Monday, November 22, 2010

Thanksgiving!!!

Every time we remember to say "thank you",

we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.

-- Sarah Ban Breathnach

As Thanksgiving nears and I prepare to leave to spend some time at Chautauqua, I find myself doing a lot of reflecting on the adventures of the past year and the many opportunities for adventures in the year to come.

This past year has been one of change and challenge but also a lot of things to be thankful for.

· I am thankful for the Jr. Boulevarsity and the community we formed watching 16 & Pregnant and eating PB and apples

· I am thankful for the communities that I continue to be a part of from a distance.

· I am thankful for the growth of Interfaith at Luther and the opportunity to have been a part of that.

· I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Chautauqua community for the summer.

· I am thankful for the people who pushed me outside my comfort zone and help that area become my comfort zone

· I am thankful for the Chicago Center and their commitment to cultural learning

· I am thankful to have been a part of IFYC and One Chicago, One Nation

· I am thankful for families, both the one I was born into and ones that I have formed.

· I am thankful for Luther College Campus Ministries and the fantastic staff there.

· I am thankful for intentional community.

· I am thankful for shared laughter and tears.

· I am thankful for affirmation that arrive when most needed

· I am thankful for pen pals.

· I am thankful for my CERP, and to have her back in this country!

· I am thankful for communities with wide open arms

· I am thankful for the challenges that have made me a stronger person.

· I am thankful for friends willing to spend their fall break taking care of me and visiting me in NJ.

· I am thankful for the giant paper people hanging on my wall.

All in all, through all the tears, laughs, challenges, comforts and growth provoking of the past year, there have been a lot of things to be grateful for.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Proper Steps

I only do this until I get dizzy

& then I lay down on my back

& watch the clouds,

she said.

It sounds simple

but you won't believe

how many people forget the second part.

~StoryPeople (Proper Steps)

I sat there watching her get frustrated. The computer was running too slow and won’t do what she needed it to. It was a struggle I had watched several times in the past. Then I asked what seemed to be the obvious question “Have you tried shutting down the computer lately?” and the response came “I don’t like shutting things down.” With that comment, I started to laugh. Not because of any humor in the actually statement, but more because of the irony in the situation.

At the time, both the person uttering these comments and myself had been sick off and on for a period of time and where not running at full capacity. Much like the computers that were not running at full capacity because we had not recently shut down.

Having been in Jersey for almost three months, things have been a bit crazy and a bit draining at times. Working with kids every day, forming a new living community and learning the layout of a new area has meant a lot of time getting dizzy and less time laying down and watching the clouds.

In the past month I have had two fantastic opportunities to watch the clouds. The first was hanging out at Camp Carol Joy Holling in NE for the CSLYOPs conference.

The second was this past weekend we had a retreat as an intern group at Bradley Beach. It was an opportunity for the 8 of us to be in a place together for an extended period of time. We got the chance to run around the beach, play sports, sing songs, and in many ways simply be with one another. It was simply a beautiful place and a fantastic time. A great chance to take the proper steps-lay down and watch the clouds.

If you would like to pictures of our beach adventures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074671&id=59203733&l=3780a79154

Sunday, November 7, 2010

For the beauty of this Earth

T­he feel of the crisp autumn air. The color of leaves turning for the fall season. The still silence interrupt by the chorus of birds and falling leaves. The feel of the cold earth under my bare feet. Indeed, Camp Carol Joy Holling in Nebraska is a beautiful place.

While most people in the New York City area where getting ready for the Halloween Festivities, I was heading to Nebraska to meet up with Pr. Amy Zalk-Larson and Aaidha Majdhy to do a presentation on Religious Pluralism and Compassionate Listening and Responding for the Council of Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Presidents. From Thursday, October 28th until Sunday October 31st, I had the opportunity to hang out with the awesome youth leaders of the ELCA and their chaperones, plus a fantastic worship band and the other wonderful presenters.

Pr. Amy, Aaidha and I did our presentation twice on Friday for a grand total of almost forty people (just about 20 in each session). During our time, it was great to get a chance to see the young adults of today’s church find a way to step outside themselves and work to expand their horizons. They were willing to sit and learn about a counter-cultural way of being in conversation with another that involves deeply listening and asking open honest questions.

On Friday afternoon, I got to participate in their high ropes course, which was a great chance to push myself outside of my comfort zone in yet another way.

Saturday all 7 of the presenters sat on a panel together to answer any questions that the participants may have. There were a lot of fantastic questions and it led to a very emotional panel with lots of shared tears and laughter.

After the panel on Saturday, we enjoyed another fantastic meal and browsed through the gift shop. As I browsed I had made mention of wanting one of the Lutheran Chick mugs but bemoaned the fact that I did not have any cash. While saying good-bye to Aaidhya and Pr. Amy, who had to return to Luther, the bass from the worship band wandered by and handed me a bag from the gift shop. He had purchased the mug for me and offered it to me as a gift.

Aside from being a huge honor to be a part of, the weekend was also a fantastic time for me to disconnect from my world of technology and instant access to all and reconnect with a dear friend, make new friends and simply breath. During the time I was there, I experience amazingly beautiful hospitality and genuine warmth.

Sunday morning before I had to leave, I got up to watch the sunrise at Inspiration Point. It was truly a beautiful inspiration and reminder of the beauty of creation.

Friday, October 22, 2010

God Series

I apologize for my delay of almost a full month in getting a new blog post. These past three weeks have been a bit hectic. For the first weeks of this month I was getting sick with a frustrating frequency and the last round landed me in the hospital for an afternoon just about 2 weeks ago. It wasn't anything serious and fortunately hasn't happened since but the doctors think I might have developed a lactose intolerance.

About the same time I started getting sick my boss was hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism. She has since been released but is still not back at work. So life is a bit crazy at work.

To add to the chaotic-ness of life, I have had about 4 different blog ideas mulling around in my head, so this is the first of those thoughts and reflections that I will hopefully getting posted within the next couple of weeks.

This past Friday we had a continuing education day focused on spiritual direction. During the day, our leader asked us to reflect on a “God Moment” in our lives. This is a moment where we have been aware of how God has worked in our lives-be in a big or small way.

As I prepare to head to Nebraska to present about Interfaith week at the Council of Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Presidents, I found myself reflecting on how it is that I have arrived at this place in my life and thought I would share this with you.

As you are all aware, I spent this past spring semester completing my Social Work Practicum at Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago. It was a fantastic semester. Towards the end of this semester as I was sitting in the lunch room at IFYC talking with one of my co-workers. We started talking about how it was that I had found myself at IFYC. While I had always said it was because I had heard Eboo speak at Luther and been a part of one of their trainings.

