"8 Days a Week"

Man, sometimes it feels like my weeks have 8 days. All filled with good things, of course; just extremely busy. However, my title is referencing the Beatles song, which I had the privilege of singing for a group of the elderly this fine weekend.
Barrett and I impulsively made the decision to join a church group down at Laguna Honda hospital, which was farther away than we thought, and sing in The Beatles Choir. A group of us went around the hospital to the different care wings for the elderly and sang them songs like "Obla Di Obla Da", "Yellow Submarine", "8 Days a Week" and "Hey Jude". It was an absolute blast! Some of the people would get so into it, singing and clapping their hands...really fun to watch.
Another thing I took notice of was more specifically to the songs and The Beatles. I've obviously grown up knowing what a cultural movement they were and how they influenced music and all that, but never have a I been able to experience it first hand. Singing all these songs with strangers was oddly moving. In a way, it bridged the gap. It connected strangers into a group, it connected the past with the present, and it has connected an "audience" with the "performers". It was kind of amazing to experience. I feel like for the first time I really understood this movement. The fun tunes with the thought provoking lyrics forged a new way of thinking that has helped influence things in this area for years to come. The feeling like I still get to be part of this movement even 60 years later is quite miraculous on their part.
Sorry if I'm going too in depth with this, I just think that the shaping of human culture is pretty fascinating.
Anyway, here are some straggling pictures I'll put up for your enjoyment.
This first one is a view from my window...how great! One of the Union Square hearts...

Downtown

Our room!!! I LOVE the windows! This is my desk and bed, but Barrett's is bed is perpendicular right above the foot of my bed and her desk is directly to the left of mine. We sort of got lost one evening while borrowing the Westmont van. Accidentally ended up going over the Bay Bridge and to Treasure Island, where we were given a beautiful view of the bridge and the Embarcadero (large waterfront strip, location of pier 39) across the water.

To complete the weekend, Barrett and I went to Mission Presbyterian for church this morning. We decided to go, sit in the back and then sneak out early if we really had no idea what was going on because it was in Spanish. We went in and did sit in the back, however, we definitely stuck out in this small Latino congregation and immediately had everyone in the Church (all 30 people) coming up to us to say "la paz de Cristo". They all were absolutely delighted to have us there and kept apologizing that the service wasn't bi-lingual. It was incredible how welcoming they were compared to other churches we have attended where the people actually do speak our language.

After the service, one woman came up and asked if we spoke Spanish. Barrett took French in high school, so she knows very little and I replied "poquito". At the word, the woman immediately launched joyfully into rapid Spanish, asking me questions about our visit to the church and why we were in the city. My grammar was probably terrible, but I managed to respond.

It's weekends like these that make me love my life here.

Pictures and Story Time

Chinatown! Below, is where Chinatown boarders Downtown and the Financial District, hence St. Mary's Cathedral (oldest cathedral in the city).

Looking out towards the Financial District.

These next few pictures are from our trip to the bridge.

I took this from the Golden Gate. Isn't the city beautiful?! I wish I could move here permanently.

It's fun to get artsy sometimes. :)

Speaking of artsy, San Francisco seems to be living up to it's reputation for housing a collection of interesting people.

It's never a dull moment walking around or riding the bus.

I'll tell several stories that I can recall.

The first, was when Barrett and I were on a bus ride back home from downtown. A few stops after us, a woman got on, refusing to pay and then proceeding to stumble to the back of the bus, falling over people (and herself) and shouting "I won't take the ticket! I won't!". About two stops later the MUNI police got on and asked to see every one's proof of payment. This woman, of course, didn't have any. The officer asked for the woman's identification, she handed it to him, saying "Well, doesn't this just suck for me. My name is Princess Fifi. Write that down."

"Mame, your I.D. says you name right here and it tells me what your real name is. Did you just board the bus deliberately without paying?"

"Yes, I just snuck my skinny little ass on here."

The whole bus laughed at this, for what she had actually done, was nothing like sneaking.

"Alright, I'm going to need to know the apartment number for your address." the officer said.

"Well, f***, now everyone knows where I live!"

No, we actually don't, but okay...

