So I'm sorry I'm sketchy and hardly write on here anymore, but I have gotten caught up in some really good novels, as well as being busy with groups, so I'm doing the best I can. Luckily Staci has been checking it everyday and since she misses me and my filthiness I thought I'd write for her.
Monday: I took the group that had come in from Austin, TX to Central Union Mission. In the group there were 31 students/adults total, but they were split into two groups and Kristyn (my lovely co-host) took 1/2 as did I. At Central Union we unloaded two trucks of chairs--all kinds, rolling chairs, hi-backed chairs, etc.--then we put some in their basement, some in the sanctuary, and others on another truck to be sent elsewhere. In the afternoon we went to VBS at Star, where there were about a million kids and very few adults. It's an all-day camp like thing there, so when we got there it was playtime and we went to Rock Creek Park to play with them. We had dinner at Ben's Chili Bowl and then did a short debriefing at the Lincoln where one of the leaders shared his testimony--a good way to kick off the week.
Tuesday: We went to Food and Friends in the morning and I was in charge of one of the delivery routes with David, the youth leader. It was pretty uneventful. We ate lunch at the Basilica, but it was a very short break, and then had Star VBS again. For dinner we did an Ethnic Plunge, which is where we give everyone $9, drop them off in Adams Morgan (a neighborhood with a ton of ethnic restaurants) and force them to eat at one. Kristyn and I went to the Diner (where I celebrated my 21st!) and had omelets instead of ethnic. After that the group debriefed at Haines Point, but we weren't exactly invited so we walked an hour and a half back to Star! It sounds a lot worse than it actually was, because the weather was great and we actually enjoyed the walk. I went to bed early, but while I was sleeping one of the girls in our group had a seizure and ended up heading to the hospital in an ambulance! The whole group (except me, the worst host ever) was up until about 6:30am when she got back home. She's ok, and she's had seizures before, they just had to take her in as a precaution since her parents weren't there.
Wednesday: We got the morning off because the group went on a tour of the White House! I slept in until 9:30 and then just sat around reading. It was glorious! We had lunch at Star and did VBS there again. You know VBS is positive when the leader is wearing a Tupac shirt...He yelled at me for serving beans to the kids for lunch, but let me serve hotdogs and donuts. We had dinner at Mid-Atlantic Seafood, then debriefed at Star.
Thursday: We went to Vision DC, and sorted clothes from the Dress Barn into size piles, and the guys cut fabric into shapes for the teacher supply room. I had a meeting with The Boss then, so I missed a lot, but when I got back I helped the guys with the fabric because they weren't being very successful. We had lunch at the Basilica again, because they really liked it, and went back to Star VBS again, back to the playground. Ryan, one of the guys in my group, taught a bunch of little kids to do the Gator chomp, and they harassed me with it all day long. It was obnoxious but also incredibly cute so I got a few pictures of it too. The little girls taught us a hand clapping game somewhat similar to the ones I did back in the day, only a little more ghetto. It was called "yo, peace out!" We had dinner at Taste of India and afterward we all went out for ice cream on David, their leader. It was phenomenal, mainly because it was FREE. Kristyn and I walked home again (about an hour and a half again) and the group went to debrief. I love walks with Kristyn because we have awesome chats all the way home. We always run into a big sewer drain covered with cockroaches though and it makes me gag a bit. Sick.
Friday: We went to DC Central Kitchen that morning and I spent it opening tomato paste and sauce and adding them to a giant vat of sloppy joe mix. I cut onions and added them too, along with parsley and other random things. It smelled A LOT better than it sounds and I kind of wanted to jump into it. They fed us lunch at the kitchen and afterwards we headed back to Star VBS again. We watched the kids practice for a talent show they were having that night before heading back to the playground. There were dancers and cheerleaders and singers and overall it was just pretty frightening. I was kind of glad I had no part in choreographing any of those routines. At the park Kristyn and I chased around a little guy who didn't talk and we conveniently nicknamed "silent Bob." This child was always wondering towards the road or the woods by himself trying to escape. I ran from Ryan and his little gang of Gator chompers all afternoon, but again, they were cute enough that I didn't care. We had dinner at the Union Station food court (I dont know how that qualifies as ethnic at all) and then went back to Star to debrief and do evaluations. Ours were good--yay! The girls were complaining about bug bites though, and after a trip to their room our worst fears were confirmed: bed bugs. There were blood spots on the sheets and we saw them in the beds too, so now we have to do something about it. I'm just praying they dont jump over to the staff housing.
Saturday: My group left at 6:30 which got us up just as early, but we decided to stay up afterward anyway. Kristyn, Arthur, Melissa, and I went to breakfast at the Tasty Diner--basically an upscale Waffle House--and then walked around Silver Spring, Maryland, for awhile. We ended up in Borders and I gave into the trend and bought the novel Twilight. I had heard it was awesome, and now that I'm addicted to the trilogy too I have to say that everyone who told me that was correct. We came back and rested (and read) until about 6 when Arthur made us pasta for supper. It was great, I have to admit I was quite impressed. We went to hang out in Adams Morgan afterward until about 10. Greg, the Vice President of CSM, was in town and stayed up talking to us that night when we got in, and he's a pretty cool guy to talk to. We went to bed fairly early though.
So that was my week with Texas. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but I will say I learned a lot. The importance of defining roles has never been clearer, and since one of their high schoolers was a girl with Down's Syndrome, I learned a lot about people who have that and how to relate and talk to them. She was wonderful and seeing her interact with the kids was the coolest thing I've seen in awhile. Anyways, that's the week in a nut shell, and hopefully I will get this weeks happenings up soon, too. Especially so that I can keep Staci updated on my life. I miss you guys as always, and it'd be great to here from you!
