Service Learning and Interviews

Today was a different, long, and full day.

I had to wake up early this morning to take part in our first day of service learning. We were assigned to various organizations around the city that all do different kind of work. The group I was a part of went to Central Union Mission. They do a lot of different work; feeding and clothing the homeless, offer programs to the homeless who are looking to change their lives., etc. Pretty typical organization to find in a big city. But their commonness does not in any way subtract from the amazingness of the work they do (this one especially since it is a Christian organization). We did do a whole lot of actual work, but we sure got to hear some amazing stories! God's redemption is so amazing and it's so great to be reminded of it! (I don't really feel like typing that much today...so no story, they're kinda long.)

Then I came back from that and checked my email. One of the places I'd applied to for my internship got back to me! It wasn't any of the congressional internships, it was this other one that Elizabeth (the internship coordinator at ASP) told me about. It's with the US Chamber of Commerce in their Business Civic Leadership Center. They do amazing work! Basically, they help connect big business with NGO's and other government agencies to do humanitarian work around the world. They call it Global Corporate Citizenship. I had an interview with him at 2 pm. I think it went pretty well. I'll let you know tomorrow when I find out if I got it.

Today was also the day for student worker interviews. There are a lot of students in ASP and WJC and not very many student worker jobs. So, today we had interviews. My interview was at 3:30 pm for the Administrative Assistant to Abigail Linser who is the....well I don't know her title, but she does everything for ASP that is not class or internship related, including all dealings with applicants. She is a busy girl. I have a lot of office experience, though, so I feel pretty good about that one. I should find out about that on Thursday. Again, I will let you know when I find out.

Today was also the first night with homework. I realized that homework will primarily consist of reading. We do a lot of reading here. Tonight's readings were about a book that we will be reading for this class. They were explanations, critiques, and critiques of critiques. All it did was make me want to read the book so that I could have an opinion of my own. I don't like reading what other people have to say about the book without having read the book. It's impossible to have an opinion because you only have other's opinions to go on. No bueno.

Well, that was my day. It was rather exciting and different and new, and structured. Have I mentioned how much I love structure? Mmmm.....it makes me happy. :)

In other exciting news: I had sent my camera to the Canon Repair Factory for an estimate on how much it would take to fix my 'lens error, please restart camera' problem. Well...they finally sent me the estimate and it was $110. I wasn't to fond of that price. But neither was I fond of not having a camera during my time in DC. So...I started contemplating my options. I considered splurging just $70 more dollars and getting a new and better camera. But I couldn't decide; I was torn.

Lo and behold, I read a little box on the side of the emailed estimate and it speaks of this Canon Loyalty program, and that I might be eligible for an upgrade. I wasn't really sure what that meant, but it sounded intriguing, so I gave the provided number a call. As it turns out, I bought a brand new Canon Powershot SD1200 for only $91. I was pretty flippin' ecstatic over that deal! They call it a refurbished camera, but that just means that a store couldn't sell it because of overstocking or whatnot, or someone returned it unused for some reason. So it's never been used, but I don't think they are allowed to sell it at full price anymore. I'm not really sure. But, I do know that I got a brand new camera for less than $100. Hooray for me!!

Monuments and Memorials

So, today we had an academic orientation (only after we were once again informed of how dangerous it is in the city and how we shouldn't break any of the community covenant rules). They only gave us info about the Topics in Vocation and Leadership class because they didn't want to overwhelm us. I don't think they realize that some people are overwhelmed by a lack of information. At this point, when all I want is something that I can grasp and hold onto, no information is kind of unsettling. Oh well.

BUT, then we went on a monument/memorial tour! At this point I've forgotten which ones were monuments and which ones were memorials. So, I'll do my best, but I'm not about to look them up, so just bear with me. First, we went to the Washington Monument. They reserved us tickets to go the top! It was so cool to see the city from way up high. Random Fact: Washington DC was planned and laid out by the same guy that planned Paris, L'efant....L'fante....I'm not really sure how to spell his name, it's french and they use all sorts of letters that they don't say. Since we were there, we walked along the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. I always forget how much I love Lincoln. His speeches are just so profound. The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inagural Address. They are some of the most beautiful speeches, especially when they are huge and on very high walls. Then we saw the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial, both of which are right by the Lincoln Memorial. We then went on an adventure to find food and get home. We ended up eating at this really cute sandwich place kinda like Subway, but less commercialized. It was very DC and it was delish! I loved it.

