Thanksgiving Training

By Sarah Ashcroft

I have been counting down to Thanksgiving since Halloween. I was sick of candy wrapper cluttering my trashcan, and I was ready to discard the fake cobwebs that attacked me as I walked into my classroom everyday. My big plan for the weekend was to visit my college roommate, Chelsea Elizabeth.

Chelsea and I were roommates all four years. Actually, we didn’t live together our sophomore year of college, but we don’t talk about our foolish mistakes. I went to college in my hometown– needless to say that I didn’t have to travel far every holiday. Chelsea is from Westwood, New Jersey, so my mom adopted her as a new member of our family. When I moved to Philadelphia I braced myself for the fact that I won’t see my family until Christmas, and the best idea we had was for me to visit Chelsea over the long weekend.

The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving I had this great idea to stay up all night so I can finish everything I needed to before Thanksgiving break. I completely failed. I finally fell asleep around 1:00am and woke up needing a break. I made it to school by 7:15am, but I hadn’t cleaned the apartment, finished my dishes… or packed my suitcase. I wasn’t sure I was going to have enough time to finish the school day and finish my to-do list. Somehow I managed and I left Suburban Station at 6:00pm ready for my four-hour train ride. Then, Chelsea picked me up.

I made it to Jersey and fell asleep almost as soon as I fell into a real bed. I woke up the next morning (almost the next afternoon.) I had been warned about how much food there was going to be. The plan for Thanksgiving dinner was to go to the Italian side of Chelsea’s family. There would be a lot of food, drink, and yelling. I was ready for it.

We went over to Aunt Paula’s house– an eclectic woman full of warmth and hospitality. We watched the Lions get their butts kicked in a sad game of football. We finished the game and we were ushered to the large dinner table, and we ate our first course: lasagna… just like the real Pilgrims did. I can honestly say that I have never had better lasagna in my life. I can also say that I was so full that I couldn’t eat another full Thanksgiving meal or dessert, but I found room. Here’s how–

Chelsea and Sarah’s training for Thanksgiving dinner:

1. Wear dressy sweatpants to dinner.
2. (This is debatable) Either starve yourself three days in advance OR eat gigantic meals every day at least three days in advance. Eat very little the day of Thanksgiving. If you do the second option then your stomach will be stretched out and with crave the large amounts of food you’re about to consume.
3. Plan a few workout sessions during your vacation.
4. Don’t eat mashed potatoes first.

I did miss having this holiday with my family, but it was nice to have a break from a Dutch Thanksgiving. Philadelphia is all about new experiences– in New Jersey. Never before has it been so easy for my to figure out public transportation. Before I left Holland there was no way I could ever figure out trains all by myself. Not only can I figure it out, but I don’t need a computer. Come to Philly and learn to never stress out about being lost again. That’s a fact.

Note: If you’re looking for a fun game go buy The Last Word. It has to be one of the best board games I’ve ever played– especially with a bunch of Italians.

Turkey Day Reflections

By Penny

It’s amazing the ways in which things change over time. We spend a year apart, finding new ways to understand and see the things around us, and then come back together to re-introduce ourselves to our families, and try, again, to gain respect. Maybe we do not. Maybe there’s too much friction. And yet we come back every year, expected to get along, hoping to get out alive, and loving each other despite ourselves.

My classes at TPC have totally altered the way I view what’s going on around me. This week in Mark’s class we are reading Rubyfruit Jungle, which is largely about the role of families in a person’s life – the ways in which we are disappointed, and surprised by our mothers and fathers and aunts and cousins. I looked around the table with this story in mind, dissecting the roles and rules of our family, how we all had changed, how we had attempted to hold onto certain parts of each other, how we had lost or gotten rid of, or hidden other things.

I listened to the conversation, about colleges, and 4G cell phones, vacations and bars, and thought about how heavily it demonstrated our class, and how this would never be acknowledged because it would be too much to handle, and our sadnesses, let alone the Country’s, would be set aside tonight. 

I thought about all the ways in which we are ashamed. My half shaven head and tattoos were not to be seen or heard, let alone my sexuality. We are not to discuss his failure to graduate college, nor her sickness, nor the people not at the table anymore.

While this all sounds like a Holiday ruin-er, it actually felt like somewhat of a relief, for me to at least be able to recognize, analyze, appreciate, criticize, dismantle, disrespect, and still love all these people who I grew up with and who raised me. We are all adults now. We’ve f—— up, and f—— each other up, and we’ve all been forgiven. At least while there’s turkey on the table.