Another MUNI experience consisted of the entire senior section of the bus applauding the driver after he had calmly told a woman that she could not board the bus with her stroller un-folded. After he had explained to her for a few minutes about the policy and she stood there yelling, he pulled away, telling her to wait for the next bus. Then this little old woman stands up and goes "Good job driver! Yay for MUNI!" and everyone began applauding. It was like the end of "Speed" or something...quite bizare. A while later the same little old woman stood up and began hitting Jen (a girl on the program with me) on the shoulder and yelling "Puppies! Look at the puppies" as she stuck her head out the window and saw some dogs in the car next to us. People are unique.

Another thing I've been forced to get used to living in the city is cat calls and comments from men (and sometimes women) on the street. It literally happens almost every time I set foot outside. Some are disturbing, most are annoying, but some are downright hilarious. I mean, I do find it sad that I (and every other girl in the house) has had to become accustomed to this sort of thing. I was surprised at how fast I learned to simply ignore it, but I guess it's all part of living here.

One amusing experience was while I was on the way to work. I had on some red flats and as I rounded the corner at 11th and Market, a man walking the other way goes "Woman, I like the color of yo' shoes. Matches yo' vibrant personality!"

Another time I was walking down Market St. with another girl from the house. We passed a semi-sketchy looking shop, where a man was standing in the doorway. He was about to turn to go back inside, but changed his mind as he saw us walking. He looks at me and goes "Oh, hey there, Snow White. I bet you have some seven dwarfs at home. Come on, Blondie, don't you want to add to yo' collection. I can be Sleepy or Dopey..."

Honestly? In what reality did he think that, that would be a good pick up line? So funny.

Though there are many creeps, most of SF's population is pretty great. People often engage in conversation while waiting for the bus and such. I'm totally safe and at this point feel pretty equipped to handle myself in the city...it's really not a scary place.

The Mission and The Arc!

Katie, Meghan, Barrett, Chelsie, Maria and I in front of The Mission. The Mission Dolores...what the Mission District is named after.
Last Saturday was another beautiful day (the weather has been oddly sunny for this time of year, but i'ts been great). We decided to take a walk through the Mission and then check out Mission Dolores Park, which we heard was going to be the spot to be.

Here are some pictures I took from the alley of murals in The Mission. There are many more, but here are some of my favorite.

This next picture is only a portion of the park. Never have I seen a park on just a normal Saturday so busy! We walked up the middle path and sat on what is known as hipster hill; it lives up to it's name. All the hipsters were gathered there, smoking weed and selling it. Several people tried to get us to buy some, telling us it was a great deal. We politely declined and then they pretty much left us alone. It was so pleasant to sit up there on that hill, just looking out and watching all the people below us. Pleasant until a man decided that the tree in front of us was a good spot to relieve himself. After that, sitting there just didn't' have the same peaceful feeling and we decided to walk back. Anyway, yes, I decided on The Arc of San Francisco. Yesterday was the end of my first week at my internship at The Arc. Never before, at a job, have I had such a great first week. From the minute I walked in on Monday morning, I knew I had chosen correctly. I woke up on Tuesday, excited to go to work, which is a feeling I haven't had a lot of experience with when it has come to jobs. Some highlights:

-Working with Meredith (my supervisor). She is absolutely great! She is very efficient and intelligent, so I know I will learn a lot from her and she is also a lot of fun to talk with and very laid back. She trusts my opinion and allows me to make projects my own with her standing by for suggestions.

-Getting to know the clients. People are in and out all day long, so even though I'm working in an office setting, it is always changing and is a very fun environment.

-Other staff members. The entire staff of The Arc has been very welcoming. Sometimes it is difficult to be new, but everyone has done a great job of introducing themselves and treating me like a real co-worker instead of "the new person".

I am honestly so glad I ended up here...God has a plan. I'm not entirely sure what will come of my time at The Arc, but I can say in full confidence that it will be good. For now, I'm okay not knowing.

Knowing is a process

achieved through learning.

We never stop learning.

So then, how is it we ever know?

Maybe we don't.

Perhaps we just go through our lives thinking.