He, however, mentioned that this was probably not the whole story, because there was a reason that Eboo had come to Luther. Eboo had come to Luther because several months prior to his coming to Luther, somebody in the administration had decided to give a survey to the Luther community. When the results of this survey came in, somebody looked at the results and decided that Luther needed to pay more attention to Religious Pluralism.

This decision was taken seriously. The freshmen were required to Acts of Faith, Eboo came to deliver the opening convocation message and an IFYC trainer came to do a Religious Pluralism training for leaders in College Ministries. Because of this series of events, I ended up at IFYC in Chicago.

Continuing this series of events, while at IFYC , I found out I was not accepted into the ELCA’s Young Adult in Global Mission program. Because I no longer knew what I was doing in the fall, I had to begin making new plan. During this time, I happened to stay at the office late one night at which point one of my co-workers invited me to apply to spend the summer at Chautauqua Institution. Because of my relationship with IFYC, I was accepted to spend the summer as the Christian Coordinator for the Abrahamic Program for Young Adults.

This was a fantastic summer, and the flexibility of the summer allowed me to have time to send out my resume and job application to a variety of random programs, including the Episcopal Service Corps. I was also able to schedule an interview with the NEWARKACTS branch of the ESC and accept a position with them.

In many ways, I am here because sometime previous to last fall, somebody at Luther College decided to make Religious Pluralism at Luther a priority. This isn’t so much a God moment, but a God series and the many ways God has worked through a variety of unexpected “Yeses” and “No’s” in my life.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Wine Barrel of Life

“I hope you fall into this wine barrel (this book) and crawl out legally drunk, and get arrested for doing something that makes God proud of you, like being too happy.” (Ladinsky, 2002, p. xii)

“Go for it , baby; set the world on fire if you can, kick ass for the Beloved with some great art” (Ladinsky, 2002, p. xiv)

As I read these words in the introduction to Daniel Ladinsky’s Love Poems From God, I found myself finding a new way to look at my hopes for the upcoming year. While I would never consider myself an artistic person, I hope that I can live my life in a way that would be considered art. The art of loving, laughing and dancing.

I also hope that I can fall into this wine barrel of a year and crawl out legally drunk with joy and happiness, making God proud of the work I do and the life I live.

Last spring I blogged about WWJD, not as What Would Jesus Do but as Where Will Joy Develop. So, in this new space and adventure, I want to take a moment to share some of the joys that I am enjoying drinking in:

  • · Joy develops in hanging out with my 3 amazing roomates and the 4 other fantastic interns
  • · Joy develops in the joy of the children I work with in simple science experiements
  • · Joys develops in enjoying the beauty of the NYC skyline
  • · Joy develops in the adventures of the boys, aka my roomies, in the kitchen
  • · Joy develops in free tickets in to the Yankees games
  • · Joy develops in dancing at a random Italian festival
  • · Joy develops in knowing that I live less than a mile from TLC’s Cake Boss
  • · Joy develops in going to see the Statue of Liberty
  • · Joy develops in beautiful weather and sunshine
  • · Joy develops in the anticipation of seeing people I love
  • · Joy develops in receiving letters and finding new cards to send
  • · Joy develops in meeting up with Diane in NYC for the San Gennaro Festival
  • · Joy develops in finding a wonderful thrift store
  • · Joy develops in growing in community at a new church
  • · Joy develops in preparing to do an Interfaith Presentation in Nebraska
  • · Joy develops in knowing that that the little one is doing well and flourishing at college

If you would like to see some more of the place that joy has developed: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067363&id=59203733&l=4d7c1dfd09

Also, I recommend you check out Love Poems from God. It is a phenomenal book with some amazing poetry from a variety of different traditions.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Fire! Nope, never mind-just a malfunctioning smoke dector

The gut-retching sound pierced the air of our house, resembling a squawking and squeeling siren. As I gathered my wits about me, I realized that the sound was our lovely smoke detector. Out of sheer habitat, I grabbed keys, shoes and phone running to check the alarm to attempt to shut it off before running outside.

At this point there are two facts that will help explain this story. The first is that I currently live about a block from a hospital. The second is that our house is technically a part of the hospital’s property. This also means that our alarm is routed through the hospital.

So as the loud squawking siren is continuing to blare in our house, I run to the hospital to let them know our alarm is going off. One of the security guys comes back over with me, while radioing to his counterparts in the hospital. He goes running into the house. Shortly after, we hear sirens coming towards our house five fire trucks worth of sirens. Turns out those sirens for us.

Except rather than coming to our house, the trucks headed directly for the hospital. Security headed out to sort that out. Mind you, we now have our fire alarm and the fire trucks siren going off in a seeming competition to be the loudest.

Once the firemen figured out where they actually need to be, 4 of the 5 trucks headed home and the three in the other truck jumped out in full gear to investigate our clearly not on fire house.

Once they cleared there were some questions about what we had been doing prior to the alarm going off. There seemed to be no good reason for it to go off and everything was ok.

So everybody headed their separate ways and my roomies and I headed into the house to go to sleep. And that was our adventures of Tuesday night.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Everything's Changing

Just because every thing's changing

Doesn't mean it's never been this way before

All you can do is try to know

Who your friends are as you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon

And follow the light

~The Call (Regina Spektor)

As I sat in my new office, listening to my Regina Spektor/Ingrid Michaelson playlist, I heard these lyrics in a way that I never had before. The year has been a year of everything changing. Since January of this month I have called 5 different zipcodes home-Cresco(52316), Decorah(52101), Chicago(60615), Chautauqua(14722) and finally Jersey City(07360) This has meant 5 different roommates, 5 different bosses, 5 different eating situations, 5 different grocery stores, 5 different dress codes, 5 different faith communities and so on.

Yet, as I find everything changing, I find that things have been this way before. This is not to say that this has been an easy process, these 8 months of change have been challenging and tiring. There are days where I struggle to remember where I am, what I am doing and which organization I am working for.

However, in all of this, I am learning to find consistency in change, order in the chaos, stability in fluidity and comfort in the unknown. I find comfort in knowing that I have successfully navigate all of these changes before. Despite, some of my frustrations at the beginnings of each of these transitions, I have found a home in each one of these places and a community to love and to hold dear.

In that, I trust that while everything is changing, it has been this way before and I will find my place in this new community. I will find home and community here that I will love as much as the previous 4 homes. In this process, I will create many new memories that, when it comes time to transition again, will make it hard to leave.

Watch all of The Call here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpfTfixjk4A

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Summer Blog

How was your summer?

What exactly was your job?

What did you do this summer?

These questions are challenging to answer, to say the least. If you are looking for a short answer, my summer was great! My job was do to interfaith programming. This summer I did a lot of random things and I had a lot of fun.

