Just Carry Yourself Back To Me Unspoiled

Or: “Ruined for Life”

Well. It’s August 7^th. My time in Bridgeport and as a Jesuit Volunteer is just days from being over. People are getting very excited for me to come back to Minnesota. And, I think, in this jumble of things I’m feeling, I have some excitement too. It’s just so much more complicated than that.

But. So. I thought maybe I’d start with some pictures of things I haven’t shown you guys yet. Bridgeport type things, yeah? So here goes:

This is our beautiful little house on Alpine Street. It has been a wonderful place to call home:

These are the incredible women I got to share this year with (Hannah, Meghan, and Sophie):  

This is the teen room (as seen from my desk) and then my desk at work:

These are the awesome seniors I got to Wii Bowl with every Thursday! I also did aerobics with several of them:

These are (most of) the amazing teens I’ve spent my summer with:

This is the blanket I crocheted this fall:

This is the first snow of the season, over the community garden in the back of the Taylor Center:

This is our street and back yard after 3 ft of snow in February:

Naturally I have hundreds more, but I can show those to people individually when I get back. I just wanted to share a bit of my life and work this year, to put some images with names/places/stories.

It’s nuts that this year is coming to an end. In some ways it feels like lifetimes have passed since I hugged my family goodbye and got on a plane to move a city I’d never even heard of 8 months before. So much has happened, so much life has been lived. I’ve grown and changed so much. But at the same time it has absolutely flown by. I can not believe it is August, that I’m leaving in a matter of days.

I wouldn’t trade this year for anything. It has been the most amazing, difficult, infuriating, wonderful experience. Someone at our Re-Orientation retreat back in January said that JVC was the most challenging blessing she’d ever received. I think that’s just about a perfect description of what this has been. It’s been hard, so hard. Work has been maddening and frustrating, intentional community is certainly not easy (no matter how wonderful my housemates are), and we’ve had our fair share (and then some) of trials and bumps. But it has been so good. There have been so many highs, so many wonderful moments and beautiful things. And even the hard stuff, even the stuff that just sucked, was beautiful too because of how we came out of it and the things it taught us and the way we grew. There is not a single thing I would change about the way this year has gone.

I will be unpacking this experience for the rest of my life. It has changed me in ways I don’t even understand yet. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve seen and experienced, all the challenges and victories, will, I think, be impacting me forever. JVC’s motto is “ruined for life.” Basically it means that this experience changes, and is meant to change, you forever, that the things you see and experience and learn will forever impact the way you see, understand and exist in the world. I cannot just carry myself back to you unspoiled. This is going to stay with me forever.

Bridgeport is going to stay with me forever. I will carry this city and its people always. Bridgeport is not, perhaps, a great city. (It has taken almost a year for me to be able to admit that). It has a lot of problems. Its people are marginalized and oppressed. It provides very few opportunities, advantages or tools for success for its citizens. Its school system is deplorable. There is violence and crime and sometimes it is just dirty. But, there is also beauty in Bridgeport. Bridgeport, Park City, has tons of beautiful parks. We’ve had the awesome privilege of getting to know this side of Bridgeport through our runs and through participating in various events held at the parks. It’s also right on the Long Island Sound so it has a great beach with an old lighthouse you can walk out to. Bridgeport has an awesome art scene, and every Thursday all summer there is live music on Mclevy Green downtown. There are 4 farmers markets in town from June to October, bringing fresh produce to the community. This is especially important in areas like the East End (where I work), which is a food desert. And, within everything, there are people just living their lives. There are awesome communities of people loving and taking care of each other. I have met some of the most amazing people here and gotten to be involved in some really special communities. The people, I think above all else, make Bridgeport beautiful.

There is a lot of good happening and being done in Bridgeport, and we have had the privilege of witnessing this all year. This city has a long way to go, but it’s not done fighting. And it is not, at least entirely, defined by its problems. It is also defined by its beauty. It is important to find this beauty in the city.

So while Bridgeport might not be great, while it may not even be good in so many ways, Bridgeport is still lovable. This city and its people are so worth loving and so worth fighting for. They are worth the difficulties and frustrations at work. They are worth all the things our community has weathered this year. That is why I came and that is why I stayed, even when it wasn’t easy.

I don’t know. I don’t think I’m explaining this quite right, but I don’t know how else to say it. Which is why this is all going to be so hard, because I can’t explain any of this well. I don’t have the right words and people who have not done this don’t have the right context. But we’ll all try and muddle through somehow.

And maybe there’s a real beauty in that muddling.

So anyway. We’ve been busy (no change there) soaking up our last few weeks out here. We’ve gotten out and done a few of the things we have been meaning to do all year (including finally making it out to Fair Weather Lighthouse this weekend!). We had a BBQ last night to say thank you and see you later to all our awesome support people from this year. We were blessed with a really awesome support network. And in general we’ve just been focused on spending time together in Bridgeport.

Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this entire journey. You have all been amazing, from the first time I heard “JVC” just over a year and a half ago all the way up to right now, as I prepare to leave. I can not thank you enough. Your support and prayers and kind words have meant so much. I can’t wait to see you all and (try to) tell you about this year in person!

I might keep up this blog, especially in the heat of the transition, so keep an eye out for it if you’re interested.

God Bless,

Aimee

AmericanaramA

(Not actually Dylan lyrics, but it is the name of his current tour, which we shall see is very relevant to this blog post.)

Hiya!

How is everyone? Can you believe it’s July already? I certainly can’t. My goodness gracious does time ever fly. Wasn’t I just preparing to leave on this crazy adventure? Didn’t I just get to Bridgeport and meet all my housemates and start work? It’s so surreal to be this close to the end.

