Traveling Musicians, Shanghai Dumpling King and The Dining Room

Saturday morning a few of us headed over to Ferry Plaza to the Farmer's Market. Definitely not your typical State Street venue. To our great fortune, the 'Good Food Awards of 2012' was going on for that day only and for $5 we were allowed to taste cheese, coffee, chocolate, preserves and meats as well as meet the people who made them.

We ventured over to Pier 14 which had that incredible view ^^. (and chairs that spin around ;)

Then it was off to the 'American Grilled Cheese Kitchen'. Yum. Pure Yum. Come visit me and I'll take you there.

We found our way over to the Yerba Buena Gardens next, complete with a carousel, hand's on exploratorium for kids, bowling and ice skating on one side and this beautiful waterfall on the other. The waterfall had Martin Luther King Jr. quotes all around it and pictures of him. It was pretty cool that Tia and I happened to randomly come across it the Saturday before MLK day.

You could even walk behind the waterfall and see St. Patrick's Catholic Church on the other side of the street.

Sunday--
Tia and I went to the Outpost Church (where Westmont's SBIC stays over spring break). It was so awesome to see Raymond, Robbie, Heather, Pastor Mike, Cameron, Titus, Silas, Jessica, Sam, Josh and Ann. We went to a Bible study before which Cameron led and there was a group of junior high students from Sparks Nevada staying at the Church for the 3 day weekend. There was also a Westmont alum, Elizabeth that graduated in 2002 and did the Urban Program. She moved up here after graduation, got her Masters and is a High School counselor now. She's been going to the Outpost church for nine years. (so cool)
I really want to try and go to City Crossroads once a week and work with the youth there, but I'm not too sure what my schedule will be with my internship, so I told Ann that I'd get back to her as soon as I figured it all out.

That afternoon, Jade, the founder of Break through the Static (which Tia is going to intern with, yay!) picked up a few of us from the house and took us to 'Shanghai Dumpling King' in upper Richmond. Supposedly they have the best dumplings in SF...they were pretty bomb. After three rounds of the dumplings, we found it difficult to move. We managed to head out of there and were able to catch the 5pm service at Reality SF.

Monday--
Even though it was MLK Jr day, we still had class in the morning, well if you count sitting in large overstuffed couches and drinking tea in the parlor while discussing what we've experienced so far, class.
We went to Alamo Square Park for a picnic later (brought back some great Full House memories).
Later that night we watched 'Pretty in Pink' in the basement with the much appreciated LoveSac and the large projector screen. It's basically become our 'movie room' down there.

Tuesday--
I had an interview with City Church, they have their hands in quite a few projects and organizations that work in the Tenderloin Area. What really interested me was their county jail worship services that they put on every Tuesday and Thursday.

That night I had a hot date with my RD, Maddie Deegan, at this amazing Lebanese restaurant. soooooooo good.

She's pretty adorable. We roasted smores in her fireplace in her room after dinner with the whole house.

Wednesday--
We had a service day at St. Anthony's. We got to learn more about the Tenderloin and the people who live in that area and who we were serving that day. We all got our own little aprons and worked in their 'Dining Room' (I love that they call it that rather than a 'soup kitchen' and they call those that come in their 'guests'). I love experiences like this. I just feel like I'm on a huge 'Jesus high' (probably not the best wording for that, but you get my drift). It's just this adrenaline rush of the busyness and the atmosphere of the Dining Room, as the volunteers line up and serve table by table then those that are busing get to interact more with the guests, asking how they are, how their meal was and clearing their trays. I asked one woman how her meal was and she replied, 'well the price is right'. haha then another guy, named 'Indian Joe' who's been around the area for some time and is known for his long black hair and large black top hat complete with sunglasses started talking to me and before he left said, 'hey Jessica, I just wanted to say thank you for that smile'. He's painted in a mural near St. Anthony's and it was awesome to finally meet him after seeing that mural with SBIC. I got to meet a lot of the volunteers, a large group of elderly people, a lot of them with their own aprons that had their name embroidered (one man Cy pointed it out to me that you had to volunteer for 10 years to get one). There were two older women that sat in a chair and placed the juice cup onto the tray when we walked down the line and I thought how awesome it was for them to still be coming, even though they had difficulty walking and still helping out in that small way. It was really awesome to see the usual volunteers and hear about their experiences serving. We got to have a break and actually sit with everyone in the 'Dining Room' and eat with them. I sat next to a man named Paul that is originally from Oakland, served in the Air Force and is taking classes at SFSU for business. He's interested in marketing and international business. It was awesome to hear his goals and passion for his life while he's a much older man. He also shared his interest in presidents and told me many facts about those who have died in office and their relationships with their parents. I wonder if that had any connection to his own relationship with his parents.