XOXO,
Hannah
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Better Late Than Never...
Hay all, sorry this post has been a long time coming, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. Last week was nothing short of INCREDIBLE, and I am glad I can share it with you on here:)
Sunday: I was hosting with my friend Sarah, and our group arrived from Michigan as 7 high school students, 2 adult leaders, and 1 junior leader who was 18. Everything went well through orientation and the leaders meeting, however Sunday night at dinner things got funny as we were getting to know the students a little better. We went to a restaurant called Taste of India, and for an appetizer we get what is called a Samosa. A samosa is basically a triangle of fried potato, carrots, peas, and other veggies. Well Derek (rising senior) asked what was in it and when I answered peas he immediately questioned me asking if I had said penis. AWKWARD. I didn't expect that to come out at dinner at all, but especially not on the first night of a mission trip. After a good bit of blushing and explaining that it was in fact just peas and not male sex organs, he ate it and all was well. We did the prayer tour afterward, which went well until Michelle (rising junior) had to go to the bathroom. We typically do not stop on the prayer tour for bathroom breaks, but she started to cry so we tried to find bathrooms at the National Cathedral--our last stop. We couldn't, but she went to try and go behind a fence (she wasn't able to) and in the process of trying to make this happen, we managed to leave the 2 guys (both seniors) and the junior leader (his nickname is Skinny, so that's what I'll be calling him throughout the rest of this) at the cathedral. After circling and calling we got them picked back up, but it's safe to say that as long as I'm friends with either of them I'll never live that down.
Monday: We started Monday off at Food and Friends, and in my group we packed bags for distribution, put stickers on other bags, and listened to some awesome music--they played Tiny Dancer which is my all-time favorite, and Teardrops on my Guitar! After we finish at Food and Friends on a typical day, Les (the head guy over expediting) let's us go into the freezer and get extra food that may be left over for lunch. This group completely took free food to the extreme and over loaded themselves with it!! We were so embarassed!! As if that wasn't enough, they came out of the freezer asking for mayonnaise, plastic flatware, and a microwave!! After that scene was over though we were able to leave and go eat our lunch that we'd just confiscated at the Basilica/The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It was beautiful as expected, though we did have to coax the students to stop lying on the floor and looking at the ceiling when it was time to go. For our afternoon site we went to Montello Child Development Center only to find out we were there about an hour before the kids were so we had to sit around and wait. Fortunately though when the kids did come our students were VERY eager to serve and play with them, and we were quite proud of them and very appreciative of their patience. The kids at Montello were precious, but it was sad to work with them because we all knew they were getting very little attention at home when that was all they really wanted. I read with a few, and played some games, but we were all definitely ready to leave when 5:00 came around. For supper we headed to Wok N Roll, which everyone seemed to really enjoy. We encouraged Derek (rising senior from the penis story above) to pack up the leftovers and offer them to a homeless person, and after a bit of arguing and being incredibly reluctant, he did. The man was very appreciative of the food, and we were all proud of Derek for taking a step out of his comfort zone like that.
Tuesday: Tuesday started at the DC Central Kitchen, which I would say rivals as my favorite mission site, and I spent the morning cutting/chopping vegetables for a lady named Ms. Dot. Ms. Dot has been working at DC Central for 13 years, and is a graduate from their culinary arts program. She is quite the fiesty lady, and runs that kitchen exactly how she wants to. I imagine my own Ms. Dot (who also doubles as my Nanny) would run her kitchen in a very similar way! If you cut something wrong she just says "WRONG!" then takes the knife away and shows you again. Despite her hard front she's very patient, and the students always love her. We ate lunch there at the DC Central Kitchen, then headed to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for the remainder of our lunch break. We met back up with Sarah there, who had been having her meeting w/ Jason, and I got 2 packages!! A shirt from my Mom that I loved, and a card from Kym! They definitely made my day!! After that we were back to Montello Child Development Center, and I spent most of the day reading to kids. Sarah told me that she wanted me to read to her kids one day and that she thought I would be a good mom!! That's a compliment I could never hear too much, since my friends back home always say that I'm awkward with children. We started dancing to Soulja Boi (I may or may not have spelled that right), because music was the only way we were able to connect w/ a junior high girl named Joy. Sarah is awesomely terribly at dancing, but it is fantastic! I will probably laugh at her dancing when I'm 80 years old, just looking back on it. She has a blast though, and so does anyone who might be watching. We went to Old City (Jerusalem food) for supper, which is always good, and I got a free Dr. Pepper, because they are starting to recognize the CSM hosts in there. Yay for perks!:) We debriefed on the mall underneath the Washington Monument, and all shared about compassion. We recognized and prayed for some of the people we had met throughout the day and thought could use some compassion. I prayed for Joy, since she always seemed to be so unhappy until we took the time to relate to what she was interested in--music, and bridge that gap. That night after the students had lights out, I made Sarah show the staff/our roommates her sweet dancing skills, and then we all ended up dancing. We had the best time!! I think because we quit caring what each other thought, and just really enjoyed laughing and doing whatever we felt like. I've never danced like that before, I usually just stick to the choreography, but it just might be my favorite way!
