Orientation and Cheesesteaks

School is now upon me. We have had two full days of orientation and today (Wednesday) was the first day of class. Orientation was actually well worth it, as we were able to interact with all the other new graduate students in different programs and share our stories, backgrounds and passions, as well as meet and hear more from professors. It was good for me to hear the encouragement of the professors and their belief in us and God's leading in our lives, as well as to hear clear statements directed towards the very challenging year ahead of us. I've never read four books in a week, but they said that would be the average load, so learn to skim! It is nice to be around a diverse group of individuals passionate about the ideas of economic development. Conversation has continually ventured back to this topic without prompting as we share stories of what has inspired us.
The second day of orientation involved trips to all the campuses as well as lunch downtown in the famous "Italian Market," also known as the 9th street market where Philly cheesesteaks are at their best (I've been told). The gentleman in the photo was quite intimidating as we walked up to the window to give our order. If you were too slow you were berated for taking up precious time, causing some disillusioned students to jump out of line, figure out what they wanted, and then timidely try it again. While we were eating he came out of the caravan to role and smoke a cigarrette.
Turning out to be quite a character and finding we were studying economic development, he proceeded to lecture us on the evils of Britian, the way they exploit cocoa beans from western Africa, and how they are destroying the world (I believe he was Irish). We clapped after his rant and asked if we could book him as a speaker for our class, to which he replied very seriously - "I'm off work at 6." Then he disappeared back inside