After serving in the 'Dining Room' we got to hear from a man also named Paul. He's 25 and currently in St. Anthony's addiction recovery program. The men live in community together for 13 months and work 5 days a week with St. Anthony's, allowing them to get into a normal routine that they will face after graduating the program. It was really inspiring to hear Paul tell us about his life, what his struggles were, when he encountered drugs and his relationships now with his family.

Internship update: As I mentioned earlier, Tia is going to be interning with Break through the Static, and I really feel that it's going to be a perfect fit for her. I love Jade and her program and I hope I'll be able to help her out any way that I can during this semester, but even before she made her decision on who to intern with her, I really felt God calling me elsewhere.
I have an interview with Freedom House tonight, and I'm really excited to talk with them and learn more about interning there. Freedom House is an aftercare and safe house for women coming out of sex trafficking and prostitution. The really awesome part about this internship is that I'll be able to learn more about this issue, how aftercare works, and those that work for the program work out of the garage of the Freedom House, so I'd be able to talk with the women at the house informally over lunch or just in the kitchen. I wouldn't be able to have this opportunity in another setting, as typically just the counselors work directly with them. So I'm really pumped about this, and definitely being prayerful.
All in all, I know that wherever I end up next week, that's where God wants me.

Kenyan Drip Black Coffee, Stained Glass Windows and Charcoal Mixed Sand

Tia, Kristyn and I headed over to Nob Hill this morning to meet Jade, the founder of Break Through the Static at Contraband, your typical 'San Francisco coffee shop' that grinds the beans in front of you and uses a shnazzy drip process of brewing them (no more starbucks for me). I had my interview with Jade yesterday, so I wandered the area while Tia and Kristyn had their interviews for the internship.
Jade recommended we see the Grace Cathedral, just up the hill from Contraband. It was beautiful and reminded me of the churches that I visited in Europe. Filled with breathtaking stained glass windows and high arching ceilings, I was in awe. There's something about the stillness in a church like this. It's quiet and peaceful and you can just feel a deeper presence around you.

Kristyn and I wandered to the Fairmont hotel next, as she heard somewhere that you can drink coffee on the rooftop. Not sure if that's true but we did wander around the ritzy lobby and up and down elevators and stairs receiving many quizzical looks from the staff. We found a little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant for lunch, 'Sam's' super authentic stuff.

We took the 47 to the 21 back to the house and quick changes for a bonfire at the beach. We caught the 5 to take us down to Ocean Beach, located at the end of Golden Gate Park. Jade invited us to the bonfire so we could meet some of the teens that we may potentially be working with if we get the internship. There were about 20 girls that came, all Juniors in high school at a private Catholic college prep school. They've lost 3 friends due to suicide at their school, 2 in just the past couple months and they didn't feel that their school was handling it well. We did an icebreaker and split up into small groups. The girls in my group expressed their grief for their close friends that they've lost and their frustration with how the school's used the same speech at each assembly and funeral regarding the deaths. 'suicide' becomes a taboo subject, no one will say the word 'suicide' or take the time to talk about it. Teachers continue on with their routines and lesson plans and although the school's agreed to hire a psychotherapist for the students and screen the incoming freshmen, it doesn't appear that this is helping or reaching to the students.
My heart went out to them, and I admired their bravery and strength in coming to this group and talking about what has happened, that's not easy in the least. I don't know if God is calling me to this internship. I loved my experience at the bonfire, but I also feel that He's calling me elsewhere. Either way, I'll be finding out soon, and if not Break Through the Static, I'd love to still be apart of their events and help Jade out as much as I can. She's a beautiful woman with a great energy that people are just drawn to. If you want to check out more about her story and organization, I encourage you to check out: www.breakthroughthestatic.org
Her TED video is powerful and so moving.