Focusing on Gains

By Allie

Earlier this semester in my elective class, Exploring Relationships in Fiction and Film: Sex, Gender, and Sexuality, we read Written on the Body.  In this book, the speaker challenges the reader with the following question: “Why is the measure of love loss?”  In class, we discussed this question at great length, and I had a conversation with mark [the instructor] about after class.  I agree thoroughly with the speaker that when we look back on romantic relationships, we almost always view them negatively, in terms of pain, hurt, and loss.  However, from all of these relationships, even the most negative, we learn something, even if it is simply what not to do in the future.  Mark challenged us, as a class, to start focusing on gain as the measure of love, and I really took this to heart.

Though it is arguably much easier to determine what I have gained from my experience in Philadelphia than say, from a romantic entanglement with a sordid ending, I feel that it is an important exercise.  It is all too easy to focus simply on the experience, on everything I have done, everything I have seen.  I want to do more than just that though; I want to focus on gain, on learning, on the fundamental changes that have happened inside of me during my time here.

Perhaps most importantly, I am more confident now.  I really realized this when I flew home to Michigan for Thanksgiving.  About a year ago, I flew alone and it was incredibly anxiety provoking.  This time, I felt calm, cool, and collected as I navigated trains and airports and dealt with flight delays.  I was suddenly sure of myself; I had a newfound faith in my ability to succeed in an unfamiliar environment and deal with difficulties along the way.  I believe this all has to do with living independently in a new and often intimidating environment.  This program, this city, has taught me how to trust myself.

Secondly, I’ve gained valuable insight into my future career aspirations.  One of primary goals for my time here was to determine whether or not social work is a field I have the emotional fortitude to go into.  My internship at a homeless shelter has been both trying and beautiful; working with men who often have coexisting mental and physical illnesses as well as addictions offers the greatest victories and the most painful defeats.  I have learned so much about this field, but equally as much about myself.  I’m great in crisis situations; I can keep a level head and work through a situation.  I know how to pay attention to my own emotional well-being and take steps to care for myself when necessary.  I know how to connect with people, to enjoy the company of just about anyone.  And I now know that social work is a field I feel prepared to work in.

Lastly, I’ve gained friends.  Friends from all different regions, schools, and backgrounds, friends who challenge what I know and think, friends who make me feel safe and comfortable but also challenge my to explore the world beyond my reality.

These gains are things I will carry with me always, things I will never forget.

Free Turkeys and a Fish Fry

By Brooke McDonald

“Tell me when.” That was my line. Ketchup in one hand, hot sauce in the other, I doused fish sandwich after fish sandwich in red messiness.

Yesterday the church that I attend in Philadelphia hosted a Thanksgiving outreach in West Philly. From noon until 3 p.m., about 80 members of Antioch of Calvary loved on the residents of Westpark Apartments, also known as “the projects” to those who live close-by, by handing out free fish sandwiches fresh off the fryer.

But that wasn’t all – we also handed out over 200 free turkeys, bags of every side imaginable for thanksgiving dinner, french bread, gallons of juice, and more to these families. All donated food from a guy out in Lancaster - what an incredible blessing to see people who couldn’t afford a fancy Thanksgiving dinner push carts LOADED with food back to their apartments.

Kids got butterflies and batman logos painted across their cheeks, moms and dads ate sandwiches and stood in the chilly fall air talking to church members, and the fish fryer just kept frying.

It was a good time.

I’ve attended Antioch’s 9 a.m. service since my first Sunday in Philadelphia. Antioch is a predominantly African-American, mid-size church in a very rundown area of West Philadelphia, where crime and drugs have left many homes and businesses in shambles.

Antioch loves the community, though, and I think part of the reason I was drawn to the church is that they take the Christian mission to love people, meet their needs, and share the gospel very seriously.

The church is also really committed to fellowship and prayer, and I was shocked to see in their bulletin that you can attend church Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, sometimes Friday, and even Saturday! In an age when Christianity and the church are attacked for their hypocrisy (and often, rightly so) Antioch seeks to be a house of the Lord and a place where people are truly transformed by the power of God.

Whether it’s Bible study, evangelism team, or feeding the homeless, this church never quits. Their love for the Lord inspires me and compels me to take my own Christian walk to the same level. Of course, it’s not a perfect church (none are!)  but I’ve been richly blessed to fellowship there.

Physical needs in Philadelphia are so large and so close. It astounded me that “the projects” were literally a five-minute walk from the church’s front door. I’m grateful for the chance to see my church in action while I’m here. I think going back to Hope, I will be all the more excited to engage in community efforts like this. Even in Holland, the needs are great and the service opportunities abound.

There’s not much more satisfying than loving others in the name of Jesus, and what a blessing to do this yesterday, as I start to count down my final weekends in Philadelphia!

