with Mom and Quin at Walmart where they were checking out after Christmas sales. We got dozens of candles as usual. We then picked up some pizzas on the way out of town and had Catrina and Joel come over for Dad's birthday. He just wanted to sit around and watch TV so he watched Grumpier Old Men and Christmas Vacation with Quin while the rest of us played Scum. We haven't played that game as a family in years. We had a lot of fun!

So close . . .

I am still in Des Moines. After my flight landed my parents were still in the same spot on the interstate (near Montazuma) stuck in traffic where they were for the hour before I boarded my flight. There was a big semi accident apparently and they were about 10 miles behind that. I found a somewhat comfortable bench and was sleeping when Catrina called and said that she had talked with Mom and they think that I should get a hotel. My mom's phone was beginning to die and they didn't know how likely it was that they were going to be moving in the next few hours. She thought they could find me easier if I was at a hotel and I would sleep better. I checked into the days inn just after mindnight here. About 20 minutes later I got a call from my mom and I figured that they were moving. They were, but they were turning around to head home since Des Moines was still so far off and it was really late. I was able to get a good night's sleep and now I am hanging out at the hotel. Dad is supposed to be leaving to come get me soon. I saw on the news that travel east of Des Moines on 80 is still unadvised and covered in a mix of snow and ice. I am supposed to check out at 11 so hopefully he will be here soon after that. After he picks me up we are going to head over to look at Quinlan's car. She totaled it just west of Des Moines on I-80 Wednesday night while going home from Dordt. She is fine, but we have to decide if we want to tow the car home or just sign the title over to the towing company.
I guess I am finally getting some of that winter weather I had been missing while in DC.

Homeward Bound!

So there are quite a lot of songs on this topic and I am spending my last few hours here at work listening to them all. For any of you who are interested there is a list of them at the bottom. My flight leaves tonight at 8:15 from Regan International assuming that the weather has cleared in Des Moines. Perhaps I should be more worried, but I am not. I am just so ready to take a break and experience some real winter weather that I don't want to think about anything delaying me. I am going to be leaving straight from work for the airport. There are three big suitcases here in the office since I am not the only one taking off this evening. Since I am going to have plenty of time Corey is going to be meeting me at the airport to grab some dinner before I head through security.

Well I should really get some actual work done before I take off and try not to think about it for the next two weeks!

My Playlist:
I'm Going Home by Ten Years After
Home by Jack Johnson
Home by She & Him
Won't be Long by The Hives
Home by Michael Buble
Going Home by The Rolling Stones
Home by Phillip Phillips
Home for the Holidays by The Carpenters
Home for Christmas by *NSync
Going Home by Sara Groves
and of course
Homeward Bound by Simon & Garfunkel

Tis the Season

I am so sorry that I have not been keeping up on here lately. I was sick for a little while and then with planning for holiday parties at work the time just got away from me. I am feeling better now, though I still have a scratchy throat and a runny nose. I can't believe that Christmas is getting so close. It has been so warm here that it just doesn't seem like winter. For some reason holiday songs just don't do it when it is 50 degrees outside. I have managed to get nearly all my shopping done. I have an office holiday party beginning soon so I don't actually have time to write more, but as I promised earlier here are some pictures of my students at their holiday party:

We played blindfolded build a snowman

The end results:

And here are the students with their gifts. They were all very excited!

December is here

I only have two more weeks of program left with my students before we break for the holidays! This is very exciting but also makes me realize how much I still need to get done with them before these next two weeks are up. We are working on a service learning project that will be completed before their holiday break. The students have decided to work on getting their local park cleaned up and they want to also work on getting more swings and other play ground equipment. It is really cool to see them get excited for this project. 

This weekend I got to hang out with a whole group of Calvin grads. I was the only non-dutch person there. I know this girl Jenna who graduated two years before me. She is teaching out here so I was put in contact with her last spring. A few weeks ago we grabbed some coffee and caught up. Then this weekend she invited Corey and me to a game night with a few other people. It was a lot of fun and I was able to meet new people who have a somewhat similar background as myself. It was nice to get out of the house and hang out with different people for a change.

Thanksgiving

Sorry that it has been a little while since I updated this. I spent last Wednesday through Saturday on Capital Hill house sitting. The cats were rather skittish and left me alone so that was nice. The house was located literally a block and a half from the National Capital. It was pretty cool. I spent Thursday with Alisha's family. Her aunt and uncle live in Silver Spring and her parents, another aunt, and a cousin were there. It was a nice dinner and after we played some games and went for a walk. They were very generous hosts and we had a good day. On Friday I went to a Nebraska bar with two friends of Keith who were staying at our house over the weekend to watch the Nebraska - Iowa game. I was the only one there not wearing red. It was fun to be in that atmosphere even though I wasn't really cheering for Nebraska. On Sunday Anne, Alisha, and I went to All Souls Church which is a Unitarian Church located near our house. We had heard that there was a big choir there which interested Anne and Alisha but we didn't see one. It was an interesting experience but I doubt we will be returning.

As of yesterday I am back at work after my 5 day weekend. It is hard to get back into the rhythm of things after that long of a break. Things are going well and I am really starting to look forward to Christmas break. I will be leaving for Iowa the evening of the 20th which seems like a long way off now even though that is less than a month. 

WOW

I am so impressed with the response to my request for help yesterday. The list of needed gifts for my school has been cut by more than half in only 24 hours. My coworkers wondered what had happened since these gifts were all purchased in such a short time frame. I feel very blessed to know so many generous people. I promise to take pictures of my students opening their gifts and I am sure I will have a fun story or two to go along with them. Thank you all so much!

