Spring Break Mission Trip – Hayesville, NC

I haven’t talked about it a whole lot on my blog, due to the busyness of the quarter, but tomorrow I depart with 14 other INN people to North Carolina for one of our Spring Break Mission Trips!

We’ll be spending a week in Hayesville, NC, working with the Hinton Rural Life Center, helping out with a couple of different housing projects they have going there. The Hinton Center serves families in rural North Carolina by offering affordable housing projects. We will be working on a variety of things during the week, from clearing land, digging ditches, helping put together foundations, and even helping people move into some of their newly finished homes.

I am co-leading the team, with Becca, one of the interns. We are taking 13 students, from freshmen to "super"-seniors. They are a great group and are very excited for the trip. Finals are over and they are all packing this evening to meet at the airport tomorrow morning to depart.

Last year I had the opportunity to "live-blog" from the heart of Vancouver, BC. I have decided to leave my laptop at home this year (a huge decision for me), but I will be taking my trusty moleskin journal and doing my best to write about the experience. Then, when I get back, I’ll post some of those reflections here, so I can share the stories of the trip. We’ll also be taking video of the trip and with any luck, I’ll be able to post some of that here too.

Please pray for our safety this week, as we travel, work hard, and spend time in a new part of the country. Please pray that our team continues to grow close, for the opportunities we all have learn about each other this week, for the chance for God’s work to be done in us as we serve others. Mission trips are often very significant experiences for me and for students, so please remember us this week as you respond to the joy of Easter and the hope of the new Spring.

Thanks for all your support. I look forward to sharing this trip with you all.

New York City, center of the universe, pt. 2

Ok, I have to be honest. I’m actually home now. We got in yesterday. I’m sipping a cup of French pressed Princeton blend coffee. And now, I’m going to finish the story.

With the subways pretty much out of commission, (oh, you should have heard the New Yorker on the street’s dismay), we took a long walk from the Museum of Natural History to Broadway and 51st, to the Gershwin Theater. Upon finding the location of Wicked, we found ourselves in the heart of New York. The center of the American Empire. The center of the universe. Times Square. Or at least that’s what it feels like and what I think many people would like you to believe. A large (+10 story) poster of P. Diddy, a neon Virgin Records sign, flashing announcements for everything from Broadway shows to men’s razors. The center of capitalism, advertising, and media saturation. Mmmm, mmm, mmm, breathe it in…

I must begin my brief rant on New York here: I don’t think I can stand this city. I have a lot of really fond memories and dreams about the magnificence of the Big Apple, with it’s art, it’s music, it’s cultural influence that we would be lost without. It’s history is fascinating. But it is too much for me in person. The city feels as if it were on the verge of imminent disaster or collapse. The subway system was a good indication of this: you take away one thing that everyone relies on and it’s chaos. People are up in arms. The strain of too many people in one location, that is abated by this mass transit system, is brought back to the surface. It’s too much for me.

Another thing I found overwhelming on this trip, mostly I think because of our time in the big cities, was the idolization of the self. New York is a city of self discovery, of self proclamation. People go there to be stars, to rise above the rest, to eat fancy dinners, drink expensive alcohol, to experience high culture. We walk past Trump Tower and wish we could be like him. We see the advertisements that sell us the life of excess. We are told to seek personal advancement. We all should be celebrities, and here is the place where we can pretend we are. This idea that New York is the center of it all is very egotistical, very self centered, and very true. It’s the Grand Central of American Empire life. It seems to be the manifestation of what the ideal "Pax Americana" looks like: cities bustling with commercial success, unobstructed personal exhibition, celebrity. I’m not above it: I’m writing a blog right now, which means I think my words are important enough to read, like my own little celebrity diary, talking about my life of important acts and ideas. So, while not claiming innocence, I end my rant by saying that I don’t have much need to see that city again. Twice was good for me. And of course, with my tendency to make broad, sweeping statements which I may rescind at a later date, remember that while I loathe that City, I may love it all the same.

Now, back to the trip. You may have noticed a little guidebook in my current reads, the Knopf Map guide to Boston. Well, we picked that up because my mom recommend/loaned her copy of the New York edition and it is so amazing that we had to have the Boston version as well. These little books are full of easy to read maps, landmark descriptions, and restaurant recommendations. We decided to check out one of the local pizza establishments it recommended, just off of Broadway, John’s Pizzeria, and it was right on. We had a fabulous pizza dinner, some good margaritas, and found a great place to get out of the bustle for awhile to cool off and prep for our night on Broadway. Nestled into an old building, it looked like a small pizza joint from the outside, but opened up into a ballroom style dining area which was really cool. We chose a couple good wood fire pizzas and had an amazing dinner. I have to say, we ate really well on this trip. And that was one of the better meals.