Handing out free fish sandwiches may have been one of my favorite activities here so far.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, I baked a pumpkin pie yesterday – my very first!

Outside the Bubble

By Allie

The best part of this program, as far as I’m concerned, is being constantly challenged.  Everything is challenging: living in a city, working nearly full time, having a class load on top of an internship, being far from home and friends, and having to be a grown-up.  It can get tiring, but it’s such a beautiful opportunity for growth.  I feel like I’ve become more mature and prepared for the world after college in the last three months than in the rest of college combined.

One of the challenges that I’m learning the most from in this experience is being in a class with students of diverse backgrounds, political persuasions, and disciplines.  My seminar, Urban Political and Social Issues, is one such class.  We have students from at least six different schools and from many different states; we even have a student from abroad.  We have sociology students, law students, economics students, political science students, and art students, among others.  We have liberals, conservatives, and moderates.  We all have vastly different opinions and ways of thinking about the world. 

At K, I take anthropology and sociology classes with mostly other ANSO students who all tend to be fairly liberal.  Heated discussion is an exception, not the norm.  Generally speaking, students in the class have very similar issues in regards to political, economic, and social issues.  Though I feel I’ve learned a great deal in this environment, I sometimes feel overly insulated.  I begin to forget that the rest of the world does not agree with my opinions.

Which is why being in Deborah’s seminar is so compelling to me.  We have heated discussions every single week in class.  I hear very diverse opinions on many social and political issues that I rarely hear at K.  Though I sometimes feel very frustrated with the opinions of my classmates, I always understand the extreme value in hearing what they have to say.  As a group, we are getting better and better at dialoguing across differences and having genuinely open conversations with each other.  I feel like this challenge is expanding my mind and offering me a broader understanding of social issues, and that is entirely invaluable.

Included are links that provide information about one issue we’ve been discussing in class that has had particular resonance with me.

MOVE

MOVE 25 Years Later

Osage’s Lingering Loss

Break Time!

By Penny

It’s been a long week. Everyone warned us that as the semester comes to a close we would be ready for a break. In August, as a young person over-stimulated in a new city, I didn’t believe them. Alas, the folks at The Center, with years of observation under their belt, were right as usual.

I’ve spent the last month or so organizing a Ladies Night at GET-UP (a local testing center in Kensington). It was Thursday (last night, as of this writing). We had lasagna, garlic bread, soda, cookies, and harm-reduction kits for anyone that wanted to come in and hang out. We are working to strengthen our ties, and illuminate our committed presence within the community. Organizing events like this is difficult and often disheartening – the women who work in Kensington have hectic, in-flux, spontaneous lives, (not to mention vice does sweeps on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I learned) and expecting them to be able to commit to this kind of thing is unfair – so I am left wondering how I in fact do solidify these individual bonds, and provide the women what they need, without impeding on their work or their nights.

Regardless, the women that showed up were incredibly open for discussing, sharing, and eating. There are women who have intimate relationships with us, and that is an incredibly heartening thing to witness. I am still working on being mutually engaging – negotiating the self-consciousness I feel being a young, middle-class, non-user (fearing that I’ll be rejected) with an understanding that this affects situations in the way that I make it effect them.

In Diana’s class we’ve been making exhausting back-to-back school visits for the past couple weeks, but I love them. Getting the chance to contextualize education models is awesome. I feel as though we’re all going into these schools with sharpened critiquing skills — knowledge that was once peripheral to us in now being applied. We, as students are far less passive, we have been given the tools to identify stratifications, distinctions, and approaches to education and we’re taking them with us to each of the schools we go to. 

Mark’s class had a big hurrah this week when we learned that a Philadelphia Friends Central school teacher is leading comprehensive sex education classes, that confront gender roles, safer-sex practices, and pleasure! One for team sexisgood.

Discovery, Direction, and Dutch Tiles

By Brooke McDonald

The slogan for The Philadelphia Center is “Discover Your Direction In Life.” It’s a brilliant marketing strategy for college students with lots of questions about which path to take in life. When I saw brochures for The Philadelphia Center as a sophomore, I may or may not have actually drooled. You can help me discover my direction? Heck, yeah, I’m doing this program!

Whether you’re majoring in nursing, business, engineering, or getting your “Mrs.” degree (liberal arts students, be real with me. Don’t you know those girls?!), let’s face it – a student can graduate, sell all their textbooks on Amazon, and go be whatever they want to be. You know it’s true. Nowadays, it doesn’t matter what you major in. What matters, as Michael Edmondson, professor of my Intro to Marketing Class says, is how much drive you have to accomplish your goals and how you market yourself in this competitive economic age. 

