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,