Wednesday: We went to Vision DC that morning and sorted through some clothes with Ms. Azi. I had a lunch meeting with Jason, and afterward I met the group at the U.S. Holocaust Museum. It's one of the saddest things I've ever walked through for 2 hours, however I do encourage everyone to try and go. On the flip side, though, I came out feeling like it was as unreal as ever, since it is very hard for me to believe that something so terrible could have really happened. I can't even fathom anything that may or may not have gone on in Adolf Hitler's mind. After lunch we were back at Montello, and we read, did puzzles, and played on the playground. Playing with those kids is the best workout I've ever had, especially these who are so desperate for attention. I never thought I would enjoy feeling like a human jungle gym, but it might just be the best ever. I was sore the next day, especially my back, but I don't regret playing with those kids and letting them hang all over me, even the little (or not so little) boys. We had supper at Ben's Chili Bowl and met up with Anna (the youth leader)'s brother who lives in the city. Somehow I mentioned that I liked to eat ice, but since they're from Michigan the way I said ice sounded a lot more like a certain 3 letter cuss word. Of course they made me say it about a million times after that, but it was all in good fun. Sarah and I got to go back to Star early because the group was debriefing with Anna's brother, so we enjoyed a nice night off. It was faaabulous! The kids got back around 10 and we had a little dance party with them in the food room before bed, since it was there last night here in Star.
Thursday: In the morning we went to the Central Union Mission, and cleaned out a storage building full of old food and other random things like hair dye and stuffed animals. Random, I told you. We then took a tour of the mission and met a guy named David who is living at the shelter at only 22 years old. He shared his story with us, how ended up homeless after years of drug and alcohol addiction, and how he finally came to Christ who brought him out of it. This story had a HUGE impact on our group. We had lunch at Star so the group could pack up to go home, and we had a small debriefing there. We asked them how we could pray for them the rest of the summer and this upcoming year, but we got little response. Afterwards, we went back to Montello which was pretty similar to the past 3 days that we had spent there. Tropicana was for supper, and they all really seemed to enjoy it. We went to Rita's on our way out of town (to a church-wide block party at Jason's church in Maryland) and had a request for a debrief in the van on the way. We decided the best thing to do with that was to share our own stories/testimonies. Sarah went first and I closed up, and by the end of everyone sharing we were all in tears. Though the girls in the group referred to each other as best friends, I really think this was the first time they had ever been fully honest with each other. We got to the church still crying, and definitely not wanting to go to the block party, but we did anyway. Thank God we did too! At the end of the concert at the block party they did a sort of alter call (the raise-your-hand-if-you-said-that-prayer-with-me kind) and FOUR out of SEVEN of our students accepted Christ!! FOUR! It turned into an incredible night of commitments, prayers, hugs, and tears, and even though we had to say goodbye at the end, it was all still wonderful. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten to know these students, and share in the most important night of 4 of their lives! We're still keeping in touch with them via text messaging and facebook, and they all seem to be doing really well still almost a week later. Please pray for them!
Friday & Saturday: Friday was all travel, and I was an hour late to a wedding rehearsal, but otherwise it was great. I got to hang out with Mom, which was awesome,and we spent the night in Athens. I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the way Athens, GA has become home and I got an overwhelming sense of calm when we pulled into my apartment complex that I've not had in almost 2 months. Not that I don't love Chatsworth and DC, but I guess Athens is just where most of my stuff and friends are, so it's now home. It was so good to be there, no matter how much I love DC there's no place like home. Yes, I'm corny and just quoted the Wizard of Oz!:) Saturday was a wedding all day and more Mom time, and when we got back in town we had Mexicali for the first time in FOREVER!! It was fantastic! I hung out w/ my favorite member of the Geek Squad for a little bit after that, and then went to bed too late.
Sunday: Mom started the day off perfect by making me pancakes! Unfortunately though, after that we were late to the airport where they couldn't find my reservation, then I got behind a guy with a fake id at security, ran up the escalator with all my bags, and reached my 9:55 plane at 9:46!!!! I was shaking and breathing hard and really glad I had an hour and a half to calm down before The Boss picked me up in Baltimore. We had lunch and then came back to Star to prepare for another crazy and fabulous week in the life:)
So that's all for last week really, I figured I could write a week at a time since I can't write daily, so bear with me when these get way too long!! I miss everyone and it would seriously be great to hear from you! I LOVE YOU!
XOXO,
Hannah
Sunday: I was hosting with my friend Sarah, and our group arrived from Michigan as 7 high school students, 2 adult leaders, and 1 junior leader who was 18. Everything went well through orientation and the leaders meeting, however Sunday night at dinner things got funny as we were getting to know the students a little better. We went to a restaurant called Taste of India, and for an appetizer we get what is called a Samosa. A samosa is basically a triangle of fried potato, carrots, peas, and other veggies. Well Derek (rising senior) asked what was in it and when I answered peas he immediately questioned me asking if I had said penis. AWKWARD. I didn't expect that to come out at dinner at all, but especially not on the first night of a mission trip. After a good bit of blushing and explaining that it was in fact just peas and not male sex organs, he ate it and all was well. We did the prayer tour afterward, which went well until Michelle (rising junior) had to go to the bathroom. We typically do not stop on the prayer tour for bathroom breaks, but she started to cry so we tried to find bathrooms at the National Cathedral--our last stop. We couldn't, but she went to try and go behind a fence (she wasn't able to) and in the process of trying to make this happen, we managed to leave the 2 guys (both seniors) and the junior leader (his nickname is Skinny, so that's what I'll be calling him throughout the rest of this) at the cathedral. After circling and calling we got them picked back up, but it's safe to say that as long as I'm friends with either of them I'll never live that down.