And direction is so critical just for this point: there’s no one way to take your major. Coming to Philadelphia showed me how many options I have as a writer, just through a search of TPC’s hundreds internship opportunities. My supervisor Deborah handed me a packet filled with writing-related, editorial, and development internships. I interviewed at publishing companies, magazines, and a newspaper, but I also looked at positions in grant writing, copy ad, education, tutoring, and more. 

This semester is all about discovery, as Michael put it. Professional and personal discovery, every day, discoveries that help you understand what direction you need to take your life. Discoveries about yourself, people around you, and life in general. 

Here’s an example: I’ve discovered that I really like journalism. I like the autonomy of a reporter – interviewing, researching, writing. My responsibilities as an intern reporter have been smaller-scale than those of a true reporter, but I’ve really enjoyed the chance to write my own articles about various topics. I LOVE seeing my name in print (okay, who wouldn’t?), hearing that my article was informative to someone, and getting positive feedback.  

Two things about work in general – I’ve discovered, first, that working 9 to 5 is a bit grueling, and a job you love is a must. Second, in order to love your job, you’ve got to love the people you work with. Thankfully the reporters at The Legal are funny, intelligent, kind, appreciative, and helpful, so they make coming to work every day a pleasure. 

Here’s a personal one – I discovered that I go gaga over art museums. Honestly. I could spend all day wandering around  (I love stumbling across and connecting with random art. Last Sunday I spent a few blissful hours at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, since it’s free on the first Sunday of the month. So great.)

Hope College has a Dutch legacy, smack-dab in the middle of Holland, founded by immigrants from the Netherlands – and who would’ve thought that the museum had a huge collection of “Dutch Tiles?” Many of them had really beautiful tulip designs. I discovered these last Sunday and had to take a picture, as a sweet reminder of my college community. What were these tiles used for back in Holland? I have no idea, but apparently they were really popular. They’d make a sweet kitchen floor!

Here’s a final discovery about friends – you need them. They need you. In Philadelphia, we’re all spread out around the city, and sometimes I get used to going to work, coming home, doing my homework in solitude, and going to the grocery store alone. You know what? That’s a sad way to go about life. There are things only friends can do for you – make you laugh, chastise you, point out your flaws, help you make decisions, listen to you, love you.

How much richer it is to live, pray, and experience life with friends, and not along? There’s no safer, more wonderful place than in the company of people who know you and your values and will support you, and I’m learning that I need these people more than ever.

Dinner and Tiffanys

By Faith DeVries

Hands down the best part about my internship is the people I get to meet.  I mean, how many times do you get to say that the mother-in-law of a former president’s daughter drove you to New York? Not that often.  But I can cross that off my bucket list.  

Last week I had the opportunity to set up for and attend the Women’s Campaign International’s annual gala at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.  WCI is an organization that provides opportunities for women in emerging democracies and post-conflict regions all over the world to participate in public advocacy and political processes.  In addition, their president just happens to be the mother-in-law of a former United States president’s daughter, and great friends with my supervisor Barbara-Jo Saler – who was asked to do the décor for the gala.  The day started off with a packed car that reminded me of a Christmas song: 5 boxes of supplies, 4 women, 3 suitcases, 2 buckets of flowers and 1 destination. 

Once we arrived in New York, there was some time before the other volunteers were scheduled to be there.  A friend of Barbara-Jo’s offered to give me a mini tour of the area and we set out for my first Tiffany’s experience.  Of course, our fun could only last for so long; there was lots of work to be done.   As with any event, this one came with its challenges.  We were kept on a strict budget which meant we had to be resourceful in our decorating. By digging through the storage unit for vases, napkins, candle holders and anything else that could be useful, then shopping around for the best priced flowers and linens, we were able to take the Metropolitan Club’s gorgeous space and create a soft, intimate mood for the event. Once the linens were laid, the tables set and the candles lit, we had time to sit back and enjoy the evening. 

Our keynote speaker was Cherie Blair, the wife of former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.  It was such a privilege to be in the presence of a woman who has spent so much time dedicating her life to bettering the lives of women around the world.  The entire evening was fabulous.  Women’s Campaign International does such great work all over the world and it was an honor to be a part of the work they are doing.

Beet Reporter

by Elena

One of my favorite things about being an intern at a magazine is all of the field trips. My boss is constantly inviting me to meetings, or sending me out to cover a story. The first piece I wrote about was about a fresh food store in West Philly, and I got to be involved in all of the aspects of that community project. I not only got a great picture of how the event progressed throughout the afternoon, but I also got to talk with the owner and his family, making the entire experience more rewarding.