Holiday Gifts

So I have been asked to share some information with my contacts here. Only thing is I don't really know too many people in DC so I am reaching out to all of you. I think that my supervisor worded it well so I have simply copied the e-mail from him below. I know that many of you already have organizations you donate to regularly but perhaps you could share this at your places of work or cash in some of those coins floating around in your couch and sponsor one kid. Anything helps!

Hello friends, I hope this email finds you getting your weekend off to a great start!

I'm reaching out to connect two groups of people that really matter to me: my friends (and their networks!) and family, and the youth of our programs in Washington, DC.  This is a long email, but please give it a full read when you can. It's all very pertinent and important information!

Our organization, Kid Power, works with kids in under-served areas of the District, providing them a variety of opportunities in an afterschool (and summer) setting. Our students have built and maintain award winning gardens, raised hundreds of dollars for victims of Hurricane Sandy, improve their academics through tutoring, and explore their passions - from yoga to handball to poetry to zumba! Simply put, they are amazing.

Unfortunately, the holidays can be a rough time for many of our kids. That's why each year we work hard to organize a gift drive which provides our youth with an opportunity to have a happy holiday. We're pushing through our list and getting a lot of incredibly thoughtful donations. But there are still a lot of middle school students' wishes that need to be filled!

Here's where you wonderful people can factor in.

If you would like to buy a gift for one of our students, or spread the word in your office, both the students and I would be eternally grateful. Each kid has put together a wish list, with items maxing out at $25. We've compiled these into Amazon wish lists by school site. If interested, please read below.  For the office folk if you wouldn't mind passing along these directions, that would be great!

Directions for buying off the Kid Power "Wishlist"Phew, you've made it this far. You're doing great so far.
1) Put on your Santa hat, and visit www.amazon.com
2) On the right hand side of the site, you'll see a tab that says "Wish List." Scroll over it, and when the dropdown menu appears, click "Find a Wishlist or Registry"
3) On the right hand search field, type in "Kid Power"
4) We should be the first one on the list. You'll see our "Kid Power, Inc" logo in purple type, and three Public Lists: Cesar Chavez Prep, Prospect, Fort Davis Rec Center
5) Either click "Kid Power" or one of the schools.
6) Scroll away, enjoy some of the quirky things our kids have requested, and select whichever item you'd like to buy by clicking "add to cart."

From here, most people should be able to figure it out, but since my parents are on this list.....7) When you add it to your cart, it will show a quantity of "one" for the item. It works like a wedding registry, so if you buy a gift that multiple kids have requested, it will just knock down the total. Feel free, of course, to buy more if you're in the spirit.
8) When checking out, which you do in your cart, it should allow you to select Kid Power's address. If not, for some reason, here is our shipping address (we get the presents, wrap them and then deliver to site the next week):
Kid Power, Inc.         
755 8th St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
And our phone # is 202-383-4543
Please order gifts by 11/30 so we can get them to our kids on time!

9) Lastly, if you could email me to let me know whether or not you're interested, it would really help in figuring out how many more people I should contact to try and finish the list. Also, if you'd like an donation form for tax reasons, let me know.
10) Pat yourself on the back, that was quite a long set of directions. Wait for your Thank You card and stories of joy that I'll share with you!

Thank you so SO much for your time reading this ridiculously long email. I hope that you can help out our youth this holiday season. And if not, no worries, maybe you can convince someone else to! I am extremely grateful for your thoughtfulness!

Best,
Patrick

This week has once again flown by in a flurry of activity. I had Monday off for the holiday so I was able to get some stuff at the house done like cleaning my room and putting away laundry. On Tuesday my after school program invited parents to come and harvest from our gardens. It is starting to get cold so we needed to pick everything to prepare for the winter. After Thanksgiving we will be planting some cover crops to keep our soil nutrients through the winter. Getting ready for the parents to come was a big project because we also had cookies and cider and had the students share some poems with their parents. It all went really well and was a lot of fun. The kids had some awesome poems. It is getting harder and harder to keep kids engaged during our program because it gets dark so early now we can't go to the park all the time like we had been doing. Yesterday was pretty straight forward and the students were pretty well behaved. Today we have Zumba at site which I am excited about. There are about 4 kids who really like it and are a lot of fun to watch. I can't wait until I am out of this walking cast so that I can participate in it.

Cara's supervisor was looking for someone to house-sit for her during Thanksgiving break and I have volunteered. She needs someone there because she has cats which need to be fed. I am not crazy about the cats but it will be nice to have a bit of a break from the house. Tomorrow Cara and I are going to go by her house to see what needs to be done while she is gone. I guess I'll know more about what I am getting myself into then.

the National Zoo

So today we all decided to check out the zoo. It was a warm and sunny fall day so it was great walking around outside. We saw the most of the animals, but some were inside. We had fun but were very hungry by the time we left. We went down to U street and picked up some thai food we had ordered online with a livingsocial discount. It seemed to take forever to get there and back to our house so that we could finally eat. Now we are watching The Lion King since we had been talking about it and other disney films.