Finally, the moment we were anticipating all week: We entered the Gershwin theater and took our seats for Wicked. Now, for those who are unfamiliar, Wicked is a musical based on the bestselling book about the early life of the Wicked Witch of the West, from the Wizard of Oz. You should really check the book out because it’s wonderful. The musical set was fabulous, as to be expected on Broadway in NYC (see, I like some things about this place!). I don’t know what to say about the show really. The story turns all you know about the Wizard of Oz upside down. Was the Wicked Witch really wicked? Who was the Wizard? What’s the relationship between the Wicked Witch (Elphaba, by name) and Glinda the Good Witch? All will be revealed! The soundtrack is amazing, with a mix of orchestral pieces and some all out pop and rock. If you have a chance to listen to the music, my favorite songs are "Popular", "Defying Gravity", and "One Short Day".

We all really enjoyed this special treat within our long trip. I think Stacy’s parents really enjoyed the story and the music, having grown up knowing the Wizard of Oz. And Stacy has been listening to the soundtrack non-stop for the last couple of months, so she loved getting to see it live. This was definitely one of my highlights from the trip.

Following the show, we hiked back to Penn Station to catch our Amtrak train back to Boston. The trip was winding to a close. We’d seen our 7th state in as many days. We were all pretty tired and all had ranging levels of sickness either coming or going from our bodies, so it was good to get back to our beds in Boston and spend Thursday resting up before we traveled on Friday. Overall, New York was a good time. Too much big city America for me, as I mentioned before, but worth it for the experience.

New York City, center of the universe, pt. 1

Right now I’m sitting in our Boston hotel room, with a slight headache, tired from a long day of traveling. Stacy and Jo are still sleeping, while Mark and I prep for the day ahead and still work on waking up. It’s 1pm EST.

The last 30 hours have been a whirlwind of travel. We woke up at 4 am yesterday morning to take the shuttle from our hotel to the train station in downtown Boston. We caught an Amtrak headed South, a commuter rail, that would drop us off in the heart of the Big Apple, New York City. The 4 hour trip was scenic, going along the coast at times and through suburbs, another taste of life on the east coast. We all got a bit of sleep on the train ride, a bit of reading too, and worked on our anticipation for the upcoming day in the city.

Arriving at Penn Station at about 10 am yesterday, we were (un)pleasantly surprised to find out that the subway system in New York was falling apart, buckling under the strain of it’s morning commute and a little flash flood and urban tornado. No biggy. We were able to catch a train out of the station and downtown, towards the World Trade Center memorial, which did get us going. The World Trade Center site was moving, an interesting site to see after almost 6 years since September 11th. I was impressed by the church where all the workers rested and got supplies, impressed by the outpouring of support from people around the country and world that is still displayed there.

This was a great start to a tour of New York. However, with the struggling subway system, +90 degree humid heat, and 4 tired travelers, we decided to spend more time indoors. Onward to the Museum of National History! After a short train ride back uptown, we took a walk through Central Park, which is definitely as cool as people make it out to be. In a maze/zoo of light, buildings, cabs, and people, this huge piece of green park is a much needed site. We walked about 20 blocks through the park, finally reaching our destination, the museum.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my: the American Museum of Natural History is a very impressive exhibit of all forms of life, from the first room (Animals of Africa) to the deeper wings of cultural history and biodiversity. I had visited it before when I came to NYC in high school, but it was fun to see it again and for the first time with Stacy. We both could have spent a couple of days there, easily, but we could only do a couple hours and it was incredibly crowded. It always seems to me that my visits to museums or art galleries are much shorter than I think I could make them. Does anyone actually go to, say, the Smithsonian and spend the weeks necessary to soak it all in? When we were in Chicago a couple weeks ago, we breezed through their Art Institute, but I know we could/should have spent days there, reading about each painting, breathing in each brush stroke. I guess that’s why those things are a luxury, because you have to be able to afford that time. Someday, I promise myself, I’ll spend the time.

But hey, we had some really important things to get to. Like Broadway, dinner, and Wicked! All in Part 2 of this post.

Boston – Day 5

Well, we’re back in the good ol’ Ramada INN of Boston tonight, after our two-day trip North into New England. We’ve seen a lot of country the past couple of days. First, up the coast to Portland, ME, weaving through the seaside towns along the Atlantic. Then across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont to Burlington, VT, which sits along Lake Champlain. Today, we capped it off with a drive back across Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts right into downtown traffic in Boston. It’s been quite a trip.