I’ve been keeping busy as usual. The last weekend in June I headed in to New York City one more time to rush Pippin. Anyone who follows be on twitter or had spoken to me at all in June knows how determined I was to see that show. So it should come as no surprise that I was up at 3:30 am to get in line for a ticket. I got down to Times Square before McDonalds had started serving breakfast again, grabbed a coffee and a couple double cheeseburgers (they weren’t serving breakfast, what was I supposed to do?) and took my place in line. Believe it or not there were 10 or 11 people there earlier than even me.

Roughly 5.5 hours and several Moody Blues albums later the box office opened and the line started moving. This was it! I could barely stand still in line like a functional human being. And then, 10 minutes and most of my June savings later, I had a ticket!!

I spent a few hours reading in Central Park, waiting very impatiently for it to be a reasonable time to go line up at the theatre for the show. Finally it came, the doors opened and the usher showed me to my seat.

In the gosh darn front row.

FRONT ROW SEAT FOR PIPPIN.

I was shaking and ecstatic and totally blown away. Again, anyone who follows me on twitter knows that I was willing to hang upside down from the rafters in order to see this show. A front row spot was more than my wildest dreams.

The man sitting next to me (Chris I believe) had been in line with me all morning and we got to chatting. He had seen the show (as in that particular production of Pippin) 24 times. He’s kind of my hero. He had some awesome Broadway related stories that kept me quite entertained until the lights dimmed.

It was time.

A spotlight appeared on the curtain, and then a silhouetted figure Fossed (yes Fossed, as in to move in a Bob Fosse-esque manner) up the stage and the glorious Patima Miller appeared (to ruckus applause).  

From then on I was on cloud 9. Wow. The show was absolutely incredible. Patina Miller earned every bit of that Tony. She was brilliant. The circus tricks and acrobatics were stunning. Andrea Martin actually stopped the show with a standing ovation half way through the first act. I’ve never seen anyone do that. Terrence Mann was hilarious. Matthew James Thomas (who almost cut my head of with his sword at one point #frontrowproblems) was superb. The entire thing was beautiful and breathtaking and extraordinary. And there I was in the front row to take it all in.

My life these days, I tell you what.

It was just so cool to see the original revival cast, the cast that’s on the album and who won the Tony. It’s such a once in a lifetime experience.

Unless you’re Chris. Then it’s a 24 times in a lifetime experience.

After the show I hit up the stage door and met a ton of the cast, including Matthew James Thomas! I went back the next day (I was in the area, leave me alone) and got to meet a few more people, including Patina Miller (!!!!!) and Terrence Mann.

It was incredible, and totally worth the 24 hours without sleep I ended up doing.

Because I can’t say no to some good late night fun and ended up staying up until just after 3 am with some Harlem and Newark JVs that night. It was a ton of fun and I regret nothing.

That Monday our Teen Achievers program kicked off! We now have 17 kids in the program, which is crazy and amazing and way more than we anticipated. I’m busy all day running around with them. It’s such an awesome change of pace from the rest of my year at work, and I am absolutely loving it. I go home every day exhausted and completely happy. They’re great kids and I’m so excited to spend the rest of the summer hanging out with them!

Hannah and I went down to DC/Virginia for a long weekend over the 4^th to visit her mom and step dad and her boyfriend. We had a wonderful time seeing the sights and just hanging out. They are such lovely people and they always make me feel so welcome and part of everything. I’m so grateful for their hospitality.

After another long and awesome week with the Teen Achievers it was time for some rest and relaxation…in the form of a 30 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail! A group of 14 of us met Sunday at a trailhead in PA about 30 miles north of the site of our Dis-Orientation retreat (which was to begin that Tuesday) and headed out for a 3 day backpacking adventure.

It. Was. Awesome.

Seriously, it was one of the coolest things I have ever done. The trail was gorgeous, the company was great, and it was just so amazing to get out into the woods, disconnect from everything and just walk somewhere. I don’t know, it just suited me. Backpacking is my jam, man.

We did just over 10 miles the first day and stayed at a State Park campsite that night. The next day we meant to do just over 10 miles again, but somewhere along the line the map got messed up and we ended up doing 12. Which was a lot, but so cool to accomplish. We stayed at a shelter along the trail that night. It was great. Lots of space, an awesome creek to stick our feet in and chat around, everything you could want from a campsite. Sleeping, however, was a bit of a challenge. See that white stuff our tents are on top of? Yeah, thats a bed of the sharpest gravel you have ever had the displeasure of encountering. Most of us did not bring sleeping pads, because you have to carry everything on your back and who wants the extra weight? So we were condemned to a night of tossing and turning on these horrible little rocks and got barely any sleep at all. But hey, that’s life on the trail I suppose.

Our last day was supposed to be a little shorter, between 6 and 7 miles and ending at Blue Ridge Summit for Dis-O, but after lunch we kind of split into 2 groups and some of us ended up hiking an extra mountain. We choose to view this as an extra victory.

After making it to the retreat center, we dropped our bags, were refused hugs by several JVC Program Coordinators (to be fair, we smelled horrendous), and promptly jumped in the pool fully clothed.

And it was glorious. We seriously considered never moving.