 

And here is a picture of our Halloween costumes. We went as "Thrift Store Shoppers"

Just more of the same old, same old here. I decided to try cooking with my students yesterday during after school. It went surprisingly well and considering they were using knives and cooking over a hotplate it could have gone horribly wrong. We made Kale and White Bean Soup. It took a lot longer than I had planned so I ended up staying late to finish cooking the soup and then put it in the fridge. Today I will get there early so that I can heat it up and the students can have the soup as their snack. I hope they like it because we have a lot of it and I don't want to have to carry it all home.
Speaking of work I have been feeling a lot like Santa today. During the holidays Kid Power has a party at each site and they give a gift to each of our students because a lot of them are from economically struggling families. I have been putting together amazon wish lists for students at the various schools based on their expressed interests. This is going to be a very stressful month ahead at work since we are going to be working to get people to donate these gifts as well as planning parties at the schools where we will hand them out. I am sure it will be very rewarding in the end. I am also one of the two people responsible for getting wrapping paper and bows donated so that we can give the students wrapped presents. I am really looking forward to our wrapping party. We are going to have cookies and hot chocolate and play a lot of Christmas music while we all form an assembly line to get hundreds of gifts wrapped. It will be a little Santa's Workshop!
I know that a lot of you reading this already have organizations you donate to but if you are interested in donating gifts to our after school students you can find the list of requested gifts on amazon.com. When you get there on the top right of the screen there will be a tab that says Wish List. On that drop list click on find a wish list or registry and then type in Kid Power. We have a number of wish lists (one for each of our sites). My school is Cesar Chavez Prep if you want to purchase gifts for my students. We need these to be purchased by the end of November so that there is time for them to be shipped to us and wrapped before the holiday party. I promise to take many picture of the party and students opening their gifts which I will post on here.

Work

So another week of work has begun and this time it will be a full week. No more days off due to weather on the horizon. I am feeling tired and sluggish but need to shake that before I get to the school this afternoon. Today we are going to be talking about reducing our energy consumption, begin talking about Thanksgiving poetry, and then work in the garden or on some art things. This is going to be a very busy two hours especially since the students spend the first half hour on homework. I am afraid that the kids are going to be going a bit nuts and we will end up spending a lot of time with me waiting on them to stop talking to one another because they didn't have school on Friday and they don't have school tomorrow. Long weekends never make for a smooth transition back to learning and the thought that they will have tomorrow off wont help. But I have been surprised before so perhaps today will be one of those. They have these days off because it is the end of a grading period and tomorrow are parent teacher conferences. I enjoy working with these kids and like my job but at times it can be exhausting and difficult.

Halloween

On Wednesday we had a lot of trick-or-treaters stop by. It didn't take us long to run out of candy. I suppose we could have run back to Target for more candy but none of us had much money to spend on candy in the first place. Work this week was a bit crazy because of the canceled schools and on Thursday my students had an early out. I am looking forward to things returning to normal. The weather here is a lot colder since Sandy passed through. (Our house has turned on the heat) Corey has been kind enough to loan me his space heater as well. My room seems really drafty and cold since I have two north facing windows. I have spent today working on getting some paperwork done (loan differment and americorp stuff) and watching Netflix. Some of the house went down to the Mall to see some museums but I felt like I needed to get on that stuff and it just didn't sound like fun to wander in the cold. I realize that what I am calling cold (low 50's) most of you reading this would consider a nice crisp day. Well here in DC it went from low 80's to the low 50's in a span of about 2 or 3 days so I am still adjusting. Over all Sandy didn't do too much in the DC area. There were some areas that had power outtages but I think those have all been taken care of and other than smaller or dead limbs trees are in tact for the most part.

My foot has been doing well. I wear the boot (walking cast) during the day and take it off at night. My legs look like the belong to two different people from the knee down which is kind of freaky. My right leg has been getting stronger while my left leg, because of the boot, has been getting weaker. I feel like by the time I get out of this boot when I try to run I will just go in circles. Well I think that there may be another round of board game playing occuring soon so I have to run.

Hurricane Day!

So due to Hurricane Sandy my office is closed today and tomorrow which basically means I get to stay home, be warm, and watch netflix/read all day! Well, except for the list of work stuff which was e-mailed to me explaining a bunch of things they want me to work on from home. Luckily I don't expect these tasks to require too much of my time because some of them I did in the office on Friday. I guess I am just a harder worker than they thought. Since I have already started on the list this morning I put together a stew in the crockpot and I am in the process of baking bread. I have been looking forward to making bread for the last while but didn't have time until today. I really hope it turns out ok. The worst thing which could happen is for the power to go out before the stew is cooked and the bread is baked. I am not really worried though because so far it it raining outside but other than that it really isn't bad at all. There isn't even any wind. The metro is closed until further notice so everyone in our house is at home today. Our weekends seem to get busy and we have not yet had one where we just sit around home. Today is our opportunity to finally relax for a full day without leaving the house. Although a few of them did run to Giant (the grocery store) this morning because we discovered we are going to be out of toilet paper soon and none of us want that. They said that the store was completely sold out of milk and eggs. We have flashlights and lots of food so we aren't worried and I think that a few of us (myself included) are excited to see how bad this storm can get!

Laundry Day!

So at work we had been focusing a lot of our time and energy on an event that occured on Tuesday night. Now that it is finally over we have been given part of today off which mean I can spend my morning and part of the afternoon catching up on things like laundry. For the last three weeks or more we have been without a working washing machine so there has been a large pile collecting in my closet. On Tuesday we finally got it fixed so it has been in large demand the last few evenings. So now that I am able to be home during the day I am able to do mine! I have the third load currently in the wash and still have one more full load waiting to be done. It is amazing how many clothes I have here. I only had to resort to hand washing once over the last few weeks. I have also decided to make some baked oatmeal for us to eat over the weekend. It is fairly easy to make and I have realized that I really like it. That is probably due to the amount of brown sugar and oil which goes into it.