Almost everyone in the program went to the Washington Monument because they had reserved us tickets, but then the group split up into three different groups. The group I ended up in was so good! It was a good mix of people I knew and didn't really know. Kate, one of my roommates; Gillian, the other student here from APU; and other people I didn't really know. We mingled a lot and got to know each other. It was so much fun.

One thing I did learn on this excursion was how Biola makes fun of APU. Two of the people in my group were from Biola, Kate and Ryan. Here's how: 1) They pray for us whenever we come up, because they know we're not real Christians and could never hold our own in a theological discussion; 2)At basketball games they now have a similar thing to APU's Blackout. They call it the Red Sea. But there is this skit that goes along with it. Their mascot, the Eagle, is Moses. Biola is the Red Sea and Moses (or the Eagle) parts the Red Sea. When the Egyptians (dressed in all Black, mind you) try to cross the sea, it swallows them up. Oh, how clever, Biola, how clever!

Welp, thats about it. Slowly getting to see the city and experience it bit by bit.

Still no internship news....fail.

Weekend

Well, this was my first weekend. I didn't a whole lot, but that's pretty much my style. I have to ease myself into everything.

On Saturday I slept in and had coffee and Jesus time at the little coffee shop right by school. It was good coffee and amazing Jesus time, what more could I ask for. I came back and read a little bit of the book for our first class. His writing is hard, so I could read very much of it. But then Virginia came home and we went to Target and the grocery store. It was fun to get out and about in the city a little. Taking groceries home on the metro was really fun, but I kind of LOVE the metro, so that might just be me. When we got home we made dinner and then had an event thingy to go to. It was basically make/eat s'mores and mingle. It was great though, because I actually met people. Everyone is really nice and wonderful. I can't wait to get to know everyone more and really know people, instead of only a little bit. After that we watched Donnie Darko, it was strange and really interesting. I liked it, but I didn't really get it. I have to watch it again before I can have a real opinion about it. A very psychological movie.

Today was fun too. I didn't leave the Dellenbeck until 3:30pm. Lazy mornings are amazing! I had Jesus time, read for class, hung out a little bit. Beautiful! Then we left for church, Jon, Virginia, another one of my roommates Hannah, and myself. It's called Grace DC and it's in Chinatown. 30 minutes walking, 20 minutes by metro. Abigail, the one we call with our questions before we get to DC, goes to that church. See saw the four of us and came to talk after the service. We all went and got dinner at this Mexicanish fast foody place. It was good. We ate on the steps to one of the many Smithsonians in the city and chatted. I realized during the discussion that a lot of how I am is explained by the fact that I'm the baby in my family.

So, church. It was definitely different from what I'm used to. It's a Presbyterian church. That didn't mean anything to me before we got there, I don't really know much, or anything rather, about denominations. They have formal membership, they only sing hymns, there is real wine at communion, the congregation recites things. It was an extremely foreign environment for me. Everything they said though, was right on. The message and heart of the church leadership and congregation definitely resonated with me, it just came through a form I've never experienced before. BUT, since reading Pagan Christianity the word 'church' has taken on a completely different meaning for me. It's not at all about the service I go to. It is entirely about the community I go with. It's about the shared experience of encountering the God of the universe who deeply loves us. This is the kind of Sunday service Virginia and Jon are used to, and since they are quickly becoming my community in ASP, I want to have true fellowship with them. So, my little spiritual exercise/experiment this semester is going to be my Sunday service. God is the same no matter the environment. If I truly believe that why wouldn't I be able to meet God in this one. Sure, it's not my preference, but that's because I've only ever gone to one kind of church. It'll definitely be an interesting 15 weeks, but I'm excited to see what God will do through it.

Well that's been my weekend. Nothing to spectacular, but exactly what I needed. Tomorrow we have our academic orientation, so I'll have more to share about classes and hopefully/maybe something to share about my internship.

LOVE!

Oh Fullness

Yesterday was quite full. We had a few orientation things in the morning (along with free breakfast). They were pretty basic orientation things. Community rules, safety in the city, a few little get to know games. It was great. Then we had lunch on the roof (because there is this super sweet deck on the roof, from which I can see the capital building). This lunch was with the intention of meeting and getting to know the staff of Best Semester and the CCCU. There were maybe about ten people that didn't work directly with ASP and WJC. They were really nice people though. It's surprising how completely uncomfortable really does make me a different person. I mean, come on, I talk to strangers, that's big for me.