Dis-O was great. It was awesome to see everyone one more time and catch up on the ends of their years and their plans for next year. We had some great speakers, a talent show (where Sophie and I did not reprise The Confrontation, despite multiple requests), a nice Italian dinner and all sorts of late night fun. Goodbyes were rough Friday morning. I don’t do endings well, and I’m abysmal at saying goodbye. The greater JVC community has been awesome this year. They’ve inspired me, challenged me, supported me, celebrated with me and laughed with me. There are too many of us to be really close with everyone, or even with very many, but it’s such a unique and amazing experience to be part of a group doing more or less the same thing with such similar goals, especially when JVC is such a hard thing to explain to someone who’s not done it or doing it. It’s hard to explain exactly, especially since I don’t really have a firm grasp on everything I’m feeling at the moment. It’s just weird not knowing if, when or where I’ll see any of them again. This community has been my larger context within this year, if that makes any sort of sense at all. I don’t know. I guess what I’m saying is that this community is really special, and I am going to miss it.

Luckily I had something kind of awesome to look forward to that evening. Hannah and I had tickets to see Bob Dylan’s AmericanaramA Tour (Featuring My Morning Jacket and Wilco)!! We headed over to Webster Bank Arena, found great spots near the stage, and settled in for an amazing show. My Morning Jacket was phenomenal, and Wilco was wonderful as well. But really, we were all there for Dylan. Because come on. It’s Dylan.

And guys…Dylan’s still got it.

Oh man does he got it.

He was unreal. Don’t listen to anyone who says he’s no good live these days. He sounded fantastic. He sounded like Dylan. It was so awesome. He didn’t talk to the audience at all, just came out, did his thing and did it well. But even without talking, he still had this amazing stage presence. He was engaging and playful and even conversational, in a way, with how he played and sang. He is an amazing performer. I feel so very lucky to have seen him live. What an incredible night.

It was also really awesome to see him in Bridgeport. I’ve saved my pennies and used significant chunks of stipends on a few shows in New York this year (all of which are chronicled in epic detail in earlier posts). I’ve loved these experiences and the act of saving so carefully for them. But it was extra special to do this in Bridgeport. We’ve talked multiple times as a house about wanting to spend as much of our money in Bridgeport as possible, to support the city’s economy by making purchases in the city. It’s important to us to put a good chunk of the money we make in Bridgeport back into Bridgeport. So it was awesome to be able to spend this money, this large chunk of a stipend, on a show in Bridgeport. It made an incredible night that much more special.

After the concert we went home and I slept for the next 14 hours. I was a little bit tired.

We had a quiet weekend. Hannah and I went to Quaker Meeting and I went to Church. Both were wonderful. Now I’m back at work, hanging out with these awesome teens again! It’s great to be back. We’re down to our final 3 weeks in Bridgeport, which is crazy and horrible and good. Its nuts how much “home” I feel here in this place with these people. Home has always only ever been in Minnesota, so I’m still processing and wrestling with the idea of it being in more than one place. I love Bridgeport deeply and defensively. I love the people I’ve met here and the communities I’ve become a part of. I’m not sure how to just leave. I’m not sure how to go back to where I was a year ago as the person I’ve grown into this year. It’s going to be a strange and rocky transition.

I am, however, exited to see everyone! I miss you terribly and I hope you’re all doing well!

God Bless,

Aimee

Am I Still Dreamin' Yet ?

Hello again!

I can’t believe another month has passed since I last posted. My goodness does time ever fly. This year is going to be done before I know it.

I’ve been keeping busy, as usual. Since February, I have been saving every bit of my stipend I possibly could, because one of my very favorite performers was coming to New York City and I quite certainly had to be there. On Friday May 24^th all that saving paid off and I headed to Manhattan to see Ramin Karimloo (of Les Mis and Phantom fame) on his Broadway to Bluegrass tour (I’m sorry, could that be any more tailored to everything Aimee Hein loves?)!!

I used some comp time I’d saved up and took the day off from work, so I got down to the city nice and early. I checked out the New York Public Library (with impressively minimal drooling considering how pretty the books were), walked through crazy wind and rain sans umbrella (I looked real cute by the end, believe me) and hit up Free Friday Nights at MoMa (Museum of Modern Art) before heading over to the BB King for the show!

The concert was magnificent. Ramin sang some songs from his biggest  roles (Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and Bring Him Home from Les Mis, Why God Why from Miss Saigon, Music of the Night from Phantom), some great bluegrass covers, and a bunch of his own stuff. He even surprised us all and sang Til I Hear You Sing from Love Never Dies. It’s probably his most wildly popular song, but he stopped singing it a while back and has not sung it live since. He told someone after the show that it was the only time he was going to sing it. I feel pretty honored to have been there for it.

He closed the show with a Do You Hear The People Sing sing along, which he started in French (could the man get any cooler??) and I about died of happiness. It was just a genuinely an amazing show. Gosh it was good.

After the show Ramin, being the ridiculously great guy that he is, stood and met a pretty much endless line of fans. Naturally, I got right in there. I waited in line, chatting with the nicest people about Doctor Who and Broadway and all sorts of nerdy things. And then it was my turn and I think I got so overwhelmed by the fact that Ramin Karimloo was standing in front of me that I just completely lost brain function and did not say anything for a solid 2 seconds. Which is a long time when you’re standing just staring at someone. Not my most shining moment. Finally I introduced myself and he kind of laughed and introduced himself (as if I don’t know who you are Ramin Karimloo) and he shook my hand and thanked me for coming and I told him how great the concert was, general meet and greet things. And then he kind of turns and looks at me and goes, “I like your hair. It’s really cool!”

……

……

……

I was a little bit floored. First of all, I’d been walking around in ridiculous weather all day. I felt like a drowned rat. Second of all, this ridiculously talented man who I absolutely adore and had been dying to see for months complimented me.

RAMIN KARIMLOO LIKED MY HAIR.

Pardon while I turn into a 12 year old fangirl and swoon.

I got an autograph and a hug out of the deal too. It was pretty much the absolute greatest, my brief loss of brain function aside.