Through the Presido We Go...What We'll See, Nobody Knows

Another trip to the Golden Gate Bridge started out with a more than amusing bus ride through the beautiful Presidio district (lots of trees and open space). This little old lady boarded the bus behind us and sat down next to Jen and Barrett. This little old lady seemed like she was dipping into the mary jane or something because she was definitely not living in the same realm. The bus stopped to pick up some passengers and the driver got into an "argument" with a woman who was trying to board with a stroller. He told her that she needed to fold the stroller up and she argued with him, saying that she has never had to before and that she didn't know how. After about a minute of back and forth and her becoming progressively more angry and saying "Fine, I guess I'll walk then!", the driver goes "Mame, just take five minutes to figure out how to fold it and then hop on the next bus that is coming then. I'm sorry, it's policy." Immediately after he drove away, this little old lady sitting next to Jen stands up and goes in an unusually high pitched voice "Oh, driver! You handled that wonderfully!" She began clapping and then the entire senior citizen section of the bus joined in, with this one woman shouting in her high pitch "Yay for MUNI!" (MUNI is what the SF bus system is called. It's short for Municipal Transport). It was like the end of Speed or something. Barrett, Jen and I all gave each other a look and then averted our eyes from one another to keep from laughing.
After the seniors had concluded their praise of the driver, high pitched voice lady stands up again, grabbing Jen's arm and shouting out the window at a car that was at the stop light next to us. Apparently there were several dogs in the back seat, so she found in necessary to inform us by yelling "Puppies! Oh, look at the puppies!" Jen acknowledged politely that she had seen, but honestly didn't quite know what to do.
Right before exiting the bus, the same woman began yelling at the woman who was sitting next to me about her talking on the phone too loudly. Ironic, since she was the one yelling.
Well, we eventually made it to the bridge and enjoyed the warm sunshine and actually ended up walking all the way across.

Meghan and I were excited. haha

San Francisco

Barrett, Jen, Amy, Meghan and I in front of the city.

Meghan and I looking a little confused.

The Week of the Interviews...

I had five different interviews for different internships this week, which was insane. After consideration, it came down to the Chaplaincy or The Arc. They are very different in what they would demand,but I think that either place I will be completely happy with and learn a lot from.
So, Monday after my interview at San Francisco General, I waited for Barrett to be done with her's. Since it was Martin Luther King Day, many things were going on in celebration. We headed downtown to the Yerba Buena Center (downtown off of Market St., where many major museums and memorials are located). We originally wanted to go to the African American Museum of Diaspora, but the line was outside and around the corner. We decided the Contemporary Jewish Museum would be fun, so we headed across the street. We decided to j-walk instead of go to the signal, just seeing a woman on crutches do it. But, with our luck, as we waited on the median, we see that it is a cop car coming down the street. He stopped on the road and both of us were thinking "Oh, shoot! We are going to get fined!" He pulled out his intercom and began talking, saying "Now that's not safe, but just go ahead." Haha how embarrassing...

When we eventually made it to the museum, we were really glad we went. They had a Curious George exhibit up, which was really neat. I had no idea about the stories behind the children's books and that H.A. and Margaret Reys (the authors) were such unique and interesting people, living in such a desolate time. They actually lived in Nazi Germany and patterned books like "Curious George Escapes from the Zoo" after their experience escaping from the Germans. In addition to their interesting lives, their artwork, though for children's books, is very impressive and whimsical.
Now I'm no romantic, but one section of the exhibit had a collection of New Year's cards they had sent out every year to their families and friends. Each year they had drawn a different scene or object that represented something about their year. They often put little characters to represent themselves in it too. My explanation doesn't do it justice, but it was heart-warming. I was amazed at how much this husband and wife were able to live with such joy in such a difficult time. Simply from seeing the exhibit, you could tell that they absolutely belonged together and that as long as they had each other and their art, they were not simply content, but truly happy.
The Museum also had an exhibit set up in honor of the day and Barrett and I were able to listen to some Jewish music sung by people like Billie Holiday or the Jackson Five.
After my interview on Wednesday, I decided to walk around Union Square, since it was nearby and I hadn't been there in five years, when I last visited. I walked past the St. Francis, which holds a huge history with the city that I wasn't even completely aware of. Another thing that I was thinking about when I walked by, was the last time that I stayed there. I was probably 9 or 10 and distinctly remember certain things, like standing outside the hotel, in the cold, waiting for the trolley with my family. Who would have ever guessed that ten years later, I'd be living a couple miles away, and working just on the other side of Market Street? It's funny where life takes us and overlaps, isn't it? It is also amazing how much my perception of the city has changed from living here versus visiting five years ago. I had no idea how small, yet how diverse this place is. I didn't even know about the different districts and had never even seen parts of town that have come to be my favorite places about the city. At this point, everything is becoming familiar, but none of it is losing it's charm. If anything, I'm becoming attached and things become more and more charming everyday. The Saint Francis Hotel in Union Square.