Monday: We started Monday off at Food and Friends, and in my group we packed bags for distribution, put stickers on other bags, and listened to some awesome music--they played Tiny Dancer which is my all-time favorite, and Teardrops on my Guitar! After we finish at Food and Friends on a typical day, Les (the head guy over expediting) let's us go into the freezer and get extra food that may be left over for lunch. This group completely took free food to the extreme and over loaded themselves with it!! We were so embarassed!! As if that wasn't enough, they came out of the freezer asking for mayonnaise, plastic flatware, and a microwave!! After that scene was over though we were able to leave and go eat our lunch that we'd just confiscated at the Basilica/The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It was beautiful as expected, though we did have to coax the students to stop lying on the floor and looking at the ceiling when it was time to go. For our afternoon site we went to Montello Child Development Center only to find out we were there about an hour before the kids were so we had to sit around and wait. Fortunately though when the kids did come our students were VERY eager to serve and play with them, and we were quite proud of them and very appreciative of their patience. The kids at Montello were precious, but it was sad to work with them because we all knew they were getting very little attention at home when that was all they really wanted. I read with a few, and played some games, but we were all definitely ready to leave when 5:00 came around. For supper we headed to Wok N Roll, which everyone seemed to really enjoy. We encouraged Derek (rising senior from the penis story above) to pack up the leftovers and offer them to a homeless person, and after a bit of arguing and being incredibly reluctant, he did. The man was very appreciative of the food, and we were all proud of Derek for taking a step out of his comfort zone like that.
Tuesday: Tuesday started at the DC Central Kitchen, which I would say rivals as my favorite mission site, and I spent the morning cutting/chopping vegetables for a lady named Ms. Dot. Ms. Dot has been working at DC Central for 13 years, and is a graduate from their culinary arts program. She is quite the fiesty lady, and runs that kitchen exactly how she wants to. I imagine my own Ms. Dot (who also doubles as my Nanny) would run her kitchen in a very similar way! If you cut something wrong she just says "WRONG!" then takes the knife away and shows you again. Despite her hard front she's very patient, and the students always love her. We ate lunch there at the DC Central Kitchen, then headed to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for the remainder of our lunch break. We met back up with Sarah there, who had been having her meeting w/ Jason, and I got 2 packages!! A shirt from my Mom that I loved, and a card from Kym! They definitely made my day!! After that we were back to Montello Child Development Center, and I spent most of the day reading to kids. Sarah told me that she wanted me to read to her kids one day and that she thought I would be a good mom!! That's a compliment I could never hear too much, since my friends back home always say that I'm awkward with children. We started dancing to Soulja Boi (I may or may not have spelled that right), because music was the only way we were able to connect w/ a junior high girl named Joy. Sarah is awesomely terribly at dancing, but it is fantastic! I will probably laugh at her dancing when I'm 80 years old, just looking back on it. She has a blast though, and so does anyone who might be watching. We went to Old City (Jerusalem food) for supper, which is always good, and I got a free Dr. Pepper, because they are starting to recognize the CSM hosts in there. Yay for perks!:) We debriefed on the mall underneath the Washington Monument, and all shared about compassion. We recognized and prayed for some of the people we had met throughout the day and thought could use some compassion. I prayed for Joy, since she always seemed to be so unhappy until we took the time to relate to what she was interested in--music, and bridge that gap. That night after the students had lights out, I made Sarah show the staff/our roommates her sweet dancing skills, and then we all ended up dancing. We had the best time!! I think because we quit caring what each other thought, and just really enjoyed laughing and doing whatever we felt like. I've never danced like that before, I usually just stick to the choreography, but it just might be my favorite way!
Wednesday: We went to Vision DC that morning and sorted through some clothes with Ms. Azi. I had a lunch meeting with Jason, and afterward I met the group at the U.S. Holocaust Museum. It's one of the saddest things I've ever walked through for 2 hours, however I do encourage everyone to try and go. On the flip side, though, I came out feeling like it was as unreal as ever, since it is very hard for me to believe that something so terrible could have really happened. I can't even fathom anything that may or may not have gone on in Adolf Hitler's mind. After lunch we were back at Montello, and we read, did puzzles, and played on the playground. Playing with those kids is the best workout I've ever had, especially these who are so desperate for attention. I never thought I would enjoy feeling like a human jungle gym, but it might just be the best ever. I was sore the next day, especially my back, but I don't regret playing with those kids and letting them hang all over me, even the little (or not so little) boys. We had supper at Ben's Chili Bowl and met up with Anna (the youth leader)'s brother who lives in the city. Somehow I mentioned that I liked to eat ice, but since they're from Michigan the way I said ice sounded a lot more like a certain 3 letter cuss word. Of course they made me say it about a million times after that, but it was all in good fun. Sarah and I got to go back to Star early because the group was debriefing with Anna's brother, so we enjoyed a nice night off. It was faaabulous! The kids got back around 10 and we had a little dance party with them in the food room before bed, since it was there last night here in Star.
Thursday: In the morning we went to the Central Union Mission, and cleaned out a storage building full of old food and other random things like hair dye and stuffed animals. Random, I told you. We then took a tour of the mission and met a guy named David who is living at the shelter at only 22 years old. He shared his story with us, how ended up homeless after years of drug and alcohol addiction, and how he finally came to Christ who brought him out of it. This story had a HUGE impact on our group. We had lunch at Star so the group could pack up to go home, and we had a small debriefing there. We asked them how we could pray for them the rest of the summer and this upcoming year, but we got little response. Afterwards, we went back to Montello which was pretty similar to the past 3 days that we had spent there. Tropicana was for supper, and they all really seemed to enjoy it. We went to Rita's on our way out of town (to a church-wide block party at Jason's church in Maryland) and had a request for a debrief in the van on the way. We decided the best thing to do with that was to share our own stories/testimonies. Sarah went first and I closed up, and by the end of everyone sharing we were all in tears. Though the girls in the group referred to each other as best friends, I really think this was the first time they had ever been fully honest with each other. We got to the church still crying, and definitely not wanting to go to the block party, but we did anyway. Thank God we did too! At the end of the concert at the block party they did a sort of alter call (the raise-your-hand-if-you-said-that-prayer-with-me kind) and FOUR out of SEVEN of our students accepted Christ!! FOUR! It turned into an incredible night of commitments, prayers, hugs, and tears, and even though we had to say goodbye at the end, it was all still wonderful. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten to know these students, and share in the most important night of 4 of their lives! We're still keeping in touch with them via text messaging and facebook, and they all seem to be doing really well still almost a week later. Please pray for them!