I stayed in the city that night and then the next day I managed to get myself a lovely standing room ticket to Phantom of the Opera! Standing room is my very favorite thing.

I have wanted to see Phantom on Broadway for more or less my entire life. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The entire thing was just the most amazingly beautiful production I have ever, ever seen on stage. It was breathtaking. The moment that first gorgeous chord hit and the chandelier sparked to life the most ridiculous chills shot up my spine and across my scalp, and they never quite went away. The woman next to me and I were in similar states of bliss, pretty much melted into the standing room railing the entire time. Samantha Hill’s Christine was absolutely lovely, Kyle Barisich’s Raoul made me actually like the character (hard to do, I find Raoul almost universally obnoxious) and Peter Jöback gave the most stunningly intricate, animalistic and just brilliant performance I have ever had the privilege of witnessing live. I am not inclined to like anyone as the Phantom, because I spent a good portion of my teen years watching Michael Crawford bootlegs on youtube, but wow. Wow wow wow.

Do you ever witness the kind of ridiculous talent that goes all the way through to your bones and leaves you melted to your seat (or standing room railing, as it were) and just feel inexplicably close to God?

I got to meet Samantha Hill and Peter Jöback at the stage door after the show! They were the absolute nicest. I’m starting to think everyone on Broadway is. I’ve certainly had the most lovely experiences with everyone I’ve met.

 I also accidentally met Sigourney Weaver, but that’s a whole other story.

#aimeeheinproblems

I headed home on a high I still haven’t quite come down from, and spent the rest of the weekend driving poor Sophie a little crazy retelling the entire weekend in vivid, dramatic detail. Sorry Soph.

Saturday June 1^st my supervisor got married, so that was a lot of fun! The wedding was beautiful, even though it was outside and it was beastly hot. I’m glad I got to be here to celebrate with her and her new husband!

Friday June 7^th we picked up some PVC pipes at Home Depot and built ourselves the absolute coolest fort you have ever seen. Our living room has never looked better. We spent the weekend in the fort watching all three Lord of the Rings films (and you should all know just how ridiculously happy that made this guy) and eating junk food. Basically we were 9 year old boys at a sleepover. We even slept in the fort Friday night! I regret nothing.

Last Thursday was our last day of Senior Wii Bowling for the summer. One of our members had hip surgery a few weeks ago, so we decided to surprise him and bring Wii Bowling to him! It was great to see him again, and it was really nice to all spend the afternoon together. That club has been such an unexpected blessing in my work this year. They are really special people and it’s been an honor to get to know them.

This Saturday was World Refugee Day. We got to attend a picnic that Hannah’s work hosted for all of their clients. It was a gorgeous day, absolutely perfect picnic weather, and it was really fun to meet some of Hannah’s clients and coworkers. World Refugee Day is a big deal in the refugee camps around the world. It was really special to get to celebrate the day with some of the refugees resettled in Bridgeport.

Saturday night we rented a really bad horror film and ate frozen pizza in the fort. Got to love simple nights at home!

Yesterday we headed up to New Haven and had burgers at a divey burger joint that’s walls were decorated with shelves of old books. Only at Yale, eh?

Yale was lovely as ever, by the way.

After food we headed to Sleeping Giant State Park to hike Sleeping Giant. The hike was so pretty, and when we got to the top we were rewarded by the most gorgeous view. Connecticut is really, really beautiful. Hurray for checking things off our Connecticut Bucket List!

I’ve been busy planning Teen Achievers at work. I’ve been booking college tours and guest speakers and filling out our calendar. I’m really excited for the program! I think it’s going to be an awesome summer! I’m really excited to be good and busy every day.

I’m also just excited to spend the summer in Bridgeport. I really love this city, and the warm weather is going to provide a great opportunity to really get out and do things. We’re looking forward to spending time at the parks (Bridgeport is Park City after all), checking out Music on the Green on Thursday nights, and just exploring the city for our last two months here.

Side note, I can’t believe there’s only two months left! It’s crazy.

I hope you are all doing well! Don’t be strangers; I’m always game for a letter or a phone call!

God bless,

Aimee

How Free Must Be Her Dreams

(Todays lyrics brought to you by Jack Hein, who got me a Bob Dylan album for my birthday. Thanks beeb!!)

Hey-o!

Long time, eh? Let’s get you all up to speed!

Boston was marvelous, though I was reminded how passionately I loathe drunk college students en mass. We had fun seeing people, attending the party and watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

The Next week went by pretty quickly. I had a fundraising event the morning of Saturday the 23^rd so I spent most of my time at work preparing for that. The event went very well, and afterwards, I got to pick up my family from the train station! The Hein’s were officially in Bridgeport!!!

I adored having my family out here. Not only was it marvelous to see them (and hug them a few thousand times!), but it was so great to share this life with them—show them where I live and work and play, introduce them to my housemates, take them to church with me, etc. I love the life I am living out here. I love Bridgeport and Connecticut and the North East. It was so special to share it with them.

Saturday, after showing them our house I took them on a little walk around my neighborhood and showed them around. Then they met Meghan and Hannah (Sophie was in Detroit) and were introduced to our record collection (my dad especially loved that part!). I took them to dinner at a great pizza place in town and then we spent the evening at home.

Sunday we went out for brunch, walked around Downtown Bridgeport and then I took them to the church I’ve been going to! This was especially fun to share with them. Everyone was just as friendly and welcoming as they were the first time I went, and the music and sermon were wonderful and lively. It was really special to have them there with me. After church we went down to the beach and walked out to a little lighthouse (fun fact: my housemates and I have never actually made it out to the lighthouse, despite many attempts. It’s kind of become a house joke). We picked up pizza on our way home and had dinner and a quiet evening with my housemates.