Today’s highlights included spending a couple of hours in Stowe, VT, a little town up in the "mountains" of Vermont. Tucked up in the hills, this small tourist town was a great stop. There were lots of shops, cool lodges, a ski area, and even the Von Trapp lodge, where the people from the Sound of Music settled once they immigrated to the US.

Next up, we stopped at the Ben & Jerry’s factory for a tour of their first processing plant and hopefully for a special taste of ice cream. If we only go on two tours this trip, I guess that a brewery and an ice cream factory are alright. Ben & Jerry’s was a little less impressive than Samuel Adams’, but it was definetly cool. We tasted one of their new flavors, Bananas on the Rum, which was quite amazing.

Finally, we’re back in the hotel and getting prepped for our day trip to New York. We’re off to see the wizard…I mean the witches of Oz. That’s right, we’re seeing Wicked on Broadway tomorrow night.

Boston – Day 4 – Driving New England

Bright and early this morning, we crawled out of bed at the Ramada of Boston, hopped on our favorite train into downtown, and picked up a Jetta rental car and headed North. I haven’t been feeling so hot the last day, so I spent most of the morning moving between helping navigate and sleeping.

Starting in downtown Boston, we drove up the Atlantic coast on Highway 1towards Portland, Maine. We decided to take a little more scenic route along through some of the coastal towns. This ended up taking a bit longer than we expected, but it was really nice to drive through some of the smaller towns on the way and experience the coastal towns of Maine. We ate lunch in Portland, taking my friend Theresa’s advice and eating in the section of town called "Old Port", right along the waterfront. We even experienced a bit of colder weather as we went through Portland, receiving a very stereotypical Maine welcome. Stacy and I both enjoyed Lobster rolls, the sandwich of choice in those parts.

After lunch, after another nap for me, I awoke to the car winding through the roads east through New Hampshire on the way towards Burlington, Vermont. We stopped at a couple roadside antique shops along the way, poked through the sleepy towns of the northern part of the states, winding into the Appalachians. We drove past Mt. Washington and a couple of ski resorts.

Winding down through the towns and into Vermont, I really felt like I could live in this part of the country. Most of the time, when I go on a trip somewhere, I really like the area or the city, but always want to find my way back to Washington at the end. But driving through the winding hills of New Hampshire and Vermont made me feel different. Maybe it was the misty, rainy weather we experienced all day, with a dreariness that I love. Or maybe it was the wide views across the open valleys, covered with trees, without the blemish of big neon signs or a ton of smog. Whatever it is, I’d love to spend more time in this area.

Tomorrow, we continue our driving tour through Vermont and then back down to Boston. Highlights we’re hoping to see are: Ben and Jerry’s, the Von Trapp estates (from Sound of Music), and maybe a stop at Lexington and Concord for some more American history. We’re having a great trip and there’s much more to come.

Boston – Days 2 & 3

The second and third days of our epic Boston trip have come and gone. It’s been quite a whirlwind tour, but by the end of the day today, we have seen most of the sites in Boston we came to see. Which means we’re ready to head north tomorrow, into New England for a night. But first, a recap of days 2 and 3:

Yesterday morning kicked off with a walk around Fenway Park. Unfortunately, we picked a week when the Red Sox are actually in Seattle, playing the Mariners, so we haven’t been able to catch a real game. But we did get a chance to tour around the historic stadium and buy a hat and t-shirt. This was only the second stadium I’ve seen in my life (I’m not one of those people who tours around the country to all the stadiums, at least, not yet), so it was a fun place to see.

Next stop, Newbury Street. Now, if you’re looking for upscale shopping, funky boutiques, and all your neighborhood shopping center standards, Newbury St. is the place to check out in Boston. Stacy, her parents, and I spent a couple hours touring the shops on another hot, muggy day. The indoor AC made it nice to stop in every 4 or 5 shops. However, after awhile, the allure of shopping wore off for Mark and I and we snuck off to the best destination of yesterday: Samuel Adams’ Brewery.

If you know me, you know I like beer. But, not mass produced, watery beer. And, generally, not anything born (brewed) outside the Great Northwest. So I was kind of skeptical about Sam Adams beer. I couldn’t have been more misled. All those cheezy commercials we see about making beer from the best ingredients, using the time tested recipes of great American brewers…well, their not kidding. These guys know what they’re doing and make really great stuff. We toured their small "research facilities" located on the outskirts of the city, where all the experimental, new, and specialty beers are brewed. It wasn’t anything super fancy as far as brewing systems go, pretty much your standard methods. But the Jim Koch, the owner and founder, really puts his passion into making sure people see the brewery as the producer of the best beer in America. They work very hard to sell the story of making authentic, fresh, and great beer. And they do. The tour was capped off by a tasting of 3 of their great beers: the Boston Lager (go buy this now, because that’s the only one I’ve seen in the NW), their Summer Seasonal, and their Old Fezziwig, a winter seasonal, which was a rarer taste for this time of year and very good. And, since Mark and I left the ladies behind, we’re going to try to go back with Stacy and Jo, so they can experience the great tastes.