A lot of the writing assignments I’m given as an intern deal with current or upcoming events in the Philly area that I then post to the magazine’s blog. If I can, I try to attend these events after I write about them, because they often deal with things that I’ve never experienced before. I’m not that well-versed in sustainability issues, or the different kinds of composting, but I learn so much when I’m writing the posts for the blog. I enjoy attending the events to gain even more information on the subject I covered, and it also makes me feel very professional. Elena Rivera: Press. I want to wear one of those 1940’s lady reporter outfits, and hunt for leads like Nancy Drew.

The latest event I wrote about for the magazine’s blog was a protest for fair farm rights. The woman who gave me the information about the event sent me a lot of press releases filled with legal jargon, which was difficult to distill. A lot of the events that end up being featured on the magazine’s websites come from press releases, and so it’s a skill to be able to compress the information into an easy-to-read post. Some of the press releases are pretty rough, and even trying to find dates and times to include in the post is sometimes a painstaking treasure hunt. The key to writing a good post is always editing: finding the most important information and presenting it in the most clear, straightforward manner. It’s functional writing, and it’s something that I am continuing to improve over the course of my internship.

After I had written the article about fair farm rights, my contact invited me to attend the protest. I had no idea what size it would be: it could be anywhere from the large crowds that would gather for the Occupy Philadelphia protests, or a couple of dedicated activists (it was the latter). When I showed up, I was immediately drafted into protesting: I was handed a sign, I learned the chants, I marched around with the other farmers and farm advocates outside of a senator’s office building. I couldn’t help but laugh: no way could I have imagined myself marching around a senator’s office building in the middle of the day with a man dressed as a cow leading chants before coming to Philly. That’s the best part of writing an article: being a part of positive change in the area in which I live. Although the senator didn’t end up making any commitments, the protesters brought the idea of fair farm rights into the public consciousness. That’s a wonderful start.

Kicking the Bucket List

By Maddy Shaw

A couple of weeks ago Deborah reminded us that we were halfway through the semester, and to consider making sure we got to do and see the things that we wanted to in Philly. I took that to heart, and the past couple weeks have been full to bursting with action. Some of my bucket list items that I’ve accomplished recently…

Eat a Philly cheesesteak, check. Faith and I checked out Campo’s (www.camposdeli.com), which is known to have excellent cheesesteaks, and were not disappointed. Given that I don’t usually like to eat meat or cheese, that’s really saying something. The pumpkin cheesecake wasn’t bad either.

Volunteer at Books through Bars, check.

Go to New York City, check. This past weekend Claire, Faith, and I caught the 7:00 am bus to NYC. We tried to pack as many sights and experiences into the day as possible – it was a great. Since we only went for the day, we stayed in Manhattan and stuck to the main tourist staples. To see New York City in a day in any real sense is a joke. This is going to expose my Midwestern ignorance, but I didn’t fully realize how big New York City was until I tried to plan a day trip there.

We tried to go to the Ground Zero memorial, but because it opened so recently passes were in high demand, and we couldn’t get in. Snacks were bagels and pretzels. We went to Chinatown for lunch and found this great hole-in-the wall place for lunch that had pork buns, which we had been randomly craving. We went to MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art (www.moma.org). We walked in Central Park, which is GIGANTIC. As a plant/nature nerd, that was my favorite part of the day. We also saw the set-up for the New York City marathon. We ate pizza and cheesecake, NYC staples, right? When you’re a tourist they are. Times Square at night was the perfect finale to the day. In 2011, the neon lights of NYC are giant LED billboards. It felt surreal, like being on a distant planet in the future.

Clearly, we didn’t even scratch the surface, even of the clichéd tourist sites. But it was a wonderful day. We took a ton of silly pictures, and laughed our heads off. We got on the bus back to Philly at 10:30 pm, exhausted but totally satisfied.

Explore Fairmount Park and Bartram’s Garden, check. On Sunday I went hiking with Mac, a Philly friend who I met when he came to volunteer at the farm. Fairmount Park reminded me of Minnehaha Creek, which runs through my neighborhood at home. It’s funny what reminds you of home. Bartram’s Garden is smaller, but by the next growing season will be home to a 3.5-acre farm, a joint project of the Urban Nutrition Initiative and the Pennsylvania Historical Society (two organizations that are also closely related to the history and operation of Mill Creek Farm, where).

We have about one month left in Philly, and I can’t decide whether that feels long or short. I don’t really think that a checklist is the best way to evaluate my time in Philly, but it is fun to look back and realize how much I’ve done in my short time here (and even in the last couple of weeks). I still need to go see the Liberty Bell, though.