Since I am doing some house keeping stuff today I have realized that one thing I need to do is upload some photos on here which are long overdue. There are some in here from our retreat, some from sight seeing around DC, some from my mom's visit, and some from the school where I work.

 

These are from one of our walks through the woods during retreat. We ended up taking a "short cut" meaning we were lost, wandered down a really steep and long hill side and found our trail once more. We found some chairs made from stones and Keith attempted to cross the creek on an unsturdy log. He didn't get hurt, but gave up before getting very far. We then found the river and hung out there for awhile.

 

Here are some of my sight seeing pictures. (Me and Anne in front of the White House)

 

Because of alge growing in the reflecting pool they drained it and scrubbed it out. Before they refilled it people discovered that it is a nice place to hangout - that is until the police come along and yell at everyone to get out. Here are some before and after shots.

 

And a few pictures of Mom and me at the WWII memorial. It looks really cool with all the fountains going. There was also a group of vetrans from one of the Honor Flights there.

 

And lastly a few pictures of the students I work with. They are working in our garden beds at the school. We have 5 beds.

 

In the future I will try to stay more up to date on pictures. Some of these are from a month or more ago. 

 

Healing

My mom was thoughtfull enough to send me my sister's walking cast from back when she had a much worse break in her ankle/foot and I have decided that I am sick of those crutches so I am now in the walking cast. My foot does not bother me at all, but my heel and ankle feel weird since I haven't been using them for over a week. My splint didn't hold my ankle at a 90* angle which it was supposed to so now it is stiff and a bit sore because now it is being forced into that angle. I have only used this walking cast for the last few hours but it is amazing how much easier it is to get around. I took the simple act of walking for granted for so long and this last week has taught me some much needed humility and gratitude. The simple act of walking to the metro station (two blocks) would leave me winded and sweaty. My sides are beginning to be worn raw by the crutches which is why this walking cast is my new best friend.

Last night our house went to the DC United game (soccer). DC won in the final minutes of the game! It was a great game and worth the long walk but I was beat by the time we got home. Today Anne, Cara, and I went to house church which would normally be about a 15 to 20 minute walk but it took us at least half an hour or more to get there due to my slow progress and sore muscles. We were lucky enough to recieve a ride back to our house though which really saved a lot of time and energy. At church there was also a table of some free books so our house now has a few more cookbooks which is always exciting. Some of us have decided to try cooking new things throughout this year and since we each cook about four meals a month for the house we should be getting quite the variety going on. I have discovered that the crockpot is for sure one of the handiest inventions. The fix it and forget it cookbook which Mom brought out for me has already been used by several of us in the house. I didn't cook this last week (it just happened to be my week off) and I didn't realize that I would miss the kitchen but since I haven't been in there much at all as of late I am kind of looking forward to cooking and possibly baking now that I can move around more freely. I have really been craving some homemade bread so I think that is going to be first on my menu this week!

Broken Foot

I am sure that many people have already heard but I have in fact broken my foot. On Friday evening I was riding on a crowded metro train and when the train jerked a guy lost his balance and stepped on my foot. Well more like stomped. He apologized and I figured that it would be bruised but not a big deal. As the evening went on I realized that it was really swelling up a lot and I couldn't walk on it anymore. So Saturday I went to the ER and the x-ray proved that in fact I have a fracture on one of my metatarsals. Everything is still in alignment so they put it in a splint and sent me home with crutches and instructions not to put any weight on it. Getting around the city with these things is a huge pain and my foot still swells up to three times its natural size anytime I am standing or walking for more than a minute but there isn't really any pain so long as I don't put any weight on it. I was able to get an appointment at the orthopedic surgery center at the hospital next Tuesday (this was the earliest available time) so we will see what they say. Perhaps I'll end up with a cast but I am really hoping for a walking cast. So please keep me in your prayers as I heal.

Birthday Stuff

This week has been a lot of fun. Work has been going well and I didn't have any big discipline issues at the school. Tuesday I went to Corey's apartment for dinner. He had cooked for me and we watched a movie he gave me for my birthday. I have recieved a handful of cards and a fun package from a fun aunt! (Thanks Marlinda) Last night my house gave me my birthday present from them. There were 5 boxes of nerds and office supplies in my gift bag. I guess they have caught on to what candies I like! They also informed me that I am going to be taken out to dinner tonight. Apparently Mom thought that her gift of cash to me needed to be subsidized with a nice meal out with my house. So tonight on her instructions our house is going to eat out at The Heights which is just down the street. I am really looking forward to some delicious fries. Thanks Mom!

Mom's Visit

My mom has been here since Wednesday and we have been having a lot of fun. I had to go into work Wednesday and Thursday so she had to entertain herself but it seems she managed just fine. On Wed. she painted most of my room while I was gone. She ran out of paint after a two walls and the ceiling so we went to the store and bought more and finished that evening. My room looks ten times better. I love it! (I will make sure to post a few pictures within the next few days) On Thursday while I was working she visited the memorials and some museums. On Friday we got quite the work out while out and about. We got to visit the Captial and the White House. While we were waiting in line to get in we saw Bo nearby (Obama's dog). He was on a walk with one of the staff people. We walked to the Martin Luther King and Jefferson Memorials and went to Arlington Cemetery. I also had to go into work for a little between the Capital and the White House. We figured that in all we walked about 5 miles or more. Our feet and legs were getting sore by the end of the day. We took it easier on Saturday and only saw a few museums and monuments. There was a group from the Twin Cities at the World War II memorial from one of the honor flights and it was neat to watch them all look around. Right now the reflecting pool is empty because they had to drain it and clean out all the algie. There were people walking and riding bikes and skate boarding through it until a police officer on a motor cycle came and yelled at them all to get out. It was an interesting sight to see. Today we have been pretty lazy and have been laying around for the most part. I finally unpacked the suit case mom brought for me with all my winter stuff in it but other than that and a trip to Target we have been sitting around.