Then we went on a scavenger hunt around the city. Oh man, I loved it! The city is divided rather nicely into 4 quadrants and the center of the city, which is the capital building. They put us into teams and gave us a list of different places to go see in the city.

First we went to the Library of Congress and got our Reader Cards. I felt SO legit. I can go into the Library of Congress and do research there. I can go place you can't go on the tours. OMG!! I think I flipped out a little when I first got it. And it lasts for two years, so if I come back after I graduate, it will still work.

Next we went into Anacostia to see the Big Chair. I'm not sure what the significance of the Big Chair is. It's outside of the government buildings in Anacostia, but other than that, I was a little lost at the significance. Anacostia is supposedly one of the more sketchy areas of town. Other than the group I was with I only saw one other white person there. I fell in love with it though, and I'm not quite sure why. When we first got off the metro, we went the wrong way. I'm not that great with maps, and for some reason it was my responsibility to get us to where we were going that time. So, because we were going the wrong way, we passed by a charter school as it was letting out. It was a K-8 school, and all the kids were in uniforms. It was probably the cutest thing I'd ever seen! We passed so many adorable children in school uniforms. But then we had to turn around because the sidewalk ended and there was a freeway. No bueno.

We turned around and walked back and found the street we were supposed to turn on. We found the big chair and then went to the coffee shop across the street. The coffee shop had only been open for 7 months, but the owner and workers were so friendly. We talked to them for a while. The owner was from Ethiopia and I wish I remembered his name. He's lived in the greater DC area for 18 years. He went to university in France. He was really cool. Then there was this one worker, she had just moved back to DC after living in West Virginia. She'd only been working at the coffee shop for about a week and didn't really know how to make any of the drinks yet. She smiled so much while were there. I couldn't quite figure out why. She was really friendly and talkative though. I loved hearing about their stories and what they were doing in life. I wish we could have stayed and talked longer, but my group was ansy to get to the other parts of the scavenger hunt.

Next we went to the US Botanic Gardens. The conservatory part had just closed when we got there, but it was beautiful! All different kinds of plants and a pretty fountain. I liked it there. Apparently that's where the congressional offices get the plants for their offices. We didn't spend very much time there, just long enough to catch our breath and get our bearings for where we were going next.

Dupont Circle and Embassy Row were next on our list. So, we hopped back on the metro and off we went. We never actually made it to Embassy Row, but we did find the Embassy of Senegal (which, for all my High Sierra friends, reminded me of Nod). We were all starving and tired at this point, so we ate at Jonny Rockets. I'd never even heard of it before, but it reminded me of Ruby's. It was very similar. We were done for the day, so back home to the Dellenbeck Center we went.

I liked my group well enough. I really clicked with one of guys, he's from Maine and goes to school just outside Pittsburgh. I'm learning a lot about only children here. I realized that I don't really know many only children. They just operate on a different mindset. It's very interesting to learn about. I'm also remembering that I don't generally get a long with girls that well. I forget that when I'm at APU and with all my friends, who are girls. But girls are just hard to get to know and get along with at first. Guys are just easier. I'm sure I'll make more girl friends, it'll just take more time.

I have really clicked with one of the girls in my apartment though, Virginia is her name. We really get each other and have this comfort with one another. It's great. We both view the world in a very similar manner. Ironically, she's good friends with the guy from my group that I clicked with, his name is Jon.

After we got back from our scavenger hunt, the three of us watched on a movie, Wag the Dog. I'd never heard of it, probably because it came out when I was like 3 or something. But oh man, it was awesome. Great satirical political humor.

All in all, it was a very long day, full of getting to know people and the city. Much better than Thursday, probably because I actually got a full nights sleep. I've been waking up with headaches though, and I'm not sure why. I'm trying to figure it out. I might not be drinking enough water.

Send Me Things

Did you know that I absolutely LOVE getting mail?!?! Well, it's true. Just ask my mom. Well, because I moved across the country, I wanted to make sure everyone knew how to send me mail. My address is:

Kimberly Farnham
Apartment 5
327 8th Street NE
Washington DC 20002

I think you should send me things. I like gift cards and salty snacks. Or letters or cards or postcards. Or even Love letters if you're in that kind of mood. ;~)

Washington, DC really does exist!

Ok, I'm here. I've been here for about four hours now. I've unpacked, met my roommates, and got lunch down the street with Gillian (the only other girl from APU in the program). It's still very surreal. I can't quite believe that I'm in Washington freaking DC.