Here is going out one night for ice cream sundays at Ghirardelli Square.

This was at the Recology Art show. I believe I mentioned the Recology center in a previous post,but in case I didn't', it is the trash and recycling center for San Francisco. This "house" was made entirely from recycled materials.

As was this sculpture in the sculpture garden.

Most of the group suited up for the tour!

This is where I get to run, bike and walk through any time I want. I'm so lucky!

I went for a walk and took some pictures. This is at Alamo Square Park-The Painted Ladies.

View from Alamo Square Park.

This is in Golden Gate Park, where Corrina and I biked around one afternoon to explore. This is near the Science center and De Young Museum.

Corrina in the "fog bog" at a garden we found...

Great sunny day!

Service, Sight-seeing at a Picnic.

"Danielle, will you take my tray?"
I turned around, shocked to hear my name, forgetting I had on a nametag. I smiled, glad to hear my name used, though it was a small gesture. I collected this man's tray and we then had a pleasant conversation about my studies and the California coast. After a while I said goodbye, he wished me luck and I continued haveing more conversations and collecting more finished meal trays. Just a simple moment, but it impacted me so much.
Friday we all went down to the Tenderloin distric to serve in St. Anthony's dining room. The afternoon of conversing and busing tables passed quickly and a lot was learned about this particular part of the San Francisco community. The TL is known for being the hot-spot of crime in SF and surprisingly it is only 7 by 7 blocks. It is bordered on the north, east, and west by some of the most affluent districts and south of it is Market St. , which is a strip of some tourism, and then SOMA (south of market street) which isn't the best area, but it is better than the TL. Basically since all these wealthy neighborhoods border the Tenderloin, all crime, poverty and homelessnes have been pushed and corralled into this small area. Things like drug sales take place there because it is easy for them to when so many other things are happening and when your police force is more concentrated on keeping things from happening on the perimiter, near the Financial district, Nob Hill and Union Squre, it leaves little attention to the area within those peramiters. Pretty interesting stuff.
We finished out the rest of the day in the dining hall, which was a blast and passed very quickly with another few memorabel conversations-one with two older men who began making jokes about where I was from, the government and other things. They were pretty funny, so I reacted accordingly. One of them then goes "You know? You have a great sense of humor for a young girl. I don't see many young people willing to laugh like that and not take things too seriously. Thank you...it was really refreshing." I genuinely was enjoying myself and didn't even think about how I was reacting, so this came as a surprise. It then of course, sent me into a whole realm of thouts about how we react to things and what makes up who we are in that sense...I won't go into all that.
After volunteering, some of us wandered downtown and then over to Chinatown, where we then walked to Northbeach. A great way to end the afternoon.


Here we are at the end of Chinatown, as the district transitions into the Northbeach area. This is Brian, Michela, Barrett and I.
In addition to that, we had a picnic this weekend at Alamo Squrae Park, which has a great view of the city, is within walking distance from our house and, as you can see, is across the street from the Painted Ladies. Such a nice, sunny afternoon.
Also within walking distance is the Haight! It's a really fun area with many eclectic things. While walking down Haight St. we all had to gather and take a picture. Right to Left: Me, Brian, Amy, Meghan, Maria, Katie, Chelsea, Becky and Barrett.

Week 1 in beautiful San Francisco

I don't think I'll ever want to leave! Seriously! Have you ever noticed how amazing San Francisco is? They have this great system called free cycle where people put their stuff out on the street that they don't want and other people can just take it. Really, who wouldn't want to live here? I have already added a pair of boots and a great shirt to my collected street items.
Anyway, this first week has been nothing less than amazing. All us students were given the privilege of going on a self-guided city walk, which was honestly one of the best things to learn the city, bus system and such. Yay for hands-on learning!
Corinna, Kaite and I were in one group that went to a bunch of different areas of the city. First, we were told by our itinerary to walk up to Haight St., where we also discovered Buena Vista Park. We met a man that worked there, providing maintenance. He told us that this is the oldest park in the city, created for nature lovers. Here is a view from Buena Vista...it is named appropriately huh?

Here is a shot of this green haven. The nice man we met also told us an interesting fact about the stones lining the gutters of the pathway. When the catholic church moved locations in the early 1900's the headstones in the graveyard were broken up and then taken to pave the gutters of this park. In some spots you can still see names and dates.