Friday & Saturday: Friday was all travel, and I was an hour late to a wedding rehearsal, but otherwise it was great. I got to hang out with Mom, which was awesome,and we spent the night in Athens. I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the way Athens, GA has become home and I got an overwhelming sense of calm when we pulled into my apartment complex that I've not had in almost 2 months. Not that I don't love Chatsworth and DC, but I guess Athens is just where most of my stuff and friends are, so it's now home. It was so good to be there, no matter how much I love DC there's no place like home. Yes, I'm corny and just quoted the Wizard of Oz!:) Saturday was a wedding all day and more Mom time, and when we got back in town we had Mexicali for the first time in FOREVER!! It was fantastic! I hung out w/ my favorite member of the Geek Squad for a little bit after that, and then went to bed too late.
Sunday: Mom started the day off perfect by making me pancakes! Unfortunately though, after that we were late to the airport where they couldn't find my reservation, then I got behind a guy with a fake id at security, ran up the escalator with all my bags, and reached my 9:55 plane at 9:46!!!! I was shaking and breathing hard and really glad I had an hour and a half to calm down before The Boss picked me up in Baltimore. We had lunch and then came back to Star to prepare for another crazy and fabulous week in the life:)
So that's all for last week really, I figured I could write a week at a time since I can't write daily, so bear with me when these get way too long!! I miss everyone and it would seriously be great to hear from you! I LOVE YOU!
XOXO,
Hannah
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Tuesday-Sunday, I'll Try Not to Miss Anything!
Hay friends, so due to the fact that my computer decided to die on me (for good, not just run out of power) I haven't been able to write until now. I don't know how frequently I'll be able to from now on either, because of this disaster. But I'll do what I can:)
Tuesday: The group was split into two, and part of them went to S.O.M.E.(So Others Might Eat), and my group went to the D.C. Central Kitchen. It was fun, and we spent the day preparing food for the kitchen, which is distributed to tons of different people and shelters and things around town. I made english muffin ham and cheese sandwiches all day, and I must say I'm pretty darn good at it:) After preparing food, we ate some for lunch that had been previously prepared. DC Central Kitchen is unique in that it not only serves homeless people, but also provides them with opportunities to advance in life. They have a 12 week culinary arts program in which participants learn the trade and become chefs, and are usually hired by restaurants or hotels or other establishments that use chefs. I think it is completely awesome, that the kitchen is able to help these people in more than one way, and give them endless opportunities with a new career. After this, the group I was with went back to Allen Chapel, where we went on Monday afternoon, and then to Tropicana, a Jamaican restaurant, for dinner. Afterward, we went to the Lincoln Memorial and got caught up in the rain. Though it was kind of a mess, it was a lot of fun and incredibly beautiful in the rain. The opposite group was quite unhappy that they were unable to see the memorial though, making debriefing a little less fun when we got back to Star.
Wednesday: Wednesday morning a group of students plus Arthur, Cassie, and I went to Wheeler Elementary School to work with Pastor Bob Matheiu. They have a free for all teacher supply center there, as well as a parent resource center, and the group moved things around and helped organize them to make it more accessible for members of the community. I had to meet with my boss, Jason, during this time though, so I missed almost everything. For lunch everyone came back to Star and made sandwiches before the groups headed out to do Urban Plunge (an activity the staff did last week, so it's explained above) and we had the afternoon off! It came an unbelievable storm though, we almost lost power a few times, and the group was pretty mad about being stuck in a storm...course the point is to be able to understand what it's like to be homeless, so I think it enhanced the experience a bit. After Urban Plunge, the group decided they wanted to debrief at the Lincoln regardless, so we headed in that direction. We went and the bottom fell out of the sky!! It was a little bit horrifying, and absolutely gorgeous all at the same time. We couldn't hear much of what was going on, but it was neat to be able to debrief inside the monument anyway. We then went and explored the Vietnam Memorial as well before heading back to the vans and back to Star.
Thursday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KERI ENSLEY!:) I didn't get to call her because we were so busy, but I did think of her! The group split into two that morning, and half went to DC Central Kitchen, and the rest of us went to a geriatric daycare center called Downtown Cluster. I worked with alzheimer's patients who were doing art therapy together. While most of the participants were drawing houses, I was paired with a lady who was "too busy taking care of the baby." She had a plastic doll whom she thought was real. This broke my heart, but I just played along, and helped her to take care of it. She kept telling it how beautiful it was and stroking its face and such. So sad, but taking care of that doll made her day. When we left there we went to lunch and then back to Allen Chapel to play with students there again. For dinner we met back up with the other group and had Mid-Atlantic Seafood, which is basically soul food. It's awesome, but way too much and you eat and eat and eat and never see the bottom!! We went to the Basilica to debrief, and pray with the group, as they were spending most of Friday touring and then were going to head out that night--earlier than we had expected. Thursday night we also got our evaluations from them, some good and some bad, but since there had been a significant amount of conflict early in the week and the group had some unrealistic expectations of both the staff, and the trip as a whole, so we expected the comments that we got. We said our goodbyes, sold some t-shirts, and then headed to bed.
Friday: We went to Food and Friends because they were expecting the group and we felt that we should serve even though they had decided to tour and go home. After this we were free for the day, and most of us took naps:) That was glorious for sure. At 6 we met Jason and Chris in Maryland to go to dinner and see Indiana Jones. It was pretty fun and a good bonding experience for us all, I think. Indiana Jones was pretty good too, though not as good as the previous ones. When we got home we went and sat on the roof of the church for awhile, which was pretty, but not as quiet and serene as we had expected, so we just went to bed.