Finally, to finish out a great day, we made our way into the heart of Little Italy in the North End of the city for a great Italian dinner. A bottle of wine, some really great food in a downstairs cellar eating area: a good end to a good day.

Next up: Harvard Tour. One of the most important stops for our traveling troupe was Harvard University, located across the Charles River on the Northwest side of Boston. Today we hopped back on the Red Line train (which, I must say, we’re getting really good at riding), and trekked across town to the historic school. We spent an hour or so wandering around Harvard Square, surrounded by tourists, college students, and a few locals. There are a couple of really great bookstores in the area, which we perused. We walked through campus a bit, but the best part of the whole day had to be their bookstore located just off of campus. We spent a couple long hours there, just relaxing and reading. To cap the day, we took in a movie (Stacy and Jo saw "No Reservations" and Mark and I saw "The Bourne Ultimatum").

So, tomorrow we head off for a day trip to Portland, ME and Burlington, VT. I’ve uploaded more photos to Flickr as well, so check them out. We’ve got a lot more planned in New England, so I’ll keep this updated.

Boston – Day 1

Today marks the beginning of our epic trip into the heart of American history. Today we embarked on our first day of walking through the city of Boston. I’ve been pretty excited about this trip for quite some time, as Stacy and I have been talking about it with her parents for a couple of years now. And so, it began today.

We flew in last night and made the first quick trek into the city using the Boston subway, or "the T", to check out the location and figure out the transit. But today was the first real excursion. We spent the day walking along the famous "Freedom Trail", which takes eager tourists through 16 of American history’s famous monuments. We saw Boston Common, the Old North Church, the Old State House, where the declaration of Independence was read aloud for the first time, Bunker HIll, the USS Constitution, and many points along the famous midnight ride of Paul Revere. Let’s just say it was a huge dose of Revolutionary and Early American history review. For a history major, I should probably have learned enough about these places to tell the tour, but I learned a bit today and was reminded about all the reasons I took history classes to begin with.

It was fun to tour these old monuments today as well, because it helped us get a real perspective of the city, with its combination of old and new. Next door to the oldest buildings in America, you see high rise buildings. Just a block from the oldest tavern in America, there are places like Cheers, which are a great part of Americana, but not really the most historical of places in the great scheme of things. It’s also funny to read about all the dates and buildings being a Seattle native. American history there is only about 100 years or so, but things in the New England area easily date back to the 1750s, if not further. It’s more of a European feel than an American feel, much like some parts of New York, but very different than the West Coast.

The weather has been pretty hot (low 90s) and very humid. Tomorrow’s plan is a trip out to Fenway Park to see the ‘ol Red Sox home (too bad their actually playing in Seattle this week). We’re also gonna try to hit up Sam Adams’ brewery to get a sampling of some real East Coast brewing (you know, tasty, but with about 1/2 the hops, less malt, easier drinking….you know more like Budweiser, less like Boundary Bay).

As I’ve been considering this "Death of a Blog" thing, I’ve also been investigating ways to make this, or another blog, better. So, I’ve put together a Flickr account with some photos of this and our Chicago trip. Isn’t that very web saavy of me? Take a look and enjoy. Also, please note the attached addendum to the previous post "Death of a Blog"

More to come as we continue our week long trip in Boston and New England.

Jesse in Austria

As this month has been filled with posts from Sean in Africa and a second blog for my parent’s trip to Alaska, I thought it might be fun to also include a little bit from my friend Jesse, who is currently biking across Western Europe. Here’s a note from a few days back, sounds like they’re doing very well.

White T-Shirt and Jeans (Sean)

I am back in Paris sitting in the Air France Salon Room which I somehow slipped in with a colleague.  Everyone around me is wearing a suit, a tie, or at least a coat…and what am I wearing you ask?

I had hoped to post a bit more during my trip to Niger and am sorry that I wasn’t able to do so.  Time constraints and Internet capabilities hindered me quite a bit more than expected, but here is a quick re-cap of my last few days.

Quick Update (Sean)

Thanks for your comments and emails everyone.  Paris was great, I’ll write about it tomorrow, but I’ve got to get some sleep now.  My next post will be from Niger.  Check out the pictures below…I know, I know, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.