Yet these answers do not seem sufficient. My summer was challenging, comforting, draining, revitalizing, strange, familiar, growth provoking, soul searching, live giving, joy providing, intense, relaxing, and so much more that I can’t put in to words. In some ways, it was essentially Lutheran in all the paradoxes it offered.

It is still challenging to put into words what my job was. Yes, I was responsible for doing interfaith programming for young adults, but it was also much more than that. I was responsible for being present with people. To hear their stories, to share mine, to answer questions, in many ways to simply BE. I didn’t have a daily routine and I certainly didn’t have a 9-5 job but there was always plenty to do, never a dull moment.

As for what I did this summer, there was so much. And unfortunately, because I was remiss in my blogging this summer, I don’t have the space to share all of my adventures but the following is a good summary of all that I did and learned.

*Got Alan Alda’s autograph

* Meet people I admire like Jim Wallis, Otis Moss, Daisy Khan, Imam Feisal, Karen Armstrong, and so many many more

*Meet more people to continue to admire

*Learned that I will forever be able to find a home at the pool and a family among the regular swimmers

* Discovered the value of forming new friendships and the importance of maintaining distance ones

*Made new friends who have changed me for the better and will be lifelong friends

*Participated in the serving of the Eucharist to a congregation of 4,000

*Was challenged to continue to grow in my faith

*Heard a lot of fantastic lectures

*Heard some not so fantastic lectures

*Saw amazing symphony concerts, ballet performances and opera showcases

*Played epic games of UNO and Pit

*Helped organize and host the first Abrahamic Program for Young Adults Iftar meal for the breaking of the fast during Ramadan

*Learned the importance of speaking out and standing up

*Helped plan an interfaith worship service and delivered a 4 minute message to the congregation of over 2,000.

* Learned the power of small actions

* Experienced genuine hospitality and genuine hostility

*Saw Gretchen Wilson, Clay Aiken/Rubben Studdard, Jersey Boys, Oakridge Boys and the ABBA tribute band in concert

*Discovered the amazing-ness of Andriaccio’s white sauce pizza

*Ate a lot of and got sick of Andriaccio’s white sauce pizza

*Made a community for myself

*Ate more walmart frosted cookies than should be allowed

*Gave up pop, soda, coke-or whatever you call that carbonated beverage

*Continued to discover the power of my own story

*Stood in awe of the stories of those who I encountered

*Learned to drive a golf cart

*Struggled, laughed, cried, argued, debated, learned and played

Overall, the summer was simply amazing. It was an unique experience that I will never be able to re-create, nor do I want to try but rather to create a continuation. It was a joy and an honor to be a part of the Chautauqua community and to be accepted as I was. I formed relationships that I will treasure forever. Chautauqua will always hold a dear place in my heart as home.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Ramadan Reflections

Happy Eid!

For the past 30 days, I have been observing Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. This is fasting from not only food, but also bad thoughts, actions and habitats.

I observed a modified fasting from food during the day, rather than sun up (about 4:30) to sun down, I tried to have breakfast before 8 or 8:30 and supper after 7:00/7:30. The fasting from the food was the easiest part. After a couple of days, I no longer felt the hunger. There was a pretty reliable headache that came around 5:30.

The more difficult fast was the fast from bad thoughts and actions, especially the thoughts. While I tend to thing of myself as a pretty optimistic person, I began to be aware of the number of times I got frustrated, angry or upset about little things that really should not have bothered me. This has been the biggest struggle and something I hope to continue to be aware of even as this month ends.

The other thing that made this month particularly interesting was the realization of how much our life revolves around food. Being in a new place and new job I have found this particularly true in regards to demonstrating hospitality. Every time we would go to a new place, people offer to feed you. Our major conversation and end of day happen over a meal. Even our church services revolve around the preparation and eating of a meal.

Observing Ramadan was a wonderful experience for me. While I may have been something that was Ramadan in its roots, I found a deeper level of my Christian faith during these past days. Such a later part of our Christian faith is walking with others along their journey, Not as a superior telling them how to walk, but rather side by side as their brother or sister hearing their story and being with them in that story. That is what the past month has been for me. A journey walking with my brothers and sisters in humanity, trying to understand their deep faith and their spiritual practices and to find some meaning in those practices for myself.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Carried by the wind

If you hold on to the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you.(StoryPeople)

The wind has carried me to Jersey CIty, NJ. During the past week, my fellow interns and myself have commented on the fact that we would have never imagined our lives landing in NJ. However, something in each of our lives have brought us to this place.

During the past week, we have had a lot of adventures together and a lot of laughter. It has been great getting to know the 7 other people who will become my NEWARKACTS family during the coming eleven months.

On Saturday we enjoyed a beautiful day the PRIDE festival in Jersey City waterfront. It was definitely an interesting experience. It was a great first larger scaled PRIDE experience.

Most interesting however were the protestors gathered there and the way people responded to them. Some calmly walked by ignoring the protestors condemning the aspect of themselves they had come together to celebrate. Yet, some stood there screaming back things that were equally vicious.

Despite the protestors, we had wonderful time, then came back to our house for some intense games of UNO and Pit.

Sunday morning I went to worship at one at one of the local Lutheran Churches. It was a small congregation that was incredibly welcoming. After worship, I got a chance to talk with the pastor and council president. During this time I got a lot of background information on Hoboken and Jersey City.

When I got home, the boys (Alex and Richard) and I decided to head to the beach for a part of the afternoon. Once again it was absolutely beautiful. Wonderful to feel the sand between my toes, hear the water on the sand and see people relaxing and having fun.

I am excited to continue the adventures for the next year and am gratefully for the wind carrying me to this place.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Jersey City!

I used to wait for a sign, she said, before I did anything. Then one night I had a dream & an angel in black tights came to me & said, you can start any time now, & then I asked is this a sign? & the angel started laughing & I woke up. Now, I think the whole world is filled with signs, but if there's no laughter, I know they're not for me.

(StoryPeople)

Greeting you all from Jersey City! So the past couple of days have been a bit hectic but I have safely arrived in Jersey City and am loving it!

I will spend the next 11 months living with 3 roommates in a 150-year old row house. We are four of 8 interns with NEWARKACTS, the other four are living in a house in Newark.

From my bedroom window I have a wonderful view of the Manhattan skyline and can see the Empire State Building. From our parking lot we can see both the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. The past 3 days have been fairly overcast but it is still a gorgeous view. At some point ,once I figure out how to get the screen out of my window, I promise to get pictures and upload them so you can see the beauty for yourself.

Yesterday and today were two of our orientation days. We spend the time getting to know each other, learning about NEWARKACTS, and learning about the Epsicopal Church. During this time we have shared a lot of laughs, which tells me that we are going to have a good year.