Public Transit

The metro system here in DC is currently undergoing some major track work which means major delays. On weekends there are fewer trains going already and with this track work there are even more delays on some lines. This hadn't really been an issue for me until this weekend. On Saturday we were going to go to Eastern Market to see their new community center in the old naval hospital but when we saw that the next train would be 20 minutes we decided to take the circulator. These are buses that stop less frequently have more limited routs and are cheaper. In order to get to Eastern Market we had to make two transfers. Luckily for us these weren't too long of waits but I think it still took us close to an hour to get there.
Today we decided to go to Washington Community Fellowship for church (this is in the South East). Us girls walked out the door at 9:10 in order to take the bus to the 10:00 service. It should have taken us 40 minutes to get there according to Google. The first bus came right on time, but when it came time to transfer to the next bus we waited over half an hour. Finally around 9:50 we got on the bus. After about 10 minutes we got a call from Keith. He and Leah (his girlfriend who is visiting this weekend) got a ride to the church with a friend and turns out that the church is on retreat this weekend so nothing is going on there. We decided to get off the bus and find a metro. The plan was to go to Hyattesvill Mennonite (up in Maryland) instead since they don't start until 11:30. We used Alisha's smart phone to locate a metro stop nearby. I still don't know what went wrong but we either walked right past it or that map was somehow wrong/we were lost. After walking for about 10 minutes we realized this and decided rather than go back and wonder around we could just go another 5 or 6 blocks and find a different stop that is on the line we would need so there would be no transfers. We finally got into the metro station and had to wait about 15 minutes for the next train. After the train ride and walking at least a mile I would guess we were at the church at 11:25. After church, due to a bit of miss communication and confusion over rides the four of us MVS girls ended up going to the Noord's for ice cream. All in all we didn't get back home until just after 3. I am beginning to really wish I had a car here even though there is no way I could possibly afford it and wouldn't actually want to drive much here because traffic is crazy. Having to rely on public transit is teaching me a lot of patience I guess.

Another week already!

Wow, I can't believe how fast the last week has gone. I started running the after school program at Cesar Chavez Prep last week. It is a DC public charter middle school. The community is really strong and I am really excited to be in the school. I feel like there are a lot of faculty and staff who are supportive of the after school program and they seem to really know the students and care about them. Like any school there are some kids who are more of a handfull than others but I think that I have a really great group of kids overall. We have had some issues with getting our numbers up but I think that it should be evening out over the next week. Today we had three times the number of kids we had last Monday. Over the next few weeks I think that I am going to learn a lot about what works with these kids and how to get through to them.

This weekend I was able to see the Nationals' game on Friday and DC United's game on Sunday. I feel like I am becoming thoroughly immersed in DC sports. Unfortunately the Nats lost, but United won so I guess it all evens out. Next Saturday I am planning on walking around the National Mall/the Memorials. I guess I'll just plan out the itinerary for Mom's visit next week. I am pleased to say that I am still really enjoying myself and the city. That said it will be nice to see someone from home. I have been away for over a month now! It is strange to realize that I won't be home until Christmas.

Thanks

I just want to say thanks to everyone who has supported me in various ways during the last month. I have been very blessed to have the opportunity to do a year of service and I know that it would not be possible without the financial and prayerful support of family and friends. Yesterday was my first day leading the after school program at Cesar Chavez Prep. The students are great and I know that I will enjoy this position a lot in the coming year. Without the support I have received I would not have met these great kids and be working for an organization that is doing so much good in this community. So thank you!

Retreat

Today our house returned from our weekend retreat to Rolling Ridge. We stayed in a cabbin in the West Virginia woods/mountains. It was great being out of the city for a bit. We left Friday afternoon and spent the weekend playing games, hiking, doing a puzzle, sleeping, and working on our house covenant. On Saturday morning I sat on our pourch sipping tea and looking out at the hills/trees when I heard a farmer calling his cows. I had no idea my dad's cattle call was a common thing but I heard it out in the middle of no-where clear as day. It made me miss home and having open space. We could also see the stars which is not possible in a city. I am enjoying my time here but I realized that it has been a month now since I have been in Iowa. That is a rather long time and I still have the rest of the year ahead of me. I am trying to adjust to thinking of the MVS house as my home but there are aspects of the midwest that I miss.

For church today we joined Community House Church for their service since they were at a different lodge at Rolling Ridge. We took along some chili for the potluck at lunch. Following the service we played some games and ate with the members. They also sent all their leftovers from the weekend home with us. We ended up with like a week's worth of groceries. We are all very excited because 1. we don't have to spend nearly as much on groceries this week and 2. we are going to be eating leftovers which means less cooking for all of us.

Acclimation

This week it has really hit me that I am really beginning to know this city. Using public transportation is no big deal and I am able to find a new place based only on an address. The noise outside my window no longer wakes me up all the time either. Work has been going smoothly as well. I am able to keep busy and get things accomplished without asking questions every few minutes. Today I was able to visit Chavez Prep where I will be in charge of the Kid Power after school program. The students seem great and the school community is strong. The staff are extremely helpful. Just walking through the halls and observing classrooms I was reminded once again that I really love middle schoolers and I can't wait to work with them.