On Monday they came and visited me at work. I got to give them a tour of the Taylor Center, introduce them to my supervisor and show them where I do all of my programs and so forth. They went shopping and visited the zoo by my house (Connecticut’s only zoo, kind of a big deal J ) for the rest of the day and then picked me up from work when I was done. Monday was my turn to cook dinner, so I made one of my new favorite recipes (courtesy of Hannah!)—enchiladas! They were very well received, if I do say so myself. I’ve really loved cooking this year, and I spend an almost ridiculous portion of my time in the kitchen, so it was really special to share that aspect of my life with my family as well.

Tuesday morning we headed up the coast to New Haven to visit Yale! It was perfect, I’m going, that’s it.

After our tour we had lunch at Louis’ Lunch, the birthplace of the hamburger (delicious, for the record), visited the Yale Art Museum (They had Degas. Yale is actually, actually perfect) and then headed back down to Bridgeport to catch a train into New York City! After a brief (and totally planned) tour of the Brooklyn subway system we got to our hotel, settled in and then found a really great little Italian restaurant called Campo De Fiori for dinner. Fun fact, I’ve been to the real Campo De Fiori in Rome, and it is beautiful.

Wednesday was our first full day in the city! We headed in to Manhattan in the morning and saw a few sights before meeting up with Sophie (who’s flight had conveniently gotten in that morning) for brunch at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. The wait staff sing to you, the food is delicious, all in all it was pretty great. And I’m really glad it worked out that my family got to meet Sophie as well! We walked Sophie up to Central Park, swung by to wave hello to Fordham and then headed down to the Nederlander Theater for our first Broadway show—Newsies!!

I’m moving to Broadway. Please forward my mail.

No but really. It was stunning. They show was great, the dancing was breathtaking and the actors were just…just…there are no words. Corey Cott as Jack Kelly is just perfection. If you get a chance to see it, do. I had chills the entire time. I’m not joking.

After the show Jack and I waited by the stage door and got to meet and take pictures with a bunch of the cast (including Jess from So You Think You Can Dance!!) and get them to sign our playbills! It was just marvelous.

We walked around a bit more, got some hotdogs for dinner and then headed back to Brooklyn for the night! We needed to, you see, because Thursday morning Jack Hein got us up at the absolute crack of dawn to go to stand in the crowd at Good Morning America. Which I admit was pretty fun once I got some coffee. Once GMA was finished we hoped on a subway and headed all the way down to the tip of Manhattan to see the Statue of Liberty and Battery Park. After that we made our way up to the 9/11 Memorial. It was intense, and I had a lot of emotions I didn’t expect or plan for and I would suggest seeing it.

We had Bagels for lunch and then went “shopping” in SoHo. I say “shopping” because those prices were insane. Who can afford that nonsense? But Jack had a lot of fun! We walked up through Greenwich Village and then walked along the Highline (a park made on top of old train tracks) for a while. We had a nice dinner at Hard Rock that evening, which felt wonderful after all the walking we did all day!

Friday morning we Took a nice stroll through Central Park and then visited the Met! We all know the Met is my favorite, so I was one happy camper. After the Met we swung by Balto for a quick visit and then headed down to Union Square to meet Jack’s friend Emily for a delicious lunch at a nice Italian restaurant. She showed us around down by NYU for a bit and then we all walked up towards Times Square together, chatting and taking in the city. There’s no better city to wander in!

After saying goodbye to Emily I took them to my favorite dollar pizza place for a great, JVC budget friendly, dinner and then we headed down to the Imperial Theater to see Matthew Broderick in Nice Work If You Can Get It! The show was a ton of fun and Matthew was hilarious! It was a great way to end our trip together!

Saturday morning we said goodbye (which, for the record, was not so much fun) and then I caught a shuttle back into Manhattan, dropped my bag off at my friend Christina’s place and then headed down to the Theatre District. You see, I had a mission. My very favorite stage actor (Matt Doyle) is currently the lead in Book of Mormon, and I was dying to see it. BOM is Broadway’s must see show right now, so tickets are rather out of budget for me. But there was still a chance! After waiting in line, trying and failing the lottery, and waiting in line some more I held in my hand a beautiful thing—a standing room ticket for the show!! I wolfed down a hotdog from a nearby stand (I was starving, hadn’t eaten all day, bit of a problem) and then headed in to the theatre and took my place. I got to stand right behind the back row of the main floor, which was an incredible view of the stage! The lights dimmed, the house got quiet, and then Matt Doyle was center stage and everything was quite blissful and perfect.

The show was great. Matt was sublime, the rest of the cast was fantastic, the show itself is hilarious, and I had the most marvelous time. The most marvelous time. After the show I waited by the stage door and met a bunch of the cast. And then the door opened and there he was. Matt Doyle in the flesh. I got a picture and an autograph and I got to tell him how wonderful he was in the show. And he was the absolute nicest person you ever did meet. It was a great day for Aimee Hein.

You must understand, I’ve loved Matt Doyle for many years. It has been a huge dream of mine to see him on Broadway. And I got to do not only that but also meet him after. I was one excited Aimee.

!!!!!!!!

You know it is going to be a good night when it begins with the words “So…how attached are you to sleep?” Christina and I went to some really great divey punk rock bars, grab some late night pizza, wandered around Columbia’s gorgeous campus and grabbed some fries and milk shakes at Tom’s Restaurant (used as Monk’s Cafe in Seinfeld) and then poured into bed at 6:30am…only to wake up at 8 so Christina could get to work and I could catch my train. This made about 5 hours of sleep between Friday Morning and Sunday night. I have no regrets.