I know that it is going to be a challenging year in many ways, being so far from home, working at an afterschool programming, really being on my own for the first time. Yet, the promise of these challenges makes me a bit excited.

I am excited to continue to grow in the ways I have started growing since moving to Chicago.

I hope to be better about updating this blog over the course of the next 11 months to share some of my journey with you. As I share this journey with you, I would love to hear from you, so you should send me an e-mail (gastal01@luther.edu), skype me(alma_adele) or even better send me snail mail (200 Palisades Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07306.).

I am hoping to post a blog in the next couple of days that will wrap up a lot of what my summer was and some of the lessons I learned in the past three months.

In the meantime may you all be blessed in many ways.

Monday, June 21, 2010

I want to be a part of if, NEW YORK NEW YORK

So a month after my last post, and a week of adventuring in Chicago, I have safely made it to New York.   I will be spending the next 10 weeks in Chautauqua, New York which is about 1.5 hours southwest of Buffalo.  And it is BEAUTIFUL!  I have already been on two runs along the lake, just attempting to figure out where I am and also wrap my mind around what this place is and contains.  

I am incredibly excited to finally be here and finally starting to figure Chautauqua out after almost two months of anticipation.  I can't wait to start new adventures and be challenged to grow as I continue on this interfaith journey that started taking off in the fall.   

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Home?

Greetings to those of you still reading this! So I left Chicago almost two weeks ago and it still seems surreal to be back in Cresco and visiting Luther. As I have spent the past two weeks at “home,” it has begun to make me question what it really means to “go home.” What does it mean to call a place home?

Bon Jovi says home is the “only one place they call me one of their own.” Robert Frost calls home “the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Chris Daughtry sings about home being the “the place where I belong, And where your love has always been enough for me.” Nancy Regan shares that “I have been very happy with my homes, but homes really are no more than the people who live in them.”Dictionary.com defines home as “a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household or the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.” Somebody once told me that home is where the majority of your underwear is.

As I reflect on the past semester, I find that I have varying definitions of home. Some part of what home is will always be where my family is because it is the place I know I will always be loved. They are the people who know me better than anybody.

Yet, I find that even though I am home, I am also ready to go home. Go back to Chicago. So what was it that made Chicago feel like home? Chicago was home because it was there I felt alive and free. In Chicago I felt empowered to explore and make my life what I wanted it to be. The situations I encountered on a daily basis challenged me and made me grow. As I built a relationship with the city, I also built relationships, some with new people and some with people I had known but never had a relationship. All these things made Chicago a place that, as I became comfortable, I began to thrive, only to find my time ending so I had to prepare to head back to my small town.

It makes me think of the following quote I found as I searched for a definition of home that matches the place I am now: “When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home”

So now I sit at home, awaiting my next adventure

Monday, April 26, 2010

Endings that bring New beginnings

With 4 days remaing in my semester in Chicago, it is hard to believe that it is almost over. It really is true that time flies when you are having fun. A quick re-cap of the past couple of weeks

Two weekends ago, a couple of my co-workers(Hind, Julie and Erin) took me on a tour of Chicago. I got to go the zoo, the Lincoln Park botanical gardens, the beach at the lake, Wrigley-ville, drive up the North shore to see all the fancy-shcmacy houses, a forest preserve and finally back to my place for supper. On top of all that excitment, I got to hang out with some really great people!

Sunday of that weekend, we went to the Hull House, where social work started-kind of a must do for a house of social workers.

This past weekend I went to hang out with Julie and her youth group at Tower Hill in Sawyer MI. It was a good to get out of the city and do stuff while doing absolutely nothing. The kids where really great and it was a good time for reflection on the past semester and the end of my time in Chicago.

In exciting news for the summer, I just accepted a position working at Chautauqua Institute in New York as the Christian Coordinator for their Abrahamic Program for Young Adults (APYA). I will be working with three other coordinators- two Muslims (one male, one female) and one male Jewish- to plan programming for 16-22 year olds. While part of my position will be programming, a large part of it is also presence based, around being available for conversation.

I will leave for New York on June 20th. June 19th is Takin it to the Streets, IMAN's big summer festival-with Mos Def and Brother Ali headlining. There will also be several events happening surrounding One Chicago, One Nation that week. So I will be spending that week in Chicago, getting to do some of the touristy stuff I didn't get done now and hanging out and after Streets I will fly to New York until sometime in August.

As I look forward to this summer, it makes leaving Chicago a little easier. I have loved my time in Chicago and the people I have been able to meet and call friends. It has been an incredible growing experience. While I am excited to return home to see my family and my Luther family, I do not yet feel ready to leave this place.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

WWJD

WWJD.

It is a phrase many of us are familiar with-Christians wear it on bracelets, asked it when approaching difficult situations and remind of it by bumper stickers and billboards all asking the question: What would Jesus do?

However, this semester as I encounter the challenges of a new experience and a new city my mom encouraged me to find a new meaning to it. Where Would Joy Develop?

Let me share a couple of my answers:

*Joy develops when I look at our 108 Community Ambassadors. They range in age from 17 to 80, are from 9 faith & philosophical backgrounds, speak 20 languages, and live in all sorts of neighborhoods in Chicago and the suburbs. And they are ready to make Chicago a greater city

*Joy develops in getting to know one of the woman who is going to be a Community Ambassadors. 80 years old, got her doctorate at the age of 70, spends every Sunday in the KAM Isaiah Israel garden, and volunteer with several other projects working to make Chicago a better place.

*Joy develops in being welcomed and feeling a sense of belonging.

*Joy develops in amazing Saturday’s spent exploring the city with co-workers

*Joy develops in the building of new relationships and strengthening of old relationships.

*Joy develops in good food, good friends and good conversations.

*Joy develops in new possibilities and new opportunities

*Joy develops in the new life of spring that covers the city.

*Joy develops in being able to wear my sandals again.

*Joy develops in the challenges that make you stronger.

*Joy develops in running the lakefront.

*Joy develops in the smiles on the faces of children.

*Joy develops in discovering that I could maybe be a city girl for a little while longer.

*Joy develops in the feeling of grass between your toes.

*Joy develops in the ability to stand up for what I believe in

*Joy develops in hearing the stories of others.

So-that is where joy is developing in my life.

Now, it is your turn: WWJD??