For all of you who were wondering, I caught a cab very nicely. My dad helped me. I called him in the airport and he gave me all the tips and pointers and how-to's I could have ever needed. Thanks Daddy!

I live in an apartment with 5 other girls. In one bedroom there is one bunk-bed (two girls) and the other room has two bunk-beds (4 girls). I'm in the room with four girls. But, because I was the second one to move in, I made sure I got a bottom bunk. Some of you already know this about me, but I absolutely detest having to climb into bed. I need to be able to fall into bed. Climbing is not an option, and even less of a reason to actually get up in the mornings. 5 of our desks are in the living room downstairs (one is in the two person room). It's kind of odd, but I totally like it because it means I can go to bed whenever I want and I won't be keeping someone from studying. We also have a couch and a dining room table (but no chairs, except for the ones at our desks) in the living room. The couch is a dorm couch. For all of you who lived in Engstrom with me freshman year, it's exactly like the couches in the family rooms on each floor. Our kitchen is long and skinny. Lots of cupboard space and fully furnished. It also has a dishwasher and a coffeemaker. Hmm...happy! Our microwave is WAY oldschool. When I get a functioning camera, I'll take a picture of it and let you know.

Those are the basics of my apartment.

I still don't have an internship. But now that I'm here I will sit down and have a real good chat with Elizabeth, the Internship Coordinator at the American Studies Program. I'm sure we'll figure something out. It will probably include me letting go of my desire to work on the Hill (Capitol Hill that is). I will you keep you posted as things happen with that.

My roommates are.....new. And I don't really like strangers. I'll tell you more about them once I warm up to them. I'll probably give you a way better impression then.

I'm in Minnesota

I’m in Minnesota.

My flight is delayed for maintenance reasons. I’m not to thrilled about that, but what are you gonna do about it. These things happen.

The flight was….a classic red-eye flight. Of course I just happened to be the one with the screaming baby behind me. I couldn’t sleep, but neither could she. I’m sure her ears were hurting real bad. The lady next to me was kinda chatty, which I wasn’t really feeling because all I wanted to do was sleep. She was pretty bright though and could tell I wasn’t to keen on talking.

BUT, all this aside, I got to see the most beautiful sunrise. I love sunrises. We landed in Minneapolis at sunrise, starting our decent around 6 am. The sky was the most brilliant color of orange. It made me very happy.

As I sit here and contemplate what I’ve gotten myself into, I figured I’d give you a few updates on the whole shebang. I still don’t have an internship. I still haven’t heard from Barbara Boxer’s office (which I applied to over two months ago). I applied to two other congressional offices on Monday and I haven’t heard from either of them yet either. Surprisingly though, I’m not worried. I know that it will all work out in the end. God’s got it; this is one of the wonderful opportunities to trust.

What I’m most worried about right this moment is having to get a cab at the airport. I’ve never taken a cab before, at all. I’m not really sure how it works. That is kind of freaking me out a little bit. I’ll just have to be brave and do something new.

I’m also a little worried that my bedding won’t be there when I get there and I won’t have anything to sleep with tonight. And I’m really gonna want to sleep tonight because I didn’t really get to sleep last night.

But now we are boarding, so I must conclude. I will let you know how the cab getting goes.

Wow....I have no idea.

I've been thinking a lot about my future recently. I have no idea what it holds for me. In a year, I'll be done with my undergrad work. Until recently, I'd never actually thought about what my next steps would be. I'd always tell people that I wanted to go into human rights advocacy. But what does that even mean. It's such an ambiguous phrase. But recently I've had some thoughts, and have done some research.

There are various internships I've looked at:
Not For Sale
Sojourners
International Justice Mission
......and these are just a few

These are Masters Programs I've looked at:
Arizona State University: MA in Social Justice & Human Rights
University of Denver: MA in International Human Rights
Mahidol University (Thailand): International Masters in Human Rights
.....again, just a few of the ones I've looked at

I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself. Part of me wants to keep looking. But the more I look, the more options I'll have, which only makes deciding that much harder. I don't know what I'm gonna do. And that's scary.

But it's also really exciting at the same time. I have so many options, and there are so many different things I could do. It's an amazing lesson in learning to trust God in all that I do. I hate that everything is about money. I can't help but escape the reality of it. I just want to do what my heart is passionate about and what God is calling me too. Unfortunately, that usually means either going further into debt or making barely enough to live on.