I drug myself home, watched 2 different versions of Les Mis (the new movie and the 25^th Anniversary Concert—both of which I got for my Birthday/Easter from my family!), maybe started hallucinating a bit, and then passed out on my living room couch and slept until morning.

Best New York trip so far? I’d say so!

At this point we have now entered a sacred period in time known commonly as Baseball Season. The world once more makes sense.

Saturday April 6^th it was our turn to host a JV party! As we don’t have an official holiday we are responsible for, we decided to celebrate something everyone can get behind—moustaches!! Our stache bash was a wonderful success and we had a grand time!

On Friday April 12^th we celebrated my birthday! We went to Mac Daddy’s, a really great mac and cheese bar in Fairfield (because yum), and my housemates had called ahead and asked them to make the hot dog slices in my mac and cheese look like a baseball! I felt pretty special. The Twins happened to be playing the Mets that weekend, so we were also able to go to a bar and watch the game that night! We lost, quite badly, but it was such a treat to actually get to watch a game out here. It was a very special birthday and I went to bed feeling pretty blessed. I even got to skype with my family for a long time the next day!

On Saturday April 27^th we had our big Healthy Kids Day event at the Y. Healthy Kids Day is a nation wide YMCA event that celebrates and promotes healthy lifestyles and habits. We had a bunch of different health professionals from the community step up booths, played games, had the fire truck visit, had a bounce house, had a garden expo for the kids to plant flowers, and raffled off some great prizes! The weather was gorgeous, we had a couple hundred people attend and the day was a great success! We’re really pleased with how it turned out.

After we cleaned up the event I met up with Hannah and Meghan at the train station and we set off to Scranton PA (by way of Manhattan to hitch a ride with some New York JVs) for their JV party! It was quite a blast, as JV parties are inclined to be.

May 3^rd through the 6^th we were in Weston Mass for a silent retreat. We spent about two days in silence, and while the retreat was a bit too specifically catholic for some of our tastes, it was a great opportunity to reflect, pray, rest and rejuvenate. I enjoyed the silence, and it was great to really catch up with everyone on Sunday night after we broke the silence. JVs are awesome people.

Last Weekend Hannah and I went into New York again. I’m not going to be this close forever, got to soak it up wile I can, right? J We visited the Museum of Modern Art, had drinks with some of her college friends, went to the Met and the Museum of Natural History, had tea and scones at Alice’s Tea Cup and saw Silence, and off-boradway musical parody of Silence of the Lambs. It was kind of hilarious; we had a marvelous time.

Last night we volunteered at a fundraiser for Sophie’s work and then caught Gatsby at 6 dollar Supper Tuesdays! It was stunning. Like, just beautiful. I highly recommend it. I know I highly recommend a lot of things, but really. Go see it. I wasn’t sure I’d like it because I hate the book (I know, I’m one of like 3 crazy people in the world who feel that way), but I absolutely loved the movie. Causing me to utter words I never have and never thought I would: the movie was better than the book. Blasphemy, I know.

Other than that, work has been good. Tax Season ended, meaning it was time to tackle the next project I know next to nothing about—vegetable gardening. Josh and I are also busy planning our summer Teen Achievers program, so I’m pretty excited about that!

Hannah and I have begun studying for the GRE. Its intimidating stuff, especially the math, but I have big Yale sized dreams. I’ll need a good score, and I am bound and determined. And so far it’s been fun to get back in to studying and learning. I’ve missed it. Because I am crazy, and I’m pretty sure I was born for the specific purpose of being a student.

I’ve also started a bit of job searching for next year! Prayers would be very appreciated, if you are so inclined.

I cannot believe it’s been 9 months already. It’s now been over a year since I graduated college. I’m 23. Where has the time gone?? What a ride life is, eh?

I love you all and I hope you’re doing well!

Aimee

When the Snowflakes Storm, When the Rivers Freeze

The weather we’re having this year, I tell you what.

I’m sure most of you heard about that great big dumping of snow we got a few weeks back? It was kind of insane. It started sometime early Friday morning, and by the time we woke up for work it was heavy enough that basically everything in Bridgeport was cancelled or shut down. Granted, this is the East Coast we’re talking about. Minnesota probably would have soldiered through the snow at this point. I stayed up just long enough for breakfast (bacon and carrot cake, breakfast of champions) and then went back to sleep until noon. And so began my first post-college snow day.

Friday afternoon it was falling pretty heavy, but Hannah and I were still able to go out in it for a nice 2 mile walk. After which we came home and ate ice cream, as any sane person would do. It didn’t get really heavy until Friday night. We spent the evening watching the cars on our street slowly disappear until they were vaguely car shaped lumps of snow.

The snow had stopped by the time I woke up on Saturday, but the wind was still blowing it around like crazy. This created some crazy drifts that made it hard to guestimate how much we got, but we think it was about 3 feet. Good stuff man. We couldn’t even open our front door. Hannah and I ventured out into the snow and could barely wade our way down our driveway. One thing was for sure, we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a few days.

Our street got “plowed” on Monday (one tiny lane down the center of our street, very practical…) and we spent a good portion of the day shoveling Hannah’s car out of the driveway. By this point it was warm enough that I was shoveling in a t-shirt, so you can guess how wet and heavy the snow was.

We didn’t get out until Tuesday evening when, driven a little insane from being cooped up for 5 days, we ventured to the grocery store. And what an adventure it was. Bridgeport was a mess. Dear sweet unprepared Connecticut.

All the snow did my Minnesota heart good, but a lot of warm weather and rain melted almost all of it within a couple weeks. Life on the coast I guess.

