Jamie's visit!

So last Saturday our community was joined by our area director, Jamie, for a several day visit. It was her first trip to Alaska and we were all really pumped to 1. see Jamie and 2. have a visitor! We attempted to welcome Jamie to Sitka by each standing somewhere different along the road between the airport and our house (maybe 4 miles) holding signs that said "Hi Jamie." This of course didn't totally work out because her flight got in a little early and the Sitka airport is literally one room. We ate some halibut (a gift from a random fisherman) for dinner and then took Jamie on a little walk around Sitka because it was a pretty nice night. We went back to the house and played some cards for a couple of hours and just started catching up on how things were going so far in town for us. On Sunday we went to St. Gregory's for mass and since she was a visitor, Jamie was welcomed by Fr. Scott and the community. After mass we went on a hike of Herring Cove which is just as beautiful in the rain as it is in the sun so that hike was a lot of fun.

On Monday morning I had my one on one meeting with Jamie which I had really been looking forward to. We walked around Totem Park a bit and along the beach because the tide was out and it was really good for me to talk about how things were going and about each of the four values. I have and continue to live them out on a daily basis, but reflection on and conversations about specific values are not always happening so it was good for me to focus on them and talk out my thoughts and struggles with them pretty clearly. I think that some of these reflections will probably be finding their way to this blog pretty soon too.

On Monday night, Jamie led a spirituality night for us and it was awesome! At least it was extremely powerful and inspirational for me. Jamie read a few excerpts from a book whose name escapes me at the moment but is a compilation of photos and interviews and focuses on liberation theology. Following the excerpts we had several questions to reflect on and we shared our 3 favorite phrases in a circle so as to create group poetry. This reflection really got me to thinking about where I am and am not seeing God in my experiences in community, at work, in nature and in the Sitka community. We all talked for about an hour after reflection about some of these questions and I think that my perspective and approach to my spirituality is in the process of being refocused so as to get the most out of this experience and not miss out on the truly important and powerful experiences and lessons that I am engaging in here.

Rather than summarizing every day and little thing that happened during Jamie's visit, I think that using just a few examples would do the trick:
1. Reading children's stories from the 1960's and The Indian in the Cupboard out loud while a couple people fell asleep at 8pm.
2. Many trips to the White E for books, Alaska Day sweatshirts and ridiculously cool hats that Jamie found.
3. Yogurt and lots of it.
4. A self-care training session for SAFV that stressed me out.
5. Jamie giving directions to tourists after 2 days in town.
6. Feeling like Jamie had been living with us for weeks and not a few days.
7. 1 month until retreat!

Herring Cove

On Monday, I worked a half day because I had training from 6-9pm and because it was a beautiful sunny day in Sitka I went for a hike with Katie and Evie on the recently opened Herring Cove Trail. It was a really nice hike with a huge variety of natural features: all of the steps utilized rocks naturally there, a large number of little waterfalls coming down from the mountain, paths that cut through logs and large boulders, a view of a large waterfall and snow capped mountains, and it connected with the Beaver Lake trail which is a loop around one of the mountain lakes. It was such a beautiful sight, the weather was perfect (sunny and low 60's), and it quickly became my favorite trail.

Saturday in the rain

This past Saturday, I had domestic violence training for 6 hours with SAFV along with about a dozen community members (including 3 members of my house.) The day's focus was on presenting some facts about domestic violence to the community, helping to explain why victims stay with their perpetrators, and beginning to talk about the impact that domestic violence has on individuals, families and communities. It was a long day but I found the conversations interesting and one video in particular that we watched presented a number of interviews with DV and sexual assault survivors, their families, and included interviews with perpetrators. The perpetrator interviews were particularly striking because each of them was in a different place of awareness of their actions and gave a perspective on the violence committed that I had never been exposed to before. I personally feel that it is important to understand and approach an issue from every direction and found this aspect helpful in beginning to understand and question why someone would abuse a loved one rather than trying to question why someone stays with an abuser (which often is the case in the media and in American society.) The blame often is pushed onto victims both for their abuse (they somehow caused it) and for staying with an abuser out of fear, financial security, lack of an adequate support system, lack of knowledge about community resources or any number of other reasons that help to explain why someone would stay. I have 2 more Saturday trainings and 2 Mondays left so be on the lookout for further reflections on what I see and learn.