Also: To see some of where joy has developed for me this semester check out the following Facebook albums:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059479&id=59203733&l=f48fda1427

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2061164&id=59203733&l=b6283b1ce1



Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter Weekend

Overall, it was a pretty non-traditional Easter but a pretty exciting weekend overall My family came to town on Friday afternoon, when they arrived they came to the office to pick me up which meant they got to meet many of the people I work with. Friday night we hung out around Hyde Park for a while before they returned to their hotel. Saturday we went to the Field Musuem, got to see Sue(the T-rex) and the Mammoth exhibit-impressive. We spent the afternoon doing some shopping and enjoying the sunshine. While Mom and Grace stayed at the hotel for the night, Dad and I got to see a concert at House of Blues-AMAZING.

Perhaps one of my favorite things about the House of Blues was the ornamentation above the stage. In the middle of the arch above the stage was three sayings-“Unity in Diversity”, “Who do you love?” and “All are one” spreading out from this point were symbols representing several religions of which I could only identify Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism but several others were also included. The power of the ideas of Blues music being a commonality for these religions was an incredibly visual.

Sunday morning we returned back to the House of Blues for Gospel Sunday Brunch (for Lutherites-Peace Brunch and Gospel Sunday on steroids). We ate a lot of good food and listened to some great Gospel music. Overall it was a really great experience but weird to never proclaim on Easter Sunday-“CHRIST HAS RISEN, HE HAS RISEN INDEED!”

My family left directly from House of Blues and I headed home for the rest of my Easter Sunday plans. Once I got home, I changed clothes and headed to KAM Isaiah Israel-the Jewish Synagogue down the street from me-to hang out in their new urban garden. I was invited to become a part of this congregation’s garden by a woman, Gloria, I meet at the Shared Earth conference at Lutheran School of Theology Chicago. When I arrived I was warmly welcomed by those already present and immediately got to join in the turning and tilling of the Earth. Working together in the garden gave me a chance to interact with people and learn about Judaism in a way I would not have otherwise. Once the produce is harvested they are hoping to donate it to a food pantry that will take fresh produce.

As we finished up our work, Gloria showed me around so I got a chance to see the inside of the sanctuaries(I believe that is the correct term). They have a large sanctuary that they use for special occasion which was magnificent. Entirely made of stone and beautiful-words cannot describe the beauty of the place, nor the humility I felt standing inside. I can only imagine what it must be like to worship in the space. Then I got to see the small sanctuary-which was more simple but still very elegant.

Being in a garden on Easter Sunday was very symbolic. It was in a garden that Jesus was first seen after his Resurrection and upon seeing him Mary first thought Jesus was a gardener. Beyond that, to be working in the dirt helping to transform a dead garden of weeds and dead roots into a place that would be a place of birth and new life.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

This is my story

Hey friends. Here it is, at long last, my story. I am sorry for its length.

Growing up in a small town, I was surrounded by people who, for the most part, looked and talked like me. For all I knew everybody believed like me as well. Religion was something that was assumed but rarely talked about.

I was raised in ELCA Lutheran church going to church and Sunday School every Sunday, attending Bible Camp in summer, learning all my memory work and, as I got older, teaching Sunday school and serving as an Assisting Minister.

Yet, my lessons about what it meant to call myself Christian were learned by watching my parents and the way their faith was apparent in the way they lived their lives. My parents were always helping in any way that they could.

In Decorah, there are a group of artists, called StoryPeople, who believe in the power of stories to connect people. They do this through the sharing of short stories such as the following:

I asked her why she never told us about the Ten Commandments & she said she wasn't ever that good with numbers so she loved everything as best she could & I remember thinking who needs all those rules anyway with a mother like her around.

Now, my mother is actually quite good with numbers, but this was my experience growing up. My mother’s faith was something that seemed to be something that was difficultly simple. She never denied to us that living a life of faith would present some challenges but she also believed that our Christian faith was simple-it was about loving everybody.

This belief translated into a non-tolerance of intolerance in our house. She always encouraged my sister and me to consider the way another’s story impacted their decisions and to find our similarities. My mother often reminded us that for a large part of the gospels, Jesus was found ministering and friending the social outcasts of his day.

The summer before my junior year, I had the honor of being a part of my cousin, Kari Beth’s, wedding. In many ways it was a traditional wedding, with family gathered, an adorable flower girl, and a beautiful outdoor ceremony. The one thing that made it untraditional was that it was two women getting married.

At this ceremony I saw my mother’s lessons being lived out in my entire family. The day was all about how to best welcome Pat and her daughter Alex. My relationship with Kari Beth, Pat and Alex, also meant for the first time I had a direct relationship with somebody who identified as differently than me. Because of this, I could no longer stand idly by while derogatory comments were made about members of the LGBTQ community.

As I was learning to make these assertions, I was also beginning to become more active in my church, I was teaching Sunday School, assisting with worship and participating with our youth group. As I became more active, I had to also start to define why my faith was important to me. Until this point, I had gone to church and Sunday School because my parents had told me I was, but as I became more active it was my decision.

These two journeys started turning my world from black and white to gray which carried me through my last two years of High School, right to Luther College, were I have spend the past four years being challenged and questioned, comforted and consoled in my faith. Through these challenges I meet people who knew how to walk the line of give and take, to challenge and comfort. I was also continually introduced to people who identified as differently then me, but was always surprised to find that more powerful than the things that made us different, where the things that made us similar. As I made these friends, my world began to once again shift from a dull gray to a vibrant rainbow, where differences only made my life more beautiful.

However, my final semester at Luther, this past fall semester has perhaps been one of the most transformative. Our fall convocation speaker was Eboo Patel, founder of Inter-faith Youth Core and author of Acts of Faith, and he present a picture of interfaith cooperation that was inspiring to me. Knowing IFYC was based in Chicago and that I would be spending the coming semester in Chicago, I was hopeful to find ways to become involved and started to work to find was to complete my social work internship with IFYC.

As I worked for this goal, I had the honor of participating in Luther’s first interfaith Dialogue group- JourneyConversations. Every other week for twelve weeks(6 meetings), we would gather to hear about people’s faith journeys. These were people who identified as Christian’s, Muslims, Hindu’s or no particular faith at all. Yet despite the outward differences, each week as people shared, I heard a part of my story in their story.

As the semester came to a close, I was excited to hear that I would be able to complete my internship with IFYC. But with this excitement, has also come pain, as it has meant the loss of some dear relationships because I have chosen a path of religious pluralism. It has meant having challenging conversations and having to repeatedly defend my identity as a Christian and inter-faith leader.

Yet, despite the pain, I continue to move forward, because as a pastor I deeply admire said in one of her sermons this fall:

"Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Our neighbors include people of all faith traditions and no faith tradition I believe dialogue with Jews, Muslims, Hindus, agnostics and secular humanists has made me a better Christian. I am a better interfaith leader because of my deep Christian commitments. I believe my deep faith helps me to be more welcoming of people who hold deep commitments in other traditions.”