The rest of the month was pretty busy for us. I do taxes 2 days a week, plus scheduling all the appointments, so that keeps me pretty occupied. It’s cool to be able to offer free tax prep to people in the community, and I’ve gotten to meet so many people through it. Plus, I kind of love doing taxes. Believe me, no one is more surprised than I am.

On Valentines Day I managed to talk my housemates into joining me for my favorite Valentines tradition – watching Silence of the Lambs! There’s just something about Anthony Hopkins playing a sociopath cannibal that just screams Valentines Day. Er…

Ok, I admit it’s unorthodox. But I love it. J

We had guests over a few times in February which was a lot of fun. It’s great to meet my housemates’ friends and get to know them. We also really enjoy extending hospitality and welcoming people into our home and our lives for a few days.

On Sunday the 24^th we joined John and Sara for a Fancy Oscar Night. We got all dressed up (the Oscars require a certain elegance after all) and watched most of the show. It was a lot of fun, even with Seth McFarlane’s tasteless jokes. And that Movie Musical tribute?? Perfection. I spent One Day More is such a euphoric stupor that I had to go online and watch it again the next day. Gosh it was good.

Last weekend was pretty eventful as well. On Saturday afternoon we went to one of the libraries in Bridgeport to watch a free screening of Argo. If you haven’t seen it yet you should. Like, right now. It was brilliant. Had the whole room on the edge of our seats the entire time. While I was rooting for Les Mis to win Best Picture (shocking a total of no one), Argo probably deserved it.

That evening we volunteered at Taste of Black Rock, a fundraising event for a community center in town. We had a lot of fun, the event made the center a lot of money and we got to enjoy all the free food, wine and beer we wanted. Not a bad evening.

We’re celebrating the 2^nd Annual Meat Week this week. Hannah is a vegetarian, but eats meat one week a year (long story). So we’ve been enjoying making some recipes with meat this week (and of course going to Taco Bell)! There’s also been copious amounts of bacon. Because bacon.

Last night we got a few more inches of snow, desperately needed since our last 3 feet melted so fast. It’s still coming down out there, which I’m kind of loving. Work’s been slow all day because of the weather, but it gave me time to update this, so that’s a plus!

This month I’m looking forward to a few things. We’re spending St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Boston, which will be awesome! I loved Boston last time we went, and I can’t wait to see it on St. Patrick’s Day! And the JV party promises to be a blast, so it’ll be a great weekend.

More importantly, my family is coming to visit for a whole week at the end of the month! I’m going to show them Bridgeport and we’re going to visit Yale and spend a few days in New York City! I cannot wit to see them and to share my life out here with them!

I hope you are all doing well. I miss you all and would love to hear from you!

God Bless,

Aimee

Somewhere Beyond The Barricade Is There A World You Long To See?

(No Bob Dylan Lyrics for the title this time, mostly because I'm suffering from a severe Les Mis problem right now. Dylan will return next time!)

Hello hello!

About time I updated you all on my life again, huh?

On December 14^th we had Christmas Party at work for the kids. We had about 35 kids come, which was awesome! We made gingerbread houses, played the wii, did some trivia, played cards (a Bridgeport favorite I’ve discovered) and everyone had a great time! Josh and I worked really hard in the weeks leading up to it, so it was really nice to see the party be a success and watch the kids have so much fun. J

The next Wednesday, December 19^th we had another break-in, which was really unsettling. They broke through 3 locks on our window to get in, and left the house in much more of a mess that the last time (all the lights on, dishes scattered and broken in the kitchen, drawers left open and the contents dumped). In the last couple of weeks we have had metal grates put on the back windows and a security system installed. The extra precautions are great, and have done a lot to help us regain a sense of security in our home. Still, two times in 4 months is a lot to swallow.

I was home for Christmas, from the 21^st through the 30^th, which was absolutely wonderful! I got to see a friend get married, catch up with friends and family and spend some great quality time with Mom, Dad and Jack! It was relaxing and wonderful, and I am so grateful.

I flew back out on Sunday the 30^th and stayed in New York for a couple days. I got to explore NYC on my own this time, which was really cool1 I saw the Rockefeller Tree that night, and then the next day I saw Times Square at New Years (I bought some really great light up 2013 glasses too), walked through Central Park, Went to the Met (of course!), walked across central park and toured the Belvedere Castle, and went to the Museum of Natural History. I walked back down through Times Square and somehow got briefly caught in a barricaded section. I’m still not entirely sure how I managed that, all of a sudden there were barricades on all sides…haha! I got out eventually, after taking some pictures of the chaos (I was NUTS down there!) and continued on my way!

That evening I met up with a JV from the Brooklyn house who needed volunteers to help his placement site serve food. His placement, coalition for the Homeless, serves meals every night, every day of the year. We drove around serving food out of the back of a van for a couple hours. It was a really awesome experience, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend New Years Eve. The people we served food to were really lovely, and I enjoyed meeting them all so much. What a blessing!

After we finished the route we headed up to the Harlem house where there was a New Years Party. JV parties are always a great time, and this one was no different! We danced and played games, and at midnight we went up to the roof and toasted 2013. It was a fun night.

The next day we slept in, and then I hung out witht eh women from Harlem for a while. In the evening I met Sophie and a friend of hers for coffee and food before we headed back to Grand Central and caught a train home. New York City is incredible, and I love that I can find my way around the city by myself now! If you ever need a tour guide… J

It was good to get back to work after being gone, and I loved seeing the kids again. All our programs are back in full swing, and I’m excited to keep seeing them grow. 2013 is going to be great! It was also really great to see my housemates again1 It was so weird being away from each other for so long. I really do live with the most amazing women. I love them so much!