Saturday: Sarah, Katie, and I went into Fairfax, VA to hang out with some of Sarah's friends from school, and to go to church at Fairfax Community. Her friends were awesome, and so was church, and it was quite nice to be able to be out of the city and into a suburb for a bit. We hung out for a bit and then headed back into DC. When we got home the rest of our roommates were watching a movie, which I finished with them, and then called my parents before going to bed. It was a great day overall, and certainly a nice break from the city.
Sunday/Today: Today I slept in since I went to church yesterday, and that was pretty awesome. I liked having one day to sleep in, since we usually won't. Since then I've just been showering and getting ready for our next group which will be coming in soon! Sarah and I re-stocked the fridge full of water, re-stocked the cereal containers, and the shelves with bread for sandwiches. We have a staff meeting at 3, which is when we'll get our actual schedules and plan out what we will need to do for the group. We will probably set plans for my departure on Friday when I head to Atlanta for Erin's wedding on Saturday(EXCITING!)
So that's basically my week in a nutshell! I'll try to be better and write more smaller posts this week, rather than a long giant one, but I make no promises with my incapacitated computer. Please be in prayer for all of us, the city, and the groups this week, and know that I miss you all! Thank you for your prayers, and as always, it would be phenomenal to hear from you!! hannah87@uga.edu!!!
XOXO,
Hannah
Wednesday: Wednesday morning a group of students plus Arthur, Cassie, and I went to Wheeler Elementary School to work with Pastor Bob Matheiu. They have a free for all teacher supply center there, as well as a parent resource center, and the group moved things around and helped organize them to make it more accessible for members of the community. I had to meet with my boss, Jason, during this time though, so I missed almost everything. For lunch everyone came back to Star and made sandwiches before the groups headed out to do Urban Plunge (an activity the staff did last week, so it's explained above) and we had the afternoon off! It came an unbelievable storm though, we almost lost power a few times, and the group was pretty mad about being stuck in a storm...course the point is to be able to understand what it's like to be homeless, so I think it enhanced the experience a bit. After Urban Plunge, the group decided they wanted to debrief at the Lincoln regardless, so we headed in that direction. We went and the bottom fell out of the sky!! It was a little bit horrifying, and absolutely gorgeous all at the same time. We couldn't hear much of what was going on, but it was neat to be able to debrief inside the monument anyway. We then went and explored the Vietnam Memorial as well before heading back to the vans and back to Star.
Thursday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KERI ENSLEY!:) I didn't get to call her because we were so busy, but I did think of her! The group split into two that morning, and half went to DC Central Kitchen, and the rest of us went to a geriatric daycare center called Downtown Cluster. I worked with alzheimer's patients who were doing art therapy together. While most of the participants were drawing houses, I was paired with a lady who was "too busy taking care of the baby." She had a plastic doll whom she thought was real. This broke my heart, but I just played along, and helped her to take care of it. She kept telling it how beautiful it was and stroking its face and such. So sad, but taking care of that doll made her day. When we left there we went to lunch and then back to Allen Chapel to play with students there again. For dinner we met back up with the other group and had Mid-Atlantic Seafood, which is basically soul food. It's awesome, but way too much and you eat and eat and eat and never see the bottom!! We went to the Basilica to debrief, and pray with the group, as they were spending most of Friday touring and then were going to head out that night--earlier than we had expected. Thursday night we also got our evaluations from them, some good and some bad, but since there had been a significant amount of conflict early in the week and the group had some unrealistic expectations of both the staff, and the trip as a whole, so we expected the comments that we got. We said our goodbyes, sold some t-shirts, and then headed to bed.
Friday: We went to Food and Friends because they were expecting the group and we felt that we should serve even though they had decided to tour and go home. After this we were free for the day, and most of us took naps:) That was glorious for sure. At 6 we met Jason and Chris in Maryland to go to dinner and see Indiana Jones. It was pretty fun and a good bonding experience for us all, I think. Indiana Jones was pretty good too, though not as good as the previous ones. When we got home we went and sat on the roof of the church for awhile, which was pretty, but not as quiet and serene as we had expected, so we just went to bed.
Saturday: Sarah, Katie, and I went into Fairfax, VA to hang out with some of Sarah's friends from school, and to go to church at Fairfax Community. Her friends were awesome, and so was church, and it was quite nice to be able to be out of the city and into a suburb for a bit. We hung out for a bit and then headed back into DC. When we got home the rest of our roommates were watching a movie, which I finished with them, and then called my parents before going to bed. It was a great day overall, and certainly a nice break from the city.
Sunday/Today: Today I slept in since I went to church yesterday, and that was pretty awesome. I liked having one day to sleep in, since we usually won't. Since then I've just been showering and getting ready for our next group which will be coming in soon! Sarah and I re-stocked the fridge full of water, re-stocked the cereal containers, and the shelves with bread for sandwiches. We have a staff meeting at 3, which is when we'll get our actual schedules and plan out what we will need to do for the group. We will probably set plans for my departure on Friday when I head to Atlanta for Erin's wedding on Saturday(EXCITING!)
So that's basically my week in a nutshell! I'll try to be better and write more smaller posts this week, rather than a long giant one, but I make no promises with my incapacitated computer. Please be in prayer for all of us, the city, and the groups this week, and know that I miss you all! Thank you for your prayers, and as always, it would be phenomenal to hear from you!! hannah87@uga.edu!!!
XOXO,
Hannah
Monday, June 2, 2008
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...My Amazing Race!
Hello all, sorry it has been awhile since I've written, I was at home all weekend, so I was quite busy. I'm going to start going day by day on this, so I guess Friday where we left off would be best...