The challenges along the way have only made me a stronger person. And the relationship I have formed with my co-workers this semester who are Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Secular Humanists or who claim no faith tradition at all, have inspired me to be a stronger Christian and have empowered me to fully claim my beliefs. As I listen to their stories, I hear a part of my story woven in there, and I find that our stories are inextricably linked. Each day I spend with the IFYC staff, I become more confident in the power of my story and my belief that I can be a Christian and an interfaith leader.

And when my time at IFYC is done, this will be work I continue to do throughout my life, so that when I come to the pearly gates and I am asked what I did with my life my answer can be “I loved everything the best that I could”

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The project, My inspiration

Hey Friends- So once again I apologize for not getting things posted earlier. It is amazing how much time flies when you are having fun-or just working full-time :) ) Anywho, I will hopefully get "my story" posted soon, it is a challenge to get it typed up, I also attended a conference this past Friday about Interfaith and the Environment which has been really thought-provoking so I will hopefully blog about that as well. Other than that, life is going amazingly well.

While you are waiting for all the promised blogs, here is a blog that I wrote about One Chicago, One Nation.


In his song, If You’re Out There, John Legend sings ,

“We’re the generation. / We can’tafford to wait.

The future started yesterday. / We’re already late.”

These lyrics present the kind of call to action that Gandhi made when he asked us to “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Legend’s lyrics expand on Gandhi’s call continuing:

“Oh I was looking for a song to sing / I searched fora leader

But the leader was me… / We don't have to wait for destiny

We should be the change that we want to see.”

When I was younger, my parents taught me by the way they lived their lives that our Christian faith is deeply linked to the way we live our lives. This lesson has led me to embrace my Christian faith as a lifestyle. Each day I find faith intersecting and overlapping with my day-to-day activities and decisions. As a senior social work major at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, I’ve been working to discern how I’m going to connect my faith to social work in way that allows me to bring my entire self to the table, not leaving my faith behind.

This spring, I’ve been interning in Chicago with a non-profit organization, Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC). IFYC’s work to build mutual respect and pluralism among different religious and philosophical traditions spoke directly to my desire for my work and faith to intersect, allowing me to explore new concepts of change. At IFYC, every day I work with people who identify as Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and some who claim no religious tradition at all. Yet, rather than focusing on those things that could potentially separate and divide us, we find commonality through empowering young people from diverse religious and non religious backgrounds to serve the common good.

One way we’re doing this is through a new Chicago-based civic engagement program, One Chicago, One Nation that we’ve launched in partnership with The Chicago Community Trust, Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), One Nation, and Link TV. As part of the program, One Chicago, One Nation is looking for 100 intergenerational Chicagoland leaders from diverse social, religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds to work for the common good in their own communities. These leaders will serve as One Chicago, One Nation Community Ambassadors.

Community Ambassadors will receive training by IFYC and IMAN in storytelling, interfaith and intercultural dialogue facilitation, community listening, and community service strategies. Using the training, Community Ambassadors will facilitate conversations around Chicago about issues that are relevant to their communities, and they’ll have the opportunity apply for service grants to enable collaborative community service projects.

As I get the opportunity to read applications from potential Community Ambassadors, I’m inspired by a refusal to sit idly by and let others define the world we live in. By simply applying to be a part of the program, Chicagoans are embracing the challenge and changing the world. In these applications, I find that for many of us, our identities and our lifestyles are inextricably linked together through a desire to work for a better world.

To learn more about One Chicago, One Nation, see: http://onechicago-onenation.org. To apply to be a Community Ambassador, please see: http://onechicago-onenation.org/community-ambassador-application/.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

AMAZING WEEKEND!!!

So I had a fantastic weekend.  As I mentioned in my last blog the weather turning into spring so we have had some absolutely fantastic weather (ok, so maybe yesterday was really nasty, windy and wet but at least it was rain not snow!).   I had an absolutely wonderful weekend and I would love to share some of if with you now. 

Friday:  After work, a couple of us from the office went to Sayira's(a former intern who finished about two weeks ago) place and she cooked us a wonderful supper.   Otherwise, we just chilled out and had wonderful conversation.   

Saturday:  Cold, nasty and rainy day so I was grateful for my rainboots to keep my feet dry.  Since it was St. Patty's day weekend there was a fair amount of stuff going on downtown so I wandered(aka took the CTA) downtown.   I got to see the river dyed green, which was quite impressive.  I also got a chance to see a lot of ridiculous green outfits!   Then it was off to the parade, which was led by an impressive group of bagpipers wearing kilts (could not have been warm at all!).   After the parade it was time to head home, relax and do some laundry.   I found out some of the people from the floor below us were going to a Cajun dance so I tagged along to that.   For those of you at Luther, it reminded me a lot of the freshman contra dance that is at the begining of every year, without the pizza ranch or the freshman.   The three of us were the youngest ones there by at least ten years but we still had a GREAT time and learned how to do the Cajun waltz and attempted the Cajun two step.   

Sunday- This morning, after figuring out the wonderfulness of Daylight Savings time, I went for a nice run (8 miles- I am over half way there!!!!!  5 more to go) along the river.  It was a bit windy and a little chilly but once I got moving I was loving running a long the beach listening to the waves crashing in to the rocks and slapping at the beach.   Also, there was a group of surfers  (yes, surfers in Lake Michigan) which I had to laugh at a little bit and then decided they were a little crazy.   After my run it was home to clean up and chill out before heading to Julie's (one of my co-workers) for a surprise party for Erin(co-worker/un-official supervisor).  There I got to help make Navajo flatbread.   After eating, we had a pinata which Erin destroyed and then it was hanging out and visiting. Then home again to get ready for tomorrow!

So that was my wonderful weekend.  On another note, I mentioned in my last blog that I had shared with a group "my story," hopefully sometime this week I will get that typed up and shared on the blog!  

peace to you all!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Why do I come to work?

Sorry, I haven't beeen so great at keeping this updated.  Life has been going amazing!  I am loving my time with IFYC and enjoying exploring Chicago on the weekend.  As the weather is getting nice, I have been taking advantage of being so close to the lake to go running.    It is hard to imagine at this point that I have been here for a month, which is about 1/3 of my time.  It has seemed like such short time but it also seems like I have been here for longer.  

Last Wednesday, I went with Hind to talk to a group of Chicago Semester students, much like what I am doing but not all social workers.  Part of this training was sharing our story about why we are committed to religious pluralism.  It was intimidating to present such a personal story with a group of people my age, who I had no idea how they would respond.  Hind was really supportive and it was good to have to articulate why I do interfaith work in concrete terms.   