Last weekend our house went out on Friday night and explored U street. There was a salsa band playing at one place so we checked it out. Alisha was the only one who really knew how to dance and she had a lot of fun there. On Saturday we were going to go to one of the Jazz festivals going on just outside the district but right as we were getting ready to leave a storm hit. We were glad that we weren't out in the weather but it was disappointing to not be able to go to the festivals. We spent the day inside and watched a movie. On Sunday we went to Community House Church which meets at Mary's Center which is about a 15-20 minute walk away. It was great to meet the folks there and they were very welcoming and friendly. After church us girls went to the Adam's Morgan Festival. There were a ton of craft/artisan booths set up which we explored and some live music. It was a beautiful day so it was nice to be out and about. Later we had a progressive dinner. We went from house to house meeting all our support committee and eating one course of the meal at each house. It was a long night but really fun. It was a great way to get to know everyone.

Time Flies

I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday. Between work and . . . well . . . work I haven't seemed to do much of anything this week. I found some posters for the UNHCR in the basement and now they are in my room. So they are slowly getting closer to being put on my walls. On Monday I did laundry and so now of course it is all sitting nicely folded in my laundry basket where it will patiently wait until I finally get around to putting it away. It is so humid here that some of the clothes I hung up to dry weren't actually dry until Wednesday evening. Everyday it is hot and sticky. I find myself longing for the cool crisp fall of the midwest. Tonight I made baked chicken and potatoes for dinner. It was so hot in that kitchen that I have vowed to resist cooking anything requiring the oven again until the weather changes and it is at least 20 degrees cooler outside. Since we each take a turn cooking one meal a week and it probably won't really cool off for another month or so that leaves me in a bind because I can't think of anything to make. So I am asking for suggestions. Please give me ideas (the easier and cheaper the ingredients the better)!

This week at work Alisha and I revised some of the Veggie Time curriculum. Veggie Time is when kids learn about plants and the environment. We finished that up so now we have been working on some posters and we spent most of yesterday making photocopies of various things for use at the different locations. Today I organized some binders and then spent the rest of the day searching for bills and legislation that affects students. I was able to find three which I then summarized and created an activity for students to complete based on the bill. Reading through all that legal stuff takes a lot of concentration. I have been told that hopefully by tomorrow or at the latest Monday, we will know what school we will each be at. I will most likely be a Cesar Chavez Prep. It is a middle school. Once I know for sure I am going to be able to spend some time getting my materials together and preparing things for my students. That will be way better than doing random odd jobs.

Friday night our house went to the Nationals v. Cardinals games since we were able to find cheap enough tickets. It was a lot of fun, really hot, but a lot of fun despite the fact that the Cardinals were thoroughly defeated. We were all pretty exhausted from the week so we basically went straight to bed when we got back from the game.



 This is our house from left to right it is Alisha Bender (from Pitsburg), Cara Smith (from Kansas), me, Keith Suter (from Ohio), and Ann Schrag (from South Dakota).

On Saturday we spent the day cleaning for the most part. We had planned on going to a blues festival but after spending probably 4 hours cleaning our kitchen, some of the back yard, and all the floors on the first level we were all spent and decided to just make some smoothies and play games the rest of the night. For recent college grads we are pretty boring.

 

We cleaned out and organized all our cabinets, the fridge, and the deep freezer. There were several things we still don't know what they are even after defrosting them and apparently we are set for flour for the next full year.

Since we discovered several containers of frozed fruit making smoothies just made sense.



 

Here are some pictures of where I am living this year. We are located just down the street from Target, Bestbuy, Marshalls, and a number of other handy stores. (My room is the top two front windows)

 

Here is looking down our block.

 

This is our kitchen and dining room.



 

In the evenings we have been playing games here after eating.

Now for my bedroom (please excuse the mess) . . .

 

 

For those of you who know where I was living last semester this room is gigantic in comparison. Also it is really drab and has a really bad paint job so I am hoping to hit up some thrift stores to find some interesting frames or art pieces. 



Kid Power

Well I have begun working at Kid Power but so far it has been a little dis-jointed. On Monday it was almost as if they weren't ready for us to start. There was a lot of stuff (games, art supplies, gym equipment, yoga mats, etc.) piled in the office because the summer camps had recently ended and they hadn't gotten around to sorting it all out so there wasn't really anywhere for us (Alisha and me) to be. By the end of the day some of the other staff had begun sorting through the pile and organizing the items. They gave us random tasks like making calenders on posters and grading pre and post tests from the summer camps. On Tuesday we didn't go to our jobs because we had an Urban Safety seminar in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. It was close enough to walk to so after lunch our house walked over there together. There were two other groups in this seminar with us. One was a volunteer group like ours and the other was an EMU/Bluffton semester group. The students are here for internships. It was nice to meet other young people in the city. The seminar was more than just telling us how to avoid dangerous situations but rather how to be proactive in our neighborhoods and make the city as a whole safer. We were also shown techniques to use in the event of a robbery or how to twist your wrist so that anyone holding on to your arm lets go. It was pretty interesting and the lady who led it was full of great stories. After the seminar we ate pizza which was great because it was pizza and free! Then we went for a long walk as a house along with a few of the EMU/Bluffton students. By the time we got home we were all beat but since it was still early we played rook. I had never played before and neither had Anne or Cara so it was an interesting learning experience for all of us.