On a much less serious note, Greg and I rode our bikes to Kelly's Pub on Saturday afternoon to meet our friend Ben (from Ohio) for the USC-Ohio St. game. This little trip deserves mention here because the pub is almost 2 miles from our house, it was raining hard, and it didn't open until 5! I was extremely surprised because this game started at 4 and I for sure thought that a sports bar would be open for a game between 2 top 10 teams...nope! The three of us walked around for a half hour having a really good conversation about JVC, Americorps, faith and Sitka and eventually got into the pub for the game. It was really nice to just kick back, watch a game in that atmosphere (even if we were the only people there) and make a connection outside of the house. After the game we went to a bar in town to watch a band called The Glorious Youth Parade perform. Words cannot adequately describe this experience. It was a pretty big band with a variety of instruments, the public defender on lead guitar and others dressed up in crazy outfits, including one man who I am pretty sure was dressed up like Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons.

Thoughts on today

It’s 11:30 a.m. here and I don’t think I could possibly be in a place more different than New York. The tallest building is only a few stories high, the pace of live is very slow and relaxed, and there are eight million less people. I slept in this morning because I am going into work at noon (I have training tomorrow), took a shower and looked at my phone. It said 8:46. Even eight years later, I can remember every little detail about that Tuesday and the days that followed. I remember the sound of the fire engines rushing past for twenty minutes as I filled out a survey for the JSEA. I can remember sitting in Mr. Dimichele’s class when Mr. Dougherty announced that a plane had hit and the discussion and questions that followed. I remember sitting in advisement with Dr. Tricamo for what seemed like an eternity before lunch. I remember sitting in the quad after school with Jon Spagnola and Mr. Dimichele while waiting for my aunt and cousin. I remember meeting Johnny and Bobby on the subway at 59th St. I remember seeing the smoke all along the south shore from the LIRR and I remember my dad picking me up at my aunt and uncle’s in Baldwin. Time and distance have done little to alter my feelings and memories from that day and being so far from home and people who understand the feelings has been a struggle today.

But I am hopeful because I know tomorrow will be a better day. The rays of sunshine sneaking through the low lying clouds here remind me that the sun and light are still there (and always are.) The dozens of Coast Guard members who are volunteering throughout Sitka today remind me of the unity and national pride that reverberated throughout America that day and in the days that followed. My own experiences since that day have shown me that together we can do anything that we set our minds to. So I leave you today, as I pray for peace, unity and solace with hope for the future.

The following are some quotes, poems, prayers that I have found to be particularly striking on a personal level and wanted to share with you:

A QUIET HERO

Some men die a glorious death full of fanfare and fame
Others die so quietly we hardly know their name
It doesn't matter how they die, the void they leave is great
He died a quiet hero, there really is no debate ...
He saved the lives of others, snatching victory from defeat.
~ Author George G. Howard ~

St. Ignatius’ Prayer of Generosity
Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.

Deo et Patriae—For God and country

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

If You’re Out There (John Legend)

If you're ready we can shake the world
Believe again
It starts within
We don't have to wait for destiny
We should be the change that we want to see

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

After finally getting Evie back from her work trip in Juneau, we talked about everything she had missed when she was gone and about her time in Juneau and about what to do on Sunday afternoon. So, we decided to ignore TLC's advice--"don't go chasing waterfalls"--and four of us decided to hike the Indian River trail with hopes of reaching the waterfall 4 and a half miles away. The weather was great for most of the hike as it stayed pretty clear and I was able to hike in shorts and a t-shirt for most of it and the river was full of salmon making their way upstream to spawn and die, so unfortunately a lot of the trail smelt of dead fish. The trail itself is pretty flat for the first half or so with several bridges crossing over the river that provide great views of the clear water below. About an hour and a half or so into the hike we ran into Meg and Eileen who were on their way back from the waterfall with a few friends (including a husky) and told us that we were about forty minutes away from the waterfall. After leaving them, the trail grew thinner, steeper and rockier as we approached the trail's end. Eventually we reached the waterfall and my only reaction was one of shear awe. It was majestic and giant (I haven't seen too many waterfalls so I have little to compare it to) and Katie, Evie and I felt the need to get closer. We "carefully" manuevered through and around the river to approach the falls and got within about ten feet of it (as well as soaking ourselves in the process.) The spray was freezing yet refreshing at the same time, it was really misty and pretty tough to see when you were right up next to the falls, but it was a beautiful sight.