Today before going into our weekly staff meeting we were told that Eboo was going to ask us why we were inspired to come to work each morning.  My first immediate thought was the obivious, if I don't get my required hours in, I don't graduate.  Yet, it is something more than that.  As I sat and listened to the members of the team go around and share the things that inspired them to come to work, I heard all the reasons I came to work and was inspired: the fellows, the people in the office, stories  from other interfaith leaders, etc.   I love going to work because while each day is a little repeatitive I still never know what entertainment or meaningful conversation a day is going to bring.   Each day, somebody will take time to explain something to me that I don't understand or that I need to know.  

I also love the work I do because in the work I do I get to see example of how my education as a social worker and my life as a person of faith can intersect.   Again as I hear the stories that are brought to our staff meetings and circulated in e-mails, I get to see ways that my call to a life of faith and my passion for social justice work together in a unique way.  

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Interfaith Lent!

Greetings from the Windy City!  I hop everybody had a reflective Ash Wednesday and begining of Lent.  Before getting started I would like to share with you a blog that I found meaningful:  http://blog.sojo.net/2010/02/17/lent-isnt-about-denial-its-about-transformation/

On that note, for Lent I have decided to be mindful of food and fast on Friday.  So Friday night I went with some of the girls from work and Jordan-a guy that works with one of our partners-to IMAN's(Inner-city Muslim Action Network) community cafe-which is basically a chance every two months that provides a venue for Muslims in Chicago to gather and have a venue to perform. Before hand we had decided to go out to eat but as I was fasting I did not get anything to eat.  As everybody sat at the table to wait for their food, we began to find some irony in the situation.  Here I was as a Christian fasting-with a group that was mostly Muslim.   As we sat and shared in this Interfaith experience, it was interesting for us all to feel the role reversal.  Those in the group who were Muslim, shared that most times they were the one faster in a group of people who were eating and I was used to being in the majority.   This was my experience the entire night-being in the minority. At the community cafe, I was maybe one of 5 non-muslims there.    Yet, despite how hard it was to not always understand what was going on or to understand the meaning of what was being said-I never once felt unwelcome or entirely out of place.   Hind-one of my co-workers from IFYC-patiently explained to me what was being said and who people were.  When I didn't understand parts of the dinner conversation, one of them would stop and explain.     Even in the moments I didn't completely understand, to sit and listen was a learning experience in world affairs and what is happening in our world, continuing to crack my shell a little more each time.  

The community cafe itself was a wonderful experience.   There were several artists who did hip-hop and spoken word pieces.  The night was dedicated to Malcolm X so each piece spoke to the message that Malcolm X brought about the fight for human rights.  As somebody who has never been a part of the hip-hop scene, it was a new experience and it took me a while to get used to the mode of communication but once I did I began hearing a message not that different from the one I am used to hearing on Sunday morning, just spoken in a slightly different language.   

The entire experience was also a humbling one.   Reminding me that I have a lot to learn and to understand.    It was also a reminder that I have people surrounding me willing to engage in conversation and answer my questions.   

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Song of the Heart

You have to find your heart song all by yourself

You might make a different song, yes that's right it's true
That don't make anybody more or less as good as  you

And wave a flag because everybody plays a part
One world united singing this song of the heart

* Song of the Heart ~Happy Feet.  

One of the joys of my internship is that while I sit doing my research I get to listen to music.  Today, as you might have guessed by the two opening quotes, I listened to to Happy Feet.   In case you haven't seen it, this is a movie about a young peguin named Mumble, who discovers that he expresses his heart song is not a vocal one but rather through dance.  Because this is different from how the other peguins thing he should express his heart song, he is shunned from his community.   The community ends up embracing Mumble because it is only through his unique gift that the community recieves the assistance from humans that they need. 

So, I know what you are thinking-"Alma, what does a movie about dancing peguins have to do with your internship and interfaith work?"   Yes, I know it seems a bit out there but hear me out.    

In Happy Feet, Mumble is shunned because he has a different way of expressing his heart song. Your heart song is "the voice you hear inside, who you truly are."   I think in many ways our faith is equivalent to the idea of a heart song.   When we listen to the voice that we hear inside, calling us to be who we truly are, we are called into a community of shared values of love, compassion and hospitality.  

Yet, as we discover in Happy Feet, sometimes people have different ways of expressing their heart song.  Often, we are quick to dismiss them as strange, weird and, in many cases, just plain WRONG.   But it is only because Mumble is unique in his expression that the community is saved.  

The opening quote is from a song called Heart Song (you can listen here-the video is Oliver and Company, not Happy Feet.)  reminds us that our differences do not makes us any better or any lesser.  Rather when we allow each person to share their song how they are truly meant to share it, it results in "one world united singing this song of the heart." 

So today, I encourage you to play your part and sing your heart song.  But, more importantly, I encourage you to listen to others heart songs to hear the ways that they work together as a part of the larger heart song of the world.   

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Earthquakes and Eboo

Hey all!  

So in some interesting news, we had an earthquake in Chicago on early Wednesday morning at about 4:00.    It was only a small one but I woke up for it and remember thinking my room was moving; however, I shook it off as a dream.  I didn't find out it was an earthquake until I was at IFYC and my supervisor asked me if I had heard about it.    

In other exciting news.  I got to meet Eboo Patel today, which I had hoped would happen eventually. It was still really g to actually get to introduce myself and get to shake his hand! He is a man I admire greatly for all the work he has done for something he is passionate about.  I know most of you Luther-ites know of him, and hopefully went to the Opening convocation to hear him speak this fall.  For those of you not from Luther or don't know much about Eboo, first know that you should read his book, Acts of Faith.  Second, even if you are from Luther and did go to Convocation but especially if you didn't, you should listen to his message, you can download it from iTunes U (I can't find a link right now but when my internet is being better behaved I will try to get one posted.)  

His message of acceptance of all, is one that I don't think we hear often enough. More often than not religion is painted as a dividing force rather than a uniting cause.   In this acceptance, Eboo, and IFYC, believe that accepting others in their beliefs does not mean we leave ours at the door.  Instead it means finding the shared values that exist in our beliefs-compassion, service, justice,  hospitality and charity.   Rather than focus on defining right and wrong, the focus becomes defining and sharing personal experience. In this sharing of beliefs and stories, I don't believe we lose any bit of our faith.  No, I believe that being open to hearing other's views and other's stories and in return being willing to share ours,  is the only way to strengthen our believes.  This is what IFYC stands for.  This is the work I get to participate in this semester.  And 50 years from now, when we look back on the Interfaith movement like, we now look back on the Civil Rights movement, I will be able to say:  "I was a part of that."

Monday, February 8, 2010

Day one!