My thoughts have been, intern for a year and then go to grad school. But then I'm still poorer than dirt, taking out more loans to go to grad school, and going into a field that doesn't pay well. I don't know how I'm ever supposed to pay back a loan. I think, before they give you the loan, they should really look into what you plan to do with your life to determine if you'll ever actually be able to pay them back. But I'm actually really glad they don't, because then I wouldn't be getting a college education.

Bonus

So, this morning I woke up at the butt crack of dawn to take my roommate/best friend to the airport. I was not to hip on the 5 am wake up call, but I love her so I did it anyway. Plus it meant that I got to wish her a wonderful time off and good rest while at home.

The bonus in this though, I got to watch the sun rise on my way home. I haven't watched the sunrise in I don't know how long. It was so beautiful! Even my crappy SoCal Freeway view. I guess that just means I need to wake up early more often in more beautiful places. Maybe, while I'm in DC, I'll wake up really early and go to the coast (I have no idea how feasible this idea is, kind of thinking out loud). I'll watch the sun rise over the ocean! I've never done that before. Growing up on an island I guess it would have been possible, but that would have meant being in Hana at the but crack of dawn, and I just do that. Now, since I live in California, it's also a little difficult.

But I really do love the sunrise. There is such a freshness and peace about it. The light it brings to the darkness, there is such hope (and countless religious symbolisms).

:( - Sad Face

I leave for DC in so few days I don't want to count. I'm so excited to go and see what I know God has planned for me, but I don't want to leave yet. Well...not so much that I don't want to leave, it's just that I want to take certain aspects of my life with me, I don't want to leave them behind. That's generally how I've felt about every new adventure I find myself on. Taking little pieces from everything I've done and putting them together in some make believer world. But, if that's how life worked I would never really have a reason to trust that God would take care of me, because I would be in such a safe, secure, and comfortable place.

Today was my last Sunday at Reality LA until I return from DC. I know I'll be back in 4 months, but I'm still really sad about leaving that church. It's weird though, I intentionally didn't get connected at the church. I didn't join a small group, I didn't volunteer. I just came on Sunday's with my friends from school. All of this in hopes that I wouldn't get attached and have a difficult time leaving. Too bad that did work. Oh well, one more opportunity for me to trust that God is going to take care of me. Now I'm home now, after church, all alone in my apartment (watching old episodes of Alias). It's my day of being sad about leaving that place that has allowed me to encounter God differently.

I feel like I still have a lot to do before I leave, but it's not really that much. I have to go through my clothes and decide what to actually take, since I know I can't take all of it. Once that's been decided, I have to take boxes to Nana & Papa's house for safe keeping over the semester. I have to get a few more blouses to go with my suits. I still need an internship. That's definitely a work in progress that is just requiring me to wait. So, I wait. I have to finish reading one more book that needs to be read before I get to DC. So not really that much in comparison to all that I had to do just two weeks ago, but still enough to make me feel unsettled about it.

All of this transition process is nothing new to me. However, it has taught me something new this time. I realized today that I really like stability. I want to be able to get involved at church and be relied upon. I want a place that I can call home, for more than year. A place where I can keep all of my stuff forever and I only have to move it when I want and choose to, not when other people tell me too. This is definitely an aspect of my love of structure.

Blogging

I'm pretty sure this is my fifteenth attempt at keeping a blog. All the other times I've failed. After about 3-5 posts, I stop.

This time it's different. I started all of those blogs with specific purposes for them. This one is generic. I'll write about life, whatever it is that I want to write about. No rules about content. No rules about how often I post. No rules about writing. (That will become obvious as you read. Transitions, closings, and openings will be mostly absent. It will probably be more of stream-of-thought writing. So don't be confused or judgmental about the writing. It is what it is.)

Blogging in general is such a weird concept to me. The entire chain of thought that has to proceed writing a blog is so different. Let me write down my thoughts so that everyone in the world can see them (but with this understanding that very few people ever really will). Now that looks to me like either entirely arrogant or a cry for attention. And yet, it's not. It's simply the desire to truly be known. But then I wonder, why we think that a blog actually allows people to know us. They may know our thoughts and our words, but they don't necessarily know anything about us. And yet, here I am. Writing a blog. I don't really know what I expect to get from this process. Why does making my life and my thought processes public make them more meaningful than if I wrote them in a journal? I don't know why, but for some reason that's the conclusion I draw.

If you actually make it all the way down to reading this post, I applaud you. Mostly because I will probably keep this blog to myself for awhile before sharing it with the world. So you'd have to read what I hope are several posts in order to get to this one. So Congratulations, you did it!