Today when we got to the office it was a completely different atmosphere. All of the summer camp stuff was gone and there were two desks made up for Alisha and me. We began working on the calenders but were then given a pile of documents that we needed to attend to. Since we are going to be in DC public schools we need background checks completed and TB tests. We were then sent off (around 10:30) on what turned out to be a very long scavenger hunt of sorts across the city. First we were going to get some papers notarized, but they wouldn't accept my temporary Iowa license. So after being at the bank for around 45 minutes we left with only Alisha's papers notarized. We went back to our place to get my passport and then stoped by some local banks to see if we could get my papers notarized there, and of course none of them had their notary in today, so we went to the CVS to see if we could get our TB tests done. And no, they don't do that at our local CVS. So next we went on a 30-45 min metro ride to Tenlytown to their CVS where they have a Minute Clinic. By now it was about 12:30. We left the clinic at 1:30 and headed back to China Town (where the office is) and went back to the first bank to get my papers notarized. It was about 2:10 by the time we got back to the office and were finally able to eat our lunches. We ate quickly because we went with one of the other staffers to a Bi-lingual Montisori school for their Kid Power after school program. The kids were wild. They didn't really listen when the adults talked and were constantly roaming the room or playing with random stuff. This seems to be the norm at this placement. I am glad that I won't be there for the whole year. But I will probably be back several times over the next few weeks. It is really nice to be able to see how these programs generally run but I hope the kids I am with are more accustomed to listening to adults and staying focused. The last of the kids was picked up around 6 and we left soon after. We got back to the house around 6:30 and I was feeling ready for bed. Instead of going straight to bed we all ate and talked about meals for next week. We played a game of dutch blitz as well before all retiring to our rooms. I am feeling very tired after these last few days so I need to get to bed.

Hello from D.C.

I have finally made it to my new home for the next year. It is such a relief to finally be here and be moved in. Today the final member of our unit (Alisha) arrived and is in the process of getting settled. I myself got to the house around 1am on Saturday morning after traveling for the previous 12 hours. I found some sheets, made my bed, unpacked enough to find my pjs and went to bed. Yesterday was spent unpacking my belonging which I had mailed here (yes everything arrived and nothing was damaged) and dusting and sweeping my new room. Ann and I also made a grocery run in the afternoon. Things are more expensive in the city so we made sure to check for sales. We ended up getting more than we planned (big surprise) and then had to carry it all the two blocks back to our house. Next time we will make sure to take the little cart. Our local contact person took Ann and me on a short walk around the neighborhood later on. It was nice to see the area and we found a park a few blocks away which I am sure we will use frequently. Two members of our unit arrived Saturday afternoon and evening (Keith and Cara).

Today the four of us who were here went to Hyettsville Mennonite Church. When we got there we saw that the church was under construction and there was a sign that they were meeting at a different church for the time being. There was an address but since none of us have a smart phone or know the area that didn't help us. Keith was able to call someone who was able to find directions online so we made it in time for the service. There were a lot of friendly people there and we all felt very welcomed. We were even invited to one member's house for ice cream following the service which was very tasty and greatly appreciated. It gave us the opportunity to get to know a few members a little better. We were also given a ride back to our house! I don't think we could have asked for a nicer treat. Most of us spent the rest of the day cleaning/scrubbing (not sure if the group before us cleaned or dusted anything before leaving) or unpacking. It is great to have such a big house with lots of space until you realize it is up to us to now clean all of this. I am happy to say that the third floor (where I live) has been completely scrubbed top to bottom and there is no longer a ring around the bathtub or tufts of dust in the corners.

There is still more to say, but I am starting at Kid Power tomorrow and I am afraid that I should be getting to bed. I will also try and post some photos of my new place when I get the chance.

Community

The last few days have been filled with seminars. We have been focusing on what it means to live in community as well as why we should live in community. I have enjoyed the conversations. In American society today we are taught to be individuals and care for ourselves. This is not what God has called us to. We are to live together, sharing with the sick and widdowed. I am excited to get to know the area where I will be living this next year and learn what kind of community it is. Each community is different and has its own obstacles and challenges. We spent time on Monday and Tuesday talking about race and what being a race means. We did this by looking at our own race. What does it mean for me to be a white female living in America? How did I learn how to be a white female here? When you are in the majority you are not confronted with these questions but it is important to explore their answers so that we can better understand ourselves as well as others.

Today we spent time looking at our own personalities and how they influence the way our house will live in community. It was really interesting to discover more about myself as well as learn about my new house mates. We have already begun some great dialogue and I look forward to continuing it. This week is going by quickly. On the one hand I wish it was longer because I have met some really great people who are doing a term in a different part of the country, but on the other hand I am so excited to get to D.C., move in, and start my new job. 

San Antonio

Well I have made it to orientation. After beginning my day at 3:30am I am finally laying in a bed once again. Ten hours of travel on not much sleep is just about zero fun. On two of my flights I woke up during take off, fell right back to sleep, and then woke while we were landing. So no drinks and snacks for me. I have met a lot of other MVSers, though I don't know if I can remember most of their names yet. My house mates seem like a lot of fun which makes me look forward to moving in all that much more. During orientation we are staying in the San Antonio Mennonite Church. I'm not sure when it was built, but it was a long time ago. It is a neat building and even though it isn't that big I keep getting turned around in here. I think it is because there are two stair cases which turn and there aren't really hallways, just rooms that branch off one another. Tonight we had pizza when I got here (a little late but I blame the bus). There are some cooks down here who came down from I'm not sure where just to cook so I am excited to see what they make for breakfast tomorrow. This week looks like it is going to be busy and like I said, I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm afraid I'm going to keep this post short.