I have successfully completed my first day at IFYC!  Hooray!!  It was a really a great day just getting acquainted with the office and the people.  I recieved an incredibly warm welcome, which made me feel like I belonged there.   We started out the morning with a staff meeting where I was introduced to everybody and heard their reports about the work they are doing.    One of my favorite stories from the meeting was one of the staff who was on a campus visit where Westboro Baptist was protesting something and one of the Fellows-essentially a college intern for IFYC on a college campus instead of in Chicago-organized a campus response to Westboro's presence.   Six people from Westboro showed up, 1,000 college students from all varieties came together to sing and dance and join together in community.  This was all located in front of one the dorms and at one point a young man came out of the dorm to figure out what was going on, looked around, went back in his dorm and came back out a bit later with his bagpipes playing Amazing Grace.  The student body part to accept this young man into its circle and continued dancing and singing to bagpipes Amazing Grace.  When I can access my IFYC e-mail from home I will post a link to the story as written by one of the student organizers of the response.   To me this was an amazing testament of the power that interfaith work and dialogue can have.  Our meeting was filled with testaments to the work of IFYC in a variety of campuses and cities, with even some mention of the work that is happening on the Luther campus!  (GO NORSE!!!!)   

After the staff meeting, I was given a tour of the office and more formally introduced to a lot of the staff, it was a lot of names in a short amount of time but again I was greeted warmly by everybody.   I then spent the afternoon being introduced to the intiative I will be working directly with and some of the staff who are working with it.  It is a complex intertwining of a variety of elements that I am still trying to figure out.  It is called One Chicago, One Nation (OCON)  and it is aiming to encourage interfaith participation in a variety of ways, including a film contest.   As I heard about all that was happening, it made me wish I could be here this summer to see everything come together and hope to find a way to make it back for some of the bigger events this summer!   

The other big success story of the day was that I made it to and from my placement with no incidents and no getting lost! YAY!!!!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The rest of orientation

she's prepared for almost any transportation mishap, as long as none of them require her to just sit still & think (StoryPeople)

Yep, that basically sums up my experience with the CTA(chicago transit authority) on Thursday. Three of us went out to find each of our placements for the semester.   Things started out great. We found the first placement easily and got to the bus stop fine.  From there we got on train, to realize we were headed in the wrong direction, easily fixed, off the train at the next stop and on to the one going in the right direction.   We made it to lunch and the next placement fine.  Then struggle bus-ed finding our bus (hehe) so opted for the train instead.  Made it to my placement just fine, then back on the train to head to downtown to catch our bus home only to wander in the wrong direction for a solid chunk of time, got ourselves headed in the right direction, found our bus.  Got our bus.  Home free, right?   Wrong!   Made it to the next bus stop only to have our bus break down!! So we sat on the bus for a while until the bus driver told us to all get off and wait for a new bus.  Trying to cram a full bus on to a full bus...yea that was fun.  So we waited for the next bus crammed in and finally made it home!   It was a great adventure, which could have actually gone a lot worse.  I feel a lot more comfortable with the CTA after the amount of time we spend navigating it.  However, I have a lot to figure out but I can't wait for more adventures!!!

It was great to finally get to see the office were my placement is.  I felt incredibly welcome, which has made me even more excited to get started.   I will start right at 9:00 with a staff meeting and a chance to meet all/most of the staff.  

Friday we went to Pilsen which is the Latino section of Chicago to have a tour of the murals.  They were exquisite, as soon as I figure out pictures, I will post so you can see.   Each mural had some significance in the community with members in them.   Some of them were a statement for immigration reform, some spoke to the culture of the area, some shared history but there was incredible details in each on.   

Saturday we got a tour of South Side with Arvis, who does not sugarcoat anything.   We spent four hours in the van, seeing most of the South Side.  One thing I was struck by was the placement of extreme wealth next to poverty.  For me it called to mind some graffiti art we saw in New Orleans that said "wealth in the face of poverty is an assualt on our humanity."     The highly evident distinctions in class brought this quote into a new light for me.   It was also interesting to see the distance that had been placed between the poorest neighborhood and the rest of the city.  This neighboorhood is totally disconnected from Chicago and it seems like you are driving into a new town almost. 

And finally for today, if you stuck with me this long-Thanks- if you are skimming-good for you!.  This morning I finally got to for a run which was a good chance to see a larger part of the neighboorhood.  Then we went to a play called "The Island" which was based on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was a political prisoner for 27 years.  It was simply two prisoners on the island working to put on Antigone.  Despite the seeming simplicity of the plot, it spoke to the suffering and peservance of the people.   

Ok, Thanks for reading.  Someday I promise pictures!  

Love to you all and please keep me up-to-date on your lives!!!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Just a small town girl

The first three days of orientation have been fairly exhausting.  On Monday we all moved into our aparment, which is huge.   There are 7 of us living in a building called the Boulevard which is in Hyde Park.   After getting mostly settled into the apartment we headed to the Chicago Center for a brief orientation and introduction to the staff, then supper at a great pizza place and the we went Ice Skating.

 Yesterday we did walking excursions with a partner which helped us to get more acquainted with certain portions of Hyde Park.  It was really interesting to get a chance to interact with some of the people and the organizations and businesses of the area.   Last night we had our first seminar with Arvis which is something I am really looking forward to.  Arvis has an incredibly amount of life history to share and he is not afraid to address a situation as it really is while still having a sense of humor.    Today we did a walking tour of some of the downtown district and went to the Chicago Board of Trade this morning.  For those of you have played the card came of Pit, it makes much more sense after seeing the opening of the market and watching an actually trading Pit.   I wish I could share pictures with you but unfortunately cameras were not allowed.    After the Chicago Board of Trade we wandered around with Scott, one of the Chicago Center staff, to look at the architure of the downtown district.   After living in a semi-rural area for most of my life, being around all of the tall buildings was a bit overwhelming and at the same time really impressive.  The attention to detail and decoration that went into the outside of some the older buildings is impressive.   After downtown we went to the Chicago Art Institute.  We only had a short time so I mostly wandered around aimlessly looking at things.  

It was interesting to look at some of the older displays of things that were never intended to be in a case in a musuem but rather were made to be used in some way.  Living in a era when everything is seemingly disposable, it is thought-provoking to see the attention to detail that people once payed when making simple things like plates and water jugs. Even the items that were made for a variety of religious practices had meaning or served a puropse.   I also had a chance to wander through the Indian and African art display.  This was intriguing because once again these were things that were never intended to be on display but rather served a purpose, practical or ceremonial, and yet much of the purpose and meaning behind the things that we now call "art" is more or less lost.   There is part of me that wonders in a couple of centuries, when future generations look back, what they will look at as these things in musuem. What are the things in our world today that have these meaning and purposes?  Is it cell phones and iPods or will there be something that holds a deeper meaning that will be left behind by my generation?