Hello!

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog! I've never blogged before but I thought that this is the best way to keep in touch with a lot of people so I figured I'd give it a try. When I was younger, my dad always encouraged me to write in a journal so I would start one and write in it everyday for a week but then I would forget about it and the journal would be abandoned. So...hopefully that won't happen with this but I'm not keeping any promises!

As you know, I have decided to join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and leave in 2 DAYS!!! I arrive in Portland, Oregon for a weeklong orientation and then head off to Spokane, Washington where I will be working until next August. I'm living with five other Jesuit Volunteers (JV's) who I will meet at orientation. Now, what exactly will I be doing with my job? Well, my official title is Resident Supervisor (it just sounds so professional!) at St. Margaret's Shelter. St. Margaret's is part of Catholic Charities and is a shelter specifically for women and their children. From what I gather, the type of work I'll be doing sounds like it varies from trying to find permanent housing for the women to helping organize a Christmas-Adopt-A-Family program. I know the job will be an eye opening experience for me and I'm really looking forward to it because I believe that in order to better understand the complexity of poverty one must be in direct service with those who live it.

Right now, I am feeling both excited but nervous. I'm ready for a change and a new experience but at the same time I'm really going to miss my family and friends a lot. It's strange knowing that I won't be going back to Fairfield in September after doing that for the past four years.

Oh and just to explain my title, whenever I talk to most people and tell them that I'm going to be in Spokane they always ask or assume it is near Seattle. Just to clarify, Spokane is NOT near Seattle. In fact it's on the completely opposite side of the state and is a four and a half hour drive away. I'm actually right near Idaho so if anyone wants some fresh Idaho potatoes I can cross the border and find some. Then I could mail them but by the time they get to you they may be spoiled.

Ok, well on that note the next time I blog I'll be in Washington so look for updates!