Just over 30 hours til take off

I can't believe that I will be leaving my parent's home in just under 30 hours and most likely will not be back for a very long time. I have no idea what my holiday schedule will look like so it is very possible that I won't be back until Christmas and then only for a short time. Even though it seems unreal and hasn't quite set in I am still excited. I mailed 3 boxes to my future address today which makes it seem a little more real. Two of them were kinda heavy (about 15 and 35 lbs), but one was just 6 lbs shy of needing the "HEAVY" sticker on it. (That is required of all packages at and above 70 lbs.) Seems strange to total up the weight of everything I am going to be watching (DVDs), reading, and wearing during the next year. My biggest fear now is that one of the boxes will burst open during transit and who knows if they would be able to find everything after it all goes flying. I swear if you cut the tape it would act like a jack-in-the-box.

I want to thank everyone who responded to my letter. I feel very blessed to have such supportive people in my life. I appreciate all the prayers and notes. This next year is going to be very different but I have always looked forward to changes as exciting and new. As my uncle Merle pointed out tonight he is "happy to see me go because it is going to be a new adventure." It will be a lot of fun being in a city and especially exciting since I am going to be in DC during the election process. So many changes are waiting just around the corner and I don't know if I should just try to slow down and enjoy my last day here or bite my nails waiting in anticipation for what will come. One thing I am certain of is I am not scared. I don't really know how to describe it other than just a feeling of peace. It is like I know I am doing the right thing and God has removed all doubt from my mind. Romans 8:28 just keeps running through my mind, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Perhaps there is a higher purpose to what I will be doing this next year, more than simply tutoring students. I truely and deeply hope that I am able to touch even one student's life in a positive way.

Only one week left

In one week from today I will be in Texas meeting the other MVSers! And a week after that I will be settling into the DC MVS house. It doesn't seem like enough time to get everything done. I still have a few days left of work and I haven't hardly begun to pack anything. It is hard to know what I will need for a year of service. I don't want to take too much but when I don't really know what to expect it is hard not to over pack. These last few days and weeks it seems like I have just been waiting to get out to DC. I can't wait to move in and get familiar with the city. It is going to be a lot different than living in rural Iowa but I am ready for some change in my life. It is really nice to know that I will be living in the same place for a full year. No more of this moving every four months. I am sure that through all the moving of the last four years I have lost and misplaced many of my belongings. I am also excited to get to DC because this is the first thing I'm really doing since finishing college. Of course I am going to be supported by a lot of people but I am going to be working full time and on my own. I still can't quite believe that I am completely finished with school and wont be returning to classes and papers and exams this fall. I might actually have some free time!

I have a placement!

So it is now official I am going to be working at Kid Power Inc. this next year. I am going to be a middle school site director so I will be working with students in after school programs. This organization sounds like it does a lot of good and I can't wait to be part of it. There are still a lot of unknowns reguarding this next year, but at least I know what job I will have. I have still not really packed anything but I am feeling much more motivated these days since I will be leaving in just over two weeks. Since I am mailing everything to DC I have to put everything in boxes. It really makes you realize how much you have when you are forced to pack it all up and organize it. Trying to decide what to take and what to get ride of and what to keep for "later" is more challenging than it should be and I know that I am saving more than I should be.

I am not quite sure what to expect living in DC with other VSers but I am excited. I know that it wont always be easy but I am looking forward to the challenges because they will force me to grow as a person. I feel like I am young and still have lots to learn and what better setting than living in a very urban setting with other Christians. We will be able to support one another as well as challenge one another's thinking. I am ready to move out of my parent's house (hopefully for good) and get the post college part of my life started.

Still unknown . . .

So there is still no definite placement for me out in Washington. Turns out that FLOC is set for volunteers for the next year so now there is a new search taking place. It is still planned that whatever the placement is I will be using my teaching skills there so that is hopeful. One possibility is Academy of Hope. I would be getting adults ready to take the GED, go back to school or get a job earning a living wage. At this point I still am hopeful that I can find a position working with children rather than adults, but perhaps this is where I am meant to be. I am trying to be open to all possibilities since I am honestly not sure what is going to happen over the next year. There are many things I am unsure of and I am handing them all over to God. I have decided I am tired of spending energy worrying so I am just going to leave all that up to Him.

I have been keeping very busy and summer is flying by. I will be leaving for MVS orientation in San Antonio, Texas in just over a month. It seems like I only just moved home and already I need to start repacking and organizing all my stuff! (This might be a good opportunity for me to sort through all my stuff and take a load to Crowded Closet) I have learned that there is an organization For Love of Children (FLOC) which I may be working at this next year. There are two possible placements there one of which would be more administrative and in the other I would be more directly involved with the students. It looks like I would be working with high schoolers getting them ready for SAT/ACT tests and other college related stuff. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun and I really hope this all works out.

Introductions

Thus far my life has been simple. The hardest decision I have had to make was what college to attend, and lets face it, it wasn't like I was short of great options. Now I am a college graduate with a fancy degree and teaching certificate and a whole world of possibilities. The only thing is these endless possibilities also come with a pile of responsibilities. The real world has caught up with me and now I must face it head-on. I am spending, possibly my last, summer living at home in Iowa and working as a Mother's Helper for a family in Iowa City. It is a great summer job that keeps me busy working close to full time. Every cent I make counts and I have been working hard to save my earnings because starting in the fall I am going to be quitting this job and doing volunteer work for a year. I am going to be working with MVS in Washington, D.C. I do not yet know what agency I will be working with or what exactly I'll be doing, but at least I know where I will be. My mind is no longer consumed with thoughts of the unknown future. I know that my God has a plan and a future in mind for me and while it is difficult at times I am trying to simply follow His guidance and enjoy the ride.