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.

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.