Another view from Buena Vista.

Oh, Haight. So great! After we left the park, we made our way down Haight St. Much of Haight still clearly has it's roots back in the summer of love, when it gained it's fame. It's quite the interesting place; I wish I could have seen it back in the 60's.

My new favorite book store located on Haight Street. Just kidding. They do have some pretty cool stuff inside though.

The three of us wandered around Haight Ashbury for a while and were also instructed to go into the Social Services building and ask about what services they provide. When we walked in, I glanced at the bulletin board where those brochures and flyer's about healthy living and flu shots typically reside. One in particular caught my eye: "Gay Men Addicted to Crystal Meth. How to overcome or lessen your addiction". This didn't disturb me, like it might most. However, I did take notice of the fact that, that wouldn't be just on a bulletin board in a doctors office back home. Those help flyer's may exist, but I'm guessing they would be given upon special request. If you could believe it, experiences and things I notice like this just makes me love this city and living here even more. I can't really explain it, but it's like the fact that people are sensitive to differences among people, yet each "group" is accepted.

Anyway, our next stop was the Mission District (the Latino part of town) and after a first few failed attempts to get on the #34 bus, we managed to walk along the route and successfully board our first bus. We got off down on Mission and 16th Street, where we wandered, taking everything in and enjoying lovely murals like this one below on the Women's building.

The Roxie Theater seems like it would be a fun place to see some classic films. Can't wait!

I'm also going to make sure to go to the Castro Theater at some point. That'll be fun as well.

Our next stop was Market Street, which has become a familiar walk these last few weeks. The few people we met there were quite the characters. One lady was trying to help us find the right bus and when she pointed us in the right direction, she apparently didn't know if we knew to stand on the island or not and accordingly began yelling and jumping up and down-"It's on the island! Get on the island!" We waved to tell her we got it and then proceeded to wait on the island haha. A few minutes later, while we were still waiting for the bus we saw a pimp walk by, dressed in pink fur from head to toe. We also had a man just stroll up and ask "Where are you ladies headed?"

"North on the #19." we replied

"What the f*** do you mean North?!"

"Towards Pacific Heights."

"Oh, well you ladies are heading in the right direction" he said calmly as he strolled away.

It was pretty funny.

We then walked around Pacific Heights, which was definitely a more ritzy area of town and then made our way to our last stop of the day. The Golden Gate Bridge. We then returned to the house for some group reflection and to hear about the rest of the group's day's.

Katie, Corinna and I at the Golden Gate.

Our House! On the corner of the street...our house ;)

So, after the city exploration, which was really helpful in getting some bearings, the rest of the week was dedicated to getting an internship. We had a number of people on panels come and speak to us about their different organizations and we all were able to set up some interviews. I set up five. One for a Chaplaincy at San Francisco General, one for a place called The Arc of San Francisco (they assist people with disabilities in taking classes, getting jobs and I'd work in marketing and communications). Another one was for a place called St. Anthony's Foundation, that works with the poor, one with an after school tutoring program called 826 Valencia and the last one with a branch of Youth With a Mission called Because Justice Matters; it deals with women who have been trafficked into the sex industry (this one sounded a lot more like Barrett than me). So, all very different.

We also devoted the first week to finding out a little about ourselves and our personality types. According to Myers Briggs I am an ENTP: extroverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving.
This was a really interesting subject to discuss and I feel like I always knew I was these things, but it's nice having a better understanding of why I react in certain ways or how to better asses my needs accordingly. I believe all these are pretty accurate. For the most part I am extroverted, but I may teeter somewhere on the mid line between this and introverted; I definitely like my alone time as well. I am intuitive in many situations rather than sensing. I almost always draw from my own emotions rather than get swept up in what is going on around me. Although I am much of a feeler, I believe that for the most part I am thinking. Especially when I am around my family, I tend to be the one who is the least emotional in tense situations. And perceiving rather than judging is definitely accurate. I absolutely go with the flow and adapt my personality to my surroundings and what others many need. Personality is a very interesting thing. How much of it is our own do you think? How much of it is predetermined versus what are surroundings are like? The endless nature vs. nurture battle.

Other highlights of this week also included running in the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park, which is right across the street! It was amazingly beautiful and peaceful even amidst all the traffic, cars and people. It's an interesting place, the city. So many people are always around, but sometimes that is the best "alone time".