Tuesday the 8^th we went to a theater down the road for Super Tuesday (6 dollar movies1) and saw Les Miserables! I had seen it over Christmas with my family as well, but I loved seeing it again! It’s just brilliant. I’d highly recommend it. Bring tissues, because I was a mess both times. Granted, that’s not always the best measurement because I cry at every movie, but I definitely wasn’t alone in my tears for this one. J

Sunday the 13^th Hannah and I attended a Quaker Meeting in a nearby town, which was really awesome. Quaker services are silent, with each person praying or reflecting quietly. Anyone can speak if they feel moved, and the idea is that this allows God to speak to us more freely. It was a cool experience, and a great space to pray and reflect for an hour. We definitely want to go back. I’m also going to continue going to church on Sundays as well, because a “normal” church service offers something really valuable as well that I don’t want to miss out on. I think the Quaker Meeting and the church service will compliment each other well.

Last Monday we had dinner with John and Sara, our support couple. It was great to see them again and share a meal together. Tuesday and Wednesday I took a class to become a Volunteer Income Tax Assistant. The class was (surprisingly) really interesting and I am now officially certified to do people’s tax returns. Scary thought, no?

On Wednesday we had dinner with a woman JVC set us up with to have a conversation about Bridgeport with the hopes of gaining more knowledge of and insight into the city. Edith and her husband were really lovely and we had a great time getting to know them.

On Thursday we headed to Dalton PA, just outside of Scranton, for our Re-Orientation retreat. It was a really wonderful retreat! We loved seeing everyone, some of whom we hadn’t seen since Orientation, and catching up with them all! There were great speakers and workshops that provided a lot of space to kind of process the last few months. I can’t believe we are almost half way through the year. The time has gone so fast! This has been the most amazing adventure. Someone at Re-O described it as ‘the most challenging blessing I’ve ever had”. I think that sums it up kind of perfectly.

On Sunday evening we had a talent show, which was a lot of fun. Sophie and I represented Beannacht house (our house name…have I ever mentioned that…?). we had decided we wanted to do The Confrontation from Les Mis, which is this like really epic dramatic scene in the show for those who haven’t seen it. We are in the habit of singing it to each other in everyday life—in our kitchen, walking about Bridgeport, etc. So we concocted a plan.

We signed up as “A Dramatic Monologue by Aimee Hein” and ended up being the last act of the night. So I got up and introduced it. I was like “I’m going to be performing a dramatic scene for you all. And just to set the stage my character is a in a hospital in the 1800s, and a woman I really care about has just died, and right before she died I made her a promise, so that’s where this starts.” And then I got a volunteer to come up and play the dead woman. At this point the room is dead silent, and you can just tell no one wants to sit through this. I start the scene and start sobbing (quite badly) over the dead body. And then all of a sudden Sophie stands up in the audience with a guitar and starts singing “Valjean, at last, we see each other plain…” and we proceeded through he whole scene to much laughter and applause. It was kind of great.

After the talent show we hopped in the car and headed to DC. You see we had a date with this guy. Last name Obama. First name Barack. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? We got to DC at like 3:30am and slept for two hours before getting up and heading to the National Mall. (!!!!!!). We found a great spot in the first section available for people without tickets. We had a great view of a jumbotron and we could see the capital building really well. And then we hunkered down and waited for a few hours. They passed out tons of flags for everyone to wave, which was pretty cool!

Around 11am important people started arriving, senators, representatives, Beyonce. The Clintons arrived, to ruckus applause, and Jimmy Carter. The Biden children were next (fun fact: one of the Biden sons did JVC), followed by the Obama girls. Next came Dr. Jill Biden, followed by the First Lady (looking rather fabulous if I do say so myself). Joe Biden came next and then finally, the President himself! He and Biden both got sworn in, Obama made a speech, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson sang, there was a peopm a prayer and a benediction and then Beyonce lip synced (don’t get me started) to close out the event. It was the most incredible thing! I still can’t believe I was there for it.

Hannah’s boyfriend Ryan had gotten us tickets for the Parade. It’s kind of a thing that you can’t do both because it’s impossible to get from the swearing in to the parade in time, and his bosses wanted him to prove that theory wrong, so we all got tickets. We made our way over to the parade with surprising ease and found our seats (right next to the Presidential Review Box, which is kind of insane). The parade started and then there they were, the Obama’s, hand in hand, maybe 15 ft in front of us. Like, I could practically have reached out and touched them. It was incredible. One of the most surreal and amazing experiences of my life. Like…what?? Joe and Jill Biden also walked right past us, which was pretty great as well. My life, I tell you what.

Out bleachers were right behind the White House (like…it was just right there), so we were able to stand on the back of them and watch as they walked across the back lawn to get into the Presidential Review Box to watch the parade. It was insane. I can’t believe that day actually happened.

We took the Metro back to our car and Sophie, Meghan and I headed home (Hannah and Ryan had tickets to the Staff Ball the next night, so Hannah stayed an extra day). The drive home was an adventure. There was some obscene traffic and a lot of GPS trouble and at the end, instead of getting home before midnight (the original plan), we got home just after 4am. I drove the whole time, as I was the only licensed driver in the car. I have never been so tired. In those 48 hours I got maybe 5 hours of sleep. Good times, good times. But even after all that, I still wouldn‘t trade that day for the world. It was incredible.

I would just like to say that the state of New Jersey and I may never be friends again. That is all.

I’ve been working and catching up on sleep the last couple of days. We’re looking forward to a quiet weekend after the craziness of this past one.

I miss you all and I hope you are doing well!

God Bless,