Friday: 4:00 am I woke up, wide awake. I had to be up at 4:30 anyway, and I guess I was paranoid about being late, so I was up at the crack of dawn. Correction, long before the crack of dawn. At 5:30 we all left to go to a place called Charlie's Place, where breakfast is served to the homeless. At Charlie's Place, there is also a clothes closet where men and women can get clothes on Tuesdays & Fridays, as well as a registered nurse who provides them with a bit of medical care on these days. I worked in the closet mainly, sorting and folding and finding all sorts of interesting items, and then matching them with those who would seem to most benefit from having them. It's pretty amazing to see a grown man grin and change clothes immediately when you can give him something better to wear. They also did what they call a sock lottery on Friday, and I can honestly say few things have touched me and broken my heart more. Each person at the breakfast gets a number and at the end a drawing is held (a few drawings really, around 6, I think) to see who wins the socks. The best part I saw was a man giving up his winning ticket to another man who had no socks at all. I was absolutely broken to see these people getting so excited over a pair of socks. How can I watch this, and be ok with the $600+ that I spend EACH YEAR just to dance? It was one of the most humbling things I have ever experienced, and wish that each of you could have shared this with me.
After leaving, we split into groups and did what CSM calls a City Survey. Basically, we had to find people around the mall from various walks of life and ask them for their opinions on homelessness in the DC area, what they think the government should do about it (if anything), and questions such as those. We asked a police man, a Smithsonian guard, a DC native, some tourists, and a street vendor. I clammed up and was the last to approach someone, for reasons unknown. However, the man I approached was a street vendor from West Africa, and was one of the most interesting people I have ever had a conversation with. He talked of how America differed from his home country, and how there people care about each other so much that homelessness does not exist. He thinks that is what is missing here in this country--we don't care enough for one another. He told us (Cassie was with me) that if we were friends with him and needed a place to stay, he would take us in. He spoke about some other things for awhile, and finally ended up saying that he basically thought it was Oprah's responsibility:).
When City Survey was done, we came back to Star to get some lunch, and waited on the exterminator and his dog to come, because we thought we had bed bugs! We dont--YAY!! I think most of what was wrong with us was paranoia, because Star has had a problem with these pests before. We then went to our alternate housing site, another local church, and met the pastor there. It's a BEAUTIFUL church, and if I ever get married, I envision my wedding to be in a church similar to that one. The stained glass windows were gorgeous, and it was just small enough to have only one center aisle. I love it. We then came back to Star and got some quick naps in!
After the naps, our evening plans began, and we had a picnic in the park followed by the Shakespeare Theatre Company's performance of Hamlet. It was incredible, though I would've enjoyed it more had I not been so tired. At 11 pm we were headed back to Star for a goodnight's rest, followed by an early morning.
Saturday: Not much happened on Saturday, except I flew back home to the big state of Georgia! Home Sweet Home! Tiffany picked me up from the airport with a birthday gift and an extremely good plate of brownies (compliments of her grandmother), and we went home to Chatsworth. That night we went to eat with my family (Mom's side) where I rambled for far too long about my trip and the goings on here in DC. I love it though, and its just all I can talk about! After that we took Granny & PawPaw their graduation tickets, and spent about an hour cracking up at Granny, and watching Paw shake his head at her:) Tiffany was cracked up! Granny, I know you'll be reading this and I just want you to know I've still not found a husband, but I'm not a nun. I'll let you know if anything changes! And PawPaw, I gave my friends thier crosses and they loved them! They said thanks, and we are all keeping them in our binders that we have to carry everywhere with us. It's an encouragement everytime we see it. I love yall! We also went to WalMart that night, and went to bed ASAP.
Sunday: Church! We went to Sunday School with Mom in Eloise's class (where she informed me that even though she hates blogs she's reading mine--I feel special, Eloise, thanks!), and had a great message. Sunday morning service was good too, and it was great to get to see everybody. That afternoon my baby brother became an official graduate of Murray County High School, and I officially felt old. I'm proud though, just don't tell him:) After Tiffany left, I went to see my Dad, which was great as well. We had some good conversations about life and lessons and such, and I learned what goes into his favorite spinach dip! He took me home, and I packed up my things to come back to DC.
Monday: I woke up at 3:30, making this the official longest day of my life. Nanny and Mom took me to the airport, and Nanny was wide awake, since that's about the time she usually gets up in the morning--bless her. I'm kidding, I love you Nanny, even if you do wake up in the middle of the night on an everyday basis! I did manage to sleep on the way to the airport, but none since then. I rode in Mom's car to the airport, a plane to Baltimore, and a train into DC (hence the title of this blog), and I honestly felt like a contestant on the Amazing Race. Sarah and Kristyn picked me up at Union Station, and I hung out with the group in town for the rest of the day. We went to a place called Allen's Chapel to help move and to hang out with kids, and most of them got quite a good time out of making fun of my accent. One girl tried to talk like me for the rest of the day, and it was quite ridiculous. She was absolutely precious though, as were the rest of the kids. I think I'm starting to like kids a lot more than I used to, and William made fun of my "mommy instinct" since it was coming out. After Allen Chapel, we went to eat at Wok N Roll (Chinese, obviously) which was pretty good, and classic Chinese food. On our way out we met an interesting character who challenged our beliefs on the war and was a complete jerk about it (I can't even explain, honestly), but he said only scumbags were serving in Iraq and we all got pretty offended, since we all know people there who can certainly not be classified as such. The man was drunk though, and we finally got away, heading home for the evening. I have now unpacked my stuff and done two loads of laundry, and will be calling my Mom in approximately 3 minutes to say goodnight. I miss you guys, and it would be great to hear from you! I love you!