We soon realized that it was 5pm, that we had a 2 hour hike back ahead of us and wanted to get out of the woods before dark, so we started back. Along the way, I had a really great conversation with one of my housemates about our time in Sitka so far, potential future plans, what has been challenging so far (relationships, adjusting to life here, and spirituality, among others), and things we are looking forward to, particularly a visit from Jamie, our area director, and our fall retreat so we can see and catch up with the other Alaska houses. About halway through our walk back, Katie yelled and showed us the largest bear print I have ever seen; I am pretty sure it was bigger than a dinner plate. Needless to say, our pace quickened and we started singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" as loud as we could in an effort to avoid this large bear. We all made it home safely so overall I would say this outing was a success and I fully support anyone who wants to chase waterfalls :-)

Sun!!!

So we have had 4 extremely beautiful, sunny days in a row! Since Monday I have spent a good chunk of time outside, enjoying the weather, mingling with tourists, and taking in the landscape that is all around me. I have also been a bit of a tourist myself this week as I have been taking pictures of one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen, the water, the mountains and even the moon! (I must admit that I almost forgot that it existed because I haven't seen it since arriving in Sitka.)

On Tuesday, while I was taking some photos along the water, I offered to take a picture for a lovely married couple from Idaho. After I took their picture in front of their cruise ship, they insisted that I let them take one of me in front of the ship too. Being polite, I obliged and now have my very own Sitka vacation photo! Following this encounter, I enjoyed my lunch along the water and just enjoyed being outside in the sun (I know that the rain and darkness will eventually dominate the weather here.) Rather than trying to unsuccessfully describe the weather this week and using the phrase "a picture's worth a thousand words" as my inspiration, I am just going to share some of the pictures that I took.

1-11=-1 and other fun things

This past weekend, Marcus, the St. Gregory's youth director, invited us over for dinner on Friday night. We enjoyed a nice dinner of pasta and vegetables and conversation over some white wine. After dinner we played a marathon of a poker game that I eventually won (I am terrible at poker for those of you who didn't already know that.) We obviously did not play for money because no one in the room makes enough money to do that :-)

On Saturday, I enjoyed a quiet morning at home while Greg was at work and the girls were on a boat cruise with Evie's job at SAIL (Southeast Alaska Independent Living.) It was really weird having several hours of complete quiet but I took the time to do some laundry, clean the kitchen (it was my week to do that), write some letters and enjoy some relaxation time after a long week at work. We had a pretty relaxing afternoon as well and after dinner we played this card game called "hand and foot" that Evie taught us. We ended the night playing some cards, my housemates enjoying some local beers (I wasn't feeling too well so I stuck to tea), and watching The Office. The weather was pretty chilly and raw on Sunday so after enjoying some french toast and heading over to mass, we spent the afternoon watching the Bourne Identity. Natalie is now hooked and anxiously awaiting her chance to catch the last two chapters of the series.

For our community night, we headed over to the video store and enjoyed some arcade games that they have in a back room. I forgot how much fun pinball is! Afterward, we headed over to the house that we are house sitting for the next 2 weeks. The owners have gone on a hunting trip and have left us to care for their 2 cats, chickens, rooster, and ducks! The girls agreed to stay at the house for the first night and after spending a few hours there playing cards, I realized that I will not be able to stay over there because my allergies were flaring up pretty good.

On Monday, following a beautiful day in Sitka and a fun night working childcare at the shelter, we all headed over to the new house for Spirituality night. Before we could hang out with Jesus, however, we had to collect the 7 chicks who had been let out earlier in the day from their pen. The 7 of them had assembled themselves on top of the owners' compost bin and did not want to move. After some coaxing (both verbal and physical), the chicks all were back in their proper place and I felt like the Cesar Millan of chickens. I was responsible for spirituality night this week and after Greg's wonderful reflection involving the book Matthew's Meadow last week, I decided to use a reflection exercise that I had participated in and led many times at Holy Cross called life graphs. Essentially everyone is given a blank piece of paper and a pen or marker and reflects on the events in their life that have been important, influential and that have shaped them into who they are today. We focus on both the positive and negative experiences because it is important to note that everything that we experience is integral in molding the people we are and hope to become. I closed by reciting St. Ignatius' prayer of Generosity and I think that the reflection went really well. I really enjoyed learning more about where each of my housemates is coming from and enjoyed reflecting on what events and people have helped to mold me and sharing that with my housemates.