photo walk and life

The back part of our driveway (where we park) has an interesting old brick wall lined with leaves and some ivy. On Sunday, the leaves had finally changed and were the perfect colors for a picture.

A couple weeks ago, I had a day off and decided to wander around the Tremont area of Cleveland for a picture walk, some coffee with a friend, and quiet time. I was still actively taking part in the photo challenge over at fatmumslim. I think the challenge for that day was "angles." Tremont, much like Ohio City, is such a photogenic neighborhood.

now closed. I love the play of light and dark in this picture.

Things at work have finally picked up leaving me with not much time to breathe during the day. I'm running around getting the hang of things in this area. Confirmations and reminders as to why I am in the refugee resettlement field. Days are usually long and frequently stressful, but I get to meet interesting people.

On Sunday afternoon, I sat in a waiting room while my car got a tune up. The other lady there struck up a conversation with me over the Browns game and the book I had brought in with me. (Merton, Seven Story Mountain). I learned her life story, listened to her missed dreams, talked about refugees, the Peace Corps, Catholicism, and so many other things. The mechanic let us know that our cars were finished, but we stayed talking & screaming at the TV. At the end of the 2nd quarter, we shook hands and God blessed each other before returning to our respective lives.

happy reunions

Happy reunions at the airport are my favorite part of my job. Today, I got to take part in one.



Harvest and Homecoming: New Roots in the Bronx from International Rescue Committee on Vimeo.

They always remind me of Love Actually and the happy reunions at the arrival gate of London's Heathrow Airport.

the embrace of home

Autumn is my favorite season. I love the smell of it, the changing leaves, the everything. This weekend, I headed home for some time with friends & family. Sunday morning brought Mass at St. Pat's with the Nuns on the Bus Ohio crew. It was exactly what I needed.
 

walking the trail

my favorite trees

This tree turns the most fabulous shade of fiery orange.

The Nuns on the Bus Ohio stopped in Youngstown yesterday for a rally at MYCAP and, then, spent the morning at St. Patrick's celebrating Mass.

merging worlds

I've completed training and 3 weeks at my new job with a refugee resettlement organization. I know that refugee work is where I belong and I'm ready to really dive into my job. I've spent the past couple weeks learning more about the refugee population with which I will be working. My only experience is with the Somali and Iraqi communities. Now, I am working with the Burmese, Karen, Nepalis (Bhutanese), Uzbeks, and Iraqis. I've enjoyed a Friday afternoon Michael Jackson dance party with a couple 3 year old kids in my office while they waited for their parents to finish an ESOL class. I've set up apartments and used charades in an attempt to determine what someone wanted. After about 2 months of not working, I'm slowly becoming the workaholic that I always am.

Lately, I've been more aware of the many ways my life is changing and merging. I don't have just one place that I call home. I have a couple places that I can go and say that "I'm home." My challenge is merging each of those worlds and finding out exactly what I want to do. I've been acutely aware of this over the course of this weekend as I traveled from one home to the other and shared laughter and hugs with all the people I love.  

I'm participating in the October photo a day challenge over at fat mum slim. Here's a selection of pictures from the last week.

Day 1: where you stood

day 3: this happened today

day 4: what you read

day 6: I'm thankful for...

Hey! I know her!

Tonight, I'm thinking about the Somali refugees with whom I worked in Minnesota. I started a new job yesterday working with Burmese, Karen, & Bhutanese refugees. I can't help but think about the crazy first weeks in Minnesota - hitting the ground running, learning the city with the refugees, getting lost on the bus, learning about the medical field and refugee camps and the Somali culture, etc. I came across this publication from the MN Literacy Council. Go to page 80 and read the story submitted by Anab. She was one of the first refugees I worked with and became a good friend. She's someone that I miss.

all in a year or two

 

 

 

 

written in June 2008 - not long after I graduated from WC

I spent a good part of college worrying that I was going to miss my calling. The term "calling" was new to me. My Presbyterian friends talked about calling and predestination and wondered why I didn't know my calling. Sure, I went into college thinking that I was going to teach high school English. I toyed with the idea of going into Teach for America. By the time I began my sophomore year, I had a sicking feeling that I didn't want to teach. Nonetheless, I completed the mandatory 2 week field experience over Winter Break. I hated it. I finally found the courage to drop secondary education and eventually broke the news to my family.

I spent the rest of college trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I tried journalism and wrote for the school paper. That was ok, but not how I wanted to spend my life. When people asked me what I wanted to do, I could only say, "I want to work with people." I carried that with me as I found a job working in a development office. (Not a fan of the work, but I loved where I was working). Somewhere, I found the courage that I wanted and took off for a year long volunteer program in Minnesota. I spent the year living in community and working with a refugee resettlement program. I found a job that I loved.

I took off for Minnesota on August 21, 2010, and I haven't looked back. A year ago, I began a year of learning and working on a farm and at a Catholic Worker House. I traveled into the complete unknown world of farm work for four months and relished the time I spent working outdoors. As the program ended, I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to head. In July, I packed up and moved to Cleveland without a clear plan. In a week, I'll start a position with a refugee resettlement agency. I'll be going back to a field that I love. I wish I could tell my recently graduated self to trust her instincts, be ok with doing something different, and not to stress out so much.

new beginnings or just a continuation

After 2 years, I've left the world of volunteering. It was a sad day when I moved to my family's house for 2 weeks in mid August. I then moved to Cleveland to live in community with 2 former volunteers. I'm searching for a job...and am hopefully close to securing one.

Their pairs have been lost in the move.

Living in Cleveland has been a plan for a while. I thought I would end up here last year, but decided to go for the second year of volunteering. It's right now to be up here. I love the area that I'm living in and the community that I'm starting to build. I'm realizing or reaffirming that I am made for community living. It's right for me. I don't know how long I'm going to be up here or where my next step is, but I'm ready to find out.

Coffee on our balcony. I think this is my first morning in the apartment.

Sunset over Lake Erie. Definitely the best part of living here.

Living on Lake Erie is great. I love the sunsets and afternoon frisbee games in the park. Moving here, I left the farmland...the cows, long walking trails through the woods, and some of my favorite people in the world. It's been an adjustment, but I still know that I have a home back there.

It's an adjustment because I miss this place every day.