We moved into our new house on Sunday. That Tuesday one of the former volunteers, Mike, stopped by to take us all to the bank in order to switch the account over into our names. With 7 people, we’re kind of a crowd wherever we go, and it was no surprise that we also caused a scene at the Washington Mutual Bank. Mike walked into the bank first and asked the lady at the front desk about switching the name on the account, as he was talking to the lady, the 7 of us came bounding in through the door. I think the lady thought we were going to hold up the bank since she suddenly looked really nervous and directed us to a man at a back desk and then she left the room. The guy at the back desk was definitely overwhelmed when we asked for a bank account shared between 7 people, with 7 debit cards, and checks with all 7 names. I think he also wondered why one guy was leading us around. As he entered all our info into the computer he was listening to our conversation about food stipends, personal stipends, and living arrangements. “What are you?” he asked, “Some type of Good Samaritan Club.” Sure we replied, but I don’t think he believed us. On our way out his eyes bulged out of his head as he overheard one of the girls ask Mike if he wanted two nice melons (referring to the surplus of honeydew melons at our house, not whatever “melons” this guy was thinking about). A few days later we received a letter from the bank with our account info and it was addressed to the Good Samaritan Club all in quotations. I think we were the most interesting thing to ever happen to that WaMu branch.
Paz,
Stephanie
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Welcome to Polk Street!
While the orientation retreat was a blast, we were all more than ready to finally move into our new home. My community consists of me and six other girls- Mary (who’s my immediate roommate), Amber (who studied abroad with me in El Salvador), Robin, Emily, Katie, and Vicky. Luckily we all get along very well, which is key since personal space is limited in our house. The house is much nicer than I ever imagined. It’s a well-kept, three-bedroom, two-bathroom, single story home from the 1920s. We have a little backyard and a front porch with a swing. Our neighborhood is very Hispanic, so we’re not lacking taquerias, panderias, or pupusarias.
When we arrived, all of our agency supervisors had gathered at our house and threw us a welcome party with lots of food (which thankfully fed us for the whole week). After all the supervisors left, we began to unpack and clean the house. With years of volunteers before us, the closets were filled with tons of junk, some of which was quite “interesting” to put it nicely. Shortly after moving in, it began to rain, which led to the discovery of a leaky roof over my bed, and a phone call to the landlord who stopped by and fixed the roof. Other than the leak, the house is in pretty good condition and there are no roaches in the house (yet).
Paz,
Stephanie
When we arrived, all of our agency supervisors had gathered at our house and threw us a welcome party with lots of food (which thankfully fed us for the whole week). After all the supervisors left, we began to unpack and clean the house. With years of volunteers before us, the closets were filled with tons of junk, some of which was quite “interesting” to put it nicely. Shortly after moving in, it began to rain, which led to the discovery of a leaky roof over my bed, and a phone call to the landlord who stopped by and fixed the roof. Other than the leak, the house is in pretty good condition and there are no roaches in the house (yet).
Paz,
Stephanie
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Orientation
On August 12, I flew to Houston with basically all my earthly belongs (which isn’t much), excited to begin my year as a JV. On the flight I have to admit I was a little anxious about meeting all the other volunteers and my housemates. What if they were all weirdos and I was stuck with them for a year? All those fears were quickly dispelled once I met up with all the volunteers in the airport. Everyone was so warm and welcoming I instantly felt at ease. There are a total of 49 volunteers in the South, and we all crammed into an un-air-conditioned school bus with all our bags in weather that could rival the temperature of the sun. An hour and a half later, as we pulled up to the Circle Lake retreat Center, we all felt as though we had experienced more than enough of Houston’s hot, humid climate.
The Orientation Retreat was four days of lectures and reflections on each of JVC’s four pillars- simple living, community, social justice, and spirituality. The retreat wasn’t all reflection and seriousness. We also had a pool party, bonfire, and talent show (which seriously lacked talent). On the last day of the retreat we had a commissioning mass and group photos shoot. The whole week was a great way to ease into the JV lifestyle and bond with our community members.
Paz,
Stephanie
The Orientation Retreat was four days of lectures and reflections on each of JVC’s four pillars- simple living, community, social justice, and spirituality. The retreat wasn’t all reflection and seriousness. We also had a pool party, bonfire, and talent show (which seriously lacked talent). On the last day of the retreat we had a commissioning mass and group photos shoot. The whole week was a great way to ease into the JV lifestyle and bond with our community members.
Paz,
Stephanie
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