Google Maps Do NOT Tell All

So, today has been a very exciting day.

For starters, I woke up, turned on my computer to do some yoga, and discovered that I now get internet access in my bedroom! (THANKS NEIGHBOR!) I wasted a good part of my morning just enjoying internet and google, and the lack of strict web filters and people all around me in a coffee shop. It was blissful. Then I cooked a delicious breakfast, liked it so much I cooked it again for lunch, then decided to get my act together and go for a long run. Not knowing the area very well (still...but you know my notoriously miserable sense of direction, I'm sure...) I decided to use my handy friend GOOGLE MAPS to plan out my 7 mile route. I kept it safe and ran on the greenway for a couple miles (a run/bike track along the Yakima River - not quite as scenic as it sounds, and littered with homeless individuals, but still better than the streets), then took the roads back home. I wrote the directions out on my hand, not realizing that it took me right straight through the worst part of town. I ran past an entire street of cars converted to living quarters, houses with gunshot windows, houses without windows at all, but plastic coverings to keep out the wind.

As terrifying as this run was, it actually made me thankful to live on North Naches Ave. And believe me, that is saying a lot.

Tonight: glow bowling! hollerrr!

SOCIAL JUSTICE IN YAKIMA?

So after the exciting weekend of Thatcher's visit (including a party in our basement - mildew included - , wine-tasting, and authentic Mexican cuisine), Sarah Kinsel, our area director - aka advisor, 'supervisor', mentor, etc. came to Yakima for another week-long visit. Last time she came her visit was interrupted by her husband's pneumonia and her own oncoming sickness.

When Sarah is here, it is a time for us to re-evaluate our priorities, habits, and lifestyles. When she comes we adhere more strictly to the four values, reminding ourselves in what areas we slack after she leaves. Well on her second night here we had a "social justice night" where we began to discuss various social justice issues in Yakima, how our perception of these injustices is colored/developed by our own history and background, root causes, and ways of working to change the patterns of injustice. We sat down to make the list and it quickly grew too long to fit on a single page: obesity, meth, gangs, domestic abuse, lack of education, racial separation, rape, murder, immigration, and on and on. Each problem seems prevalent in groups in every city in the country, but are magnified in this small city in Central Washington. All of these problems I have thought and discussed before with housemates and coworkers, except for one (thanks to Jaime): COMPLACENCY.

The problem of complacency in Yakima seems to prevent this city from improving in any way, and the complacency is a root of all the other problems as well. Take for example, the 8 YEAR OLD GIRL I mentor at the YMCA. Already, she has no plan of going to college, no plan of traveling, no desire for anything more. She wants to be married and have a child by the age of 18, There is a pervasive attitude in this city that "it is what it is" and will take too much effort to change. This includes the huge Hispanic population in town who do not try to learn English. The list could continue for pages, but it boils down to the city being stuck in one place without the inertia or proper catalyst to bring it anywhere.

On another note...there are some amazing people in this city, including Chris Cassidy, Patrick's uncle, who gives us free skiing passes, free ski equipment (brand new, and to keep!!!), rides to the mountain, après-ski beers (always Kokanee), and SO MUCH MORE. There is also a HUGE support group who we are going to visit tonight!!! Once a month they throw the JVs a potluck with wonderful food and wine and company, and so much support and love. The last time one of us mentioned at the potluck that we only had 7 bicycles at home, and within a week we had about 8 more show up on our doorstep. It is mind-blowing the love and gratitude people show to us, while in my opinion we should be the ones eternally grateful for them for opening their arms and hearts to 8 strangers who are only here for a year.

Either wayyyy. back to work! Can't wait for the potluck and for another great weekend of skiing, crab feeds, adventures, movies, and JVCing.

PS- I just finished all my grad school apps last Friday, keep your fingers crossed that one of them likes me!