XOXO,
Hannah
Friday: 4:00 am I woke up, wide awake. I had to be up at 4:30 anyway, and I guess I was paranoid about being late, so I was up at the crack of dawn. Correction, long before the crack of dawn. At 5:30 we all left to go to a place called Charlie's Place, where breakfast is served to the homeless. At Charlie's Place, there is also a clothes closet where men and women can get clothes on Tuesdays & Fridays, as well as a registered nurse who provides them with a bit of medical care on these days. I worked in the closet mainly, sorting and folding and finding all sorts of interesting items, and then matching them with those who would seem to most benefit from having them. It's pretty amazing to see a grown man grin and change clothes immediately when you can give him something better to wear. They also did what they call a sock lottery on Friday, and I can honestly say few things have touched me and broken my heart more. Each person at the breakfast gets a number and at the end a drawing is held (a few drawings really, around 6, I think) to see who wins the socks. The best part I saw was a man giving up his winning ticket to another man who had no socks at all. I was absolutely broken to see these people getting so excited over a pair of socks. How can I watch this, and be ok with the $600+ that I spend EACH YEAR just to dance? It was one of the most humbling things I have ever experienced, and wish that each of you could have shared this with me.
After leaving, we split into groups and did what CSM calls a City Survey. Basically, we had to find people around the mall from various walks of life and ask them for their opinions on homelessness in the DC area, what they think the government should do about it (if anything), and questions such as those. We asked a police man, a Smithsonian guard, a DC native, some tourists, and a street vendor. I clammed up and was the last to approach someone, for reasons unknown. However, the man I approached was a street vendor from West Africa, and was one of the most interesting people I have ever had a conversation with. He talked of how America differed from his home country, and how there people care about each other so much that homelessness does not exist. He thinks that is what is missing here in this country--we don't care enough for one another. He told us (Cassie was with me) that if we were friends with him and needed a place to stay, he would take us in. He spoke about some other things for awhile, and finally ended up saying that he basically thought it was Oprah's responsibility:).
When City Survey was done, we came back to Star to get some lunch, and waited on the exterminator and his dog to come, because we thought we had bed bugs! We dont--YAY!! I think most of what was wrong with us was paranoia, because Star has had a problem with these pests before. We then went to our alternate housing site, another local church, and met the pastor there. It's a BEAUTIFUL church, and if I ever get married, I envision my wedding to be in a church similar to that one. The stained glass windows were gorgeous, and it was just small enough to have only one center aisle. I love it. We then came back to Star and got some quick naps in!
After the naps, our evening plans began, and we had a picnic in the park followed by the Shakespeare Theatre Company's performance of Hamlet. It was incredible, though I would've enjoyed it more had I not been so tired. At 11 pm we were headed back to Star for a goodnight's rest, followed by an early morning.
Saturday: Not much happened on Saturday, except I flew back home to the big state of Georgia! Home Sweet Home! Tiffany picked me up from the airport with a birthday gift and an extremely good plate of brownies (compliments of her grandmother), and we went home to Chatsworth. That night we went to eat with my family (Mom's side) where I rambled for far too long about my trip and the goings on here in DC. I love it though, and its just all I can talk about! After that we took Granny & PawPaw their graduation tickets, and spent about an hour cracking up at Granny, and watching Paw shake his head at her:) Tiffany was cracked up! Granny, I know you'll be reading this and I just want you to know I've still not found a husband, but I'm not a nun. I'll let you know if anything changes! And PawPaw, I gave my friends thier crosses and they loved them! They said thanks, and we are all keeping them in our binders that we have to carry everywhere with us. It's an encouragement everytime we see it. I love yall! We also went to WalMart that night, and went to bed ASAP.
Sunday: Church! We went to Sunday School with Mom in Eloise's class (where she informed me that even though she hates blogs she's reading mine--I feel special, Eloise, thanks!), and had a great message. Sunday morning service was good too, and it was great to get to see everybody. That afternoon my baby brother became an official graduate of Murray County High School, and I officially felt old. I'm proud though, just don't tell him:) After Tiffany left, I went to see my Dad, which was great as well. We had some good conversations about life and lessons and such, and I learned what goes into his favorite spinach dip! He took me home, and I packed up my things to come back to DC.
Monday: I woke up at 3:30, making this the official longest day of my life. Nanny and Mom took me to the airport, and Nanny was wide awake, since that's about the time she usually gets up in the morning--bless her. I'm kidding, I love you Nanny, even if you do wake up in the middle of the night on an everyday basis! I did manage to sleep on the way to the airport, but none since then. I rode in Mom's car to the airport, a plane to Baltimore, and a train into DC (hence the title of this blog), and I honestly felt like a contestant on the Amazing Race. Sarah and Kristyn picked me up at Union Station, and I hung out with the group in town for the rest of the day. We went to a place called Allen's Chapel to help move and to hang out with kids, and most of them got quite a good time out of making fun of my accent. One girl tried to talk like me for the rest of the day, and it was quite ridiculous. She was absolutely precious though, as were the rest of the kids. I think I'm starting to like kids a lot more than I used to, and William made fun of my "mommy instinct" since it was coming out. After Allen Chapel, we went to eat at Wok N Roll (Chinese, obviously) which was pretty good, and classic Chinese food. On our way out we met an interesting character who challenged our beliefs on the war and was a complete jerk about it (I can't even explain, honestly), but he said only scumbags were serving in Iraq and we all got pretty offended, since we all know people there who can certainly not be classified as such. The man was drunk though, and we finally got away, heading home for the evening. I have now unpacked my stuff and done two loads of laundry, and will be calling my Mom in approximately 3 minutes to say goodnight. I miss you guys, and it would be great to hear from you! I love you!
XOXO,
Hannah
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