Empty buses, an old friend and the real world

Yesterday we heard from about 25 supervisors from internships that we can potentially interview for if interested. After 3 sets of panels, scheduling 2 interviews, seeking information about a third and having a ton of information thrown at me, I was a bit overwhelmed. I couldn't narrow down my interests. Youth? Families? Abuse? Drugs? Human trafficking? Suicide prevention? Mentally Ill? Homeless? Teens? Ahhhhh.
I knew one thing, I have a passion for doing an internship with the broken hearted, with something uncomfortable and new. And I knew that God knew what internship I should be doing. I prayed, I'm still praying. At the moment I'm looking into Break Through the Static (an organization helping teens that have been affected by suicide) and the Freedom House (a rehabilitation and safe house for women coming out of sextrafficking and prostitution). But who knows, God just may have other plans, and I'm eagerly awaiting them.

Last night I met up with Nikki, she was in Walnut Creek for work and I took the bus down to Embarcadero to have dinner with her. As I was walking to the corner of Lyon and Hayes to catch the 21, I saw it drive past. A bit frustrated at first, I sat down to wait the 19min for the next one.
I took in my surroundings. A convenience store across from me, with a few men standing outside. A homeless man approached the opposite corner, pushing his shopping cart filled with large black bags. He left his cart near the corner, but about 10 feet from the curb as he limped into the store. I couldn't help but wonder as to what was so important in that store that would bring him to leave all of his belongings in the path of an oncoming car. A few people passed by, crossing the street with their dogs walking ahead of them. A woman was talking loudly on her cellphone and dragging a young girl with her backpack behind her. The lights in the Victorian houses across from me were on, yet no one could be seen in them.
On the bus everyone has a book out, or a phone in their hand or an earphone in their ears. On the bus back there was a woman who got off at a stop and someone thought that she had left her shopping back. The whole bus yelled for the driver to stop as someone jumped out and called the woman back. I observed this scene in wonder as this group of young adults, older men and women, Mexicans, whites, blacks and asians made up this bus, all having somewhere to go, all having come from a long day. Yet no one complained about the stop or yelled at the woman who forgot her bag. I was moved by how these strangers acted toward another woman, one who was dressed much nicer than most of those on the bus.
We've been discussing faith in the city this week, and we'll continue to discuss it this semester. Even though this city is not by any means known as a Christian, God fearing place, you can still see hope if you look amidst the brokenness, and overall, there's a spirit of unity and togetherness upon people who elsewhere would be seen as an outcast.

Move In and Exploring the City

Sunday January 8th--
Tia and I arrived at SFO around 8am, ungracefully and with quite a struggle found our luggage, took the elevator to the wrong floor, and found a Super Shuttle.





Our driver was Dimitri (no idea how to spell that), Tia talked to him the whole way and we learned that he's from the Ukraine and studying at SFSU. He dropped us off at the Urban House and to our dismay, we found the door to be locked and noone answering the doorbell. Fortunately, their Sunday paper had already come, so I had a Target ad to entertain myself. After a few phone calls, we were able to get ahold of Maddie the RD, who was upstairs and couldn't hear the doorbell or the phone. We dropped our bags off and decided to head to Reality SF and catch the 11am service. Britt Merrick was in town, celebrating RSF's 2nd anniversary, so it was really cool to see a familiar face.

We found a Pete's coffee along the way and met a few USF students at the service. We had to be back at the house around 1 for orientation and choosing our rooms.
Tia and I are in room 205:



































There are 10 students in the house: Carter Harrison, Tia Galindo and myself (from Westmont), Katie, David and Krystin (transferring to Westmont), Sheldon, Vroselyn and Natasha (from Gordon) and Rachel (from Messiah). It already feels like a family, and I'm so excited to continue to get to know everyone and develop our community.

Yesterday, Monday January 9th--


We all left the house around 9am and took a bus down to Bernal Hill, where we hiked to the top and could view the city.


We were given directions on which route to take back to the house and which districts to pass through and where to stop. Our first stop was Balmy Alley, a street of murals done by the community.

Philz coffee:

Buddhist Temple:

Alley:

Bookstores:

Serenaded at a Mexican Restaurant:

Women's Building:

Duboce Park (Dog Park):

We walked around 8 miles in order to get back to the house. It was a great day of exploring, observing and discussing as we went along. Internship searches start tomorrow! :)