An exercise in anger management

The latest community exercise:

Last night, after getting out of work at 6 and going directly to the gym, I had to wait 30 MINUTES FOR A TREADMILL. I admire people trying to get in shape during the New Year, but can't resolutions take place on the elliptical machines? There should be a room for people who workout during October. If you workout in October, you are post-bikini and pre-Christmas, so you should get a priority spot on a treadmill...maybe? But then again I have a free membership...
Then...the Riel's (our support family) brought us over a delicious dinner and we laughed over great conversation and a couple delicious bottles of wine. After conversation wound down and the lasagne polished from our plates, the Riel's began our monthly community exercise. This month marking the upcoming half-way mark of our year in JVC, our theme was ANGER. Our task last night was to sit down and write 8 notecards, one for every member of our community, including ourselves, and note what angers us about the other people. They could be trivial (like...Lauren you leave stuff everywhere (duh)) or larger, more painful criticisms on our approach to relationships or our personality. Then we had 1-on-1 meetings with every member of the community and shared these criticisms and gripes. Just hearing this proposal made my entire body drench with sweat - which is stupid considering these were coming from people I live with who, I hope, love me in some capacity (hopefully a big one?)In a word, it really sucked. Not ever taking criticism lightly, and being one who hates to hurt people, I was the one who went to her room and sat awake in bed all night while everyone else in the house moved on and played cards downstairs.
Lesson of the Day : learn to accept self-criticism with confidence. Or...drink more wine before engaging in this activity ever again.

ps- THATCHER IS COMING ON THURSDAY! OUR EX-THATCHER-GANZA IS FRIDAY NIGHT! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AMPED!!!

STRANDED IN YAKIMA

So, here is the latest in the saga of the JVs in Yakima, WA:

About a week ago Sophie was volunteering at the Y, and since we are mandated NEVER to walk in our neighborhood after dark, she asked the man she volunteers with if he would drive her back to our house. When they pulled up to 404 Naches (aka Casa Grande, aka my house) he turns to Sophie and says "ohhhh I've been here before...", to which she shoots him an incredulous look, assuming he is slightly more affluent than our neighbors. He tells her that he would never live around our area, but that he does buy his drugs from our direct neighbors - and makes it abundantly clear they sell ANYTHING you could want to buy. If that wasn't bad enough, he has also seen them smoking up (whatever it is they are choosing to smoke) in the kitchen with their children around. Keep it classy.

Next, Sophie, Gracie, and I were driving home from the coffee shop behind a "gang enforcement" cop car. The car was driving frustratingly slow the entire way home, and then turned off its lights and pulled up behind another one of our neighbors' houses.

Lastly, we were told yesterday that YNHS (my, chris, and sophie's employer) is no longer going to let us use the two company SUVs on nights and on weekends. So, now we (I, in particular, because I work 1 hour before and 1 hour after all my housemates) have no choice but to walk home alone in the dark. We also no longer have a way to run errands, go skiing, hiking, on trips out of YAKIMA.

Ok, venting over. We are now scrambling to rectify this situation, although we are pretty sure YNHS is not going to give us back the cars JVs here have relied on for years.

EUGENE HALF-MARATHON

Quick note: Jaime, Gracie, Sam, and I are all running a half-marathon in Eugene, OR on May 2nd. (Patrick is running the full...) . I started training yesterday. I then proceeded to take a day off today.

I have a feeling this will be more difficult than I ever anticipated. haha

And...WE'RE BACK!

SOo, the JVs of Yakima are all safe and sound now. We all left for Christmas, which I think it fairly rare for most JV houses, but it was a much needed break. We are all ready to re-immerse ourselves in community and return to our lives of voluntary simplicity.

MY BREAK: I went to NYC for a couple of days to see a few of my closest college friends. I ended up having a fantastic time visiting with Bekka, Mika, Jeremy, and Cary. We ate good food, saw the big Christmas tree, and walked around the beautiful city in a huge snowstorm. It was fantastic. More fantastic than anything else I did, though, was spend Saturday night running around NYC with Timmy. I saw Tim the first night I got in, and spent the entire following evening with him as well. The city was locked indoors for the evening, avoiding the snow, while Tim and I ran around the center of town on a Saturday night making snow angels in the streets. It was such an amazing night (I LOVE YOU TIMMY)!!!! It was fantastic to be home and spend lots of time with my family. We had an awesome Christmas filled with laughter, gift-giving, and dishwasher-soap-filled quiche! The break was too short, of course, but I arrived back in Yak in time for New Year's.

We have spent the last couple of days skiing and shoeshoeing in Yakima's fresh snow. I am absolutely exhausted. Tonight will be our first night as a community, and I am sure we have much to discuss. We have to reassess our chore chart, decide what groceries we want to buy, and check in on how we all feel we have been living out the 4 JV values. I am hoping we can put this meeting off until tomorrow, since I see myself going to bed around 8pm tonight.

Until next time.