Let's start at the very beginning...

So I decided to wait a month until I began blogging about my experiences as a Jesuit Volunteer. I wanted to take the time to settle into DC, into community living and into living on a stipend. And for all you nay-sayers who thought Laura Magnotta can't live on "a dollar a day", well I'm doing it. (Though, the Starbucks gift cards I brought with me are making it a little easier AND I found a few extra dollars in my stipend for a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee!)

To begin, I left Scranton on August 13th for orientation in Blue Ridge, PA--just over the border of Maryland. We spent 5 days at Blue Ridge getting to know more about the JVC, our community members and the members of the other communities in the East Region. It was a completly vegetarian retreat (which becomes a theme of my entire time as a JV so far), except for the chicken BBQ. We were also treated to 1 (one and only one) Corona each on Mexican night. One of the highlights of the retreat was the talent show, where I introduced the JVC community to my infamous "Stop, don't touch me there.." dance. It was a hit, if I don't say so myself.

On the 18th of August, my 4 community members and I traveled from Blue Ridge to Washington, DC. The drive was only about an hour and a half, which was great because we were really anxious to get to our house. Our house is located in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC.

We are about a 15 minute walk away from the metro station, a Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, 2 grocery stores, etc. The house has 5 bedrooms (we each have our own) and 2 bathrooms. The carpet, which you can see in the picture, it an 'interesting' shade of red. I like to think it adds character to the house? You be the judge.

Our neighbors are very nice. A young family, with an 8 month old son, lives on one side, and an elderly couple who pretty much keep to themselves live on the other side. I would like to say that the elderly couple are all sugar and spice, but they got me for $10 our first week here. I was on my way to work when I noticed the man cutting his grass. I asked if I could borrow his lawn mower to mow our grass. He said that he would be more than welcome to do it. So I said thanks, that would be great. Then he goes,"OK $10!" I was shocked, I just thought he was being neighborly and offering to do me a favor. I was wrong!

On our second night here, we had dinner at the other Washington, DC JV community's house. There we met our support people who during the year will help us with any issues that may arise as well as get us started with community and spirituality nights, which occur weekly and are planned by members of the community on a rotating basis.

As far as community goes, everything is going really well. We take turns cooking dinner, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. I have introduced my community to several of my favorite things to cook and I am looking forward to making my favorite meal, greens and beans, for dinner this week. On a more surprising note, I eat tofu now. How shocked are you? Yeah, me too!

My community is made up of myself and 4 others. Pat is from Lake Oswego, OR--near Portland--and went to Carroll College where he was class president! He aspires to be a broadcast journalist. This year he is working at an afterschool program for high school students called For Love of Children, or FLOC. Andrew hails from San Diego and is so Cali! He is doing his second year as a JV and has brought some great insight into our community. He works at Joseph's House which is a hospice home for men and women with AIDS and cancer. He does very important work and I admire his compassion. Rachel is from North Carolina and is currently working on her medical school applications. Her work as a case manager at La Clinica del Pueblo will surely be helpful as she enters the medical field. Rachel is the queen of veggie burgers--she can take whatever is left in the fridge and make the most delcious burgers! Lauren, who is also from Scranton and graduated from Prep with me, is a graduate of the University of Scranton. She works as a case manager at Samaritan Ministries where she assists her clients in finding jobs. She always has the best stories about her crazy days at work!

As for me, I am working at the Northwest Center. I work as a peer counselor in the Pregnancy center where we provide free pregnancy testing and counseling as well as material assistance and resource referals for pregnant and mothering women. I also work with the maternity home that is located upstairs. It is a transtional housing facility for pregnancy and mothering women. We are excited to be welcoming twins in November!

My typical day involves biking from my house to work for 9am. (Go ahead, laugh. I ride a bike and I am very proud of it--though my butt hurts soooo badly from the uncomfortable seat!) It is a 10 minute ride, which isn't bad. I spend my day answering the phones, seeing clients, scheduling appointments, babysitting, and whatever else comes up. There is truly never a dull moment. I am really enjoying it!

After work, I always look forward to going home to community. We are enjoying getting to know the city. We have been to the momuments, the Capitol, the musuems, etc. This week, we are going to dinner at the Jesuit residence to meet with our Jesuit liason. We are really excited about the food, we hear the Jesuits know how to cook!!! We have also been getting to know the other volunteer communities in the city. This past weekend we went to a party at one of the Lutheran Volunteer houses, which was a lot of fun!

The past couple of weeks have been jammed packed with excitement, including a visit from my parents, which was awesome!!! When they arrived on Thursday, my mom came to the Northwest Center to see where I work and what the center is like. That night, my mom and dad took my roommates and me out to dinner (a truly appreciated break from simple living cooking!) Friday was spent at the American History Museum and the Northface Store in Georgetown. That night we had a great dinner at a restaurant that looked out at the Capitol. On Saturday, they took me grocery shopping where I stocked up on things that my simple living budget doesn't usually allow (Pepsi, Turkey Hill Iced Tea, CheezIts, etc).

One of the traditions of the JVC East that I am particulay fond of are the parties that a different community hosts for each holiday. The Labor Day party was in Baltimore, and was a great time. Nearly all of the communities came, which made the sleeping arrangements very interesting. Imagine 60+ people packed into a row home in B-more!! We are excited to host the 4th of July party in the summer!

So, now I am back to the grind,which really isn't bad at all. I am definitely seeing the effect that simple living has on my appreciation for things that I usually take for granted. I am also experiencing, on a daily basis, the value of living in community. It has been really wonderful to watch the melding of our life experiences, personalities and traditions.

With that, I will end this epic introduction to my JVC experience. I will hopefully be writing on a semi-regular basis so that I can keep everyone up-to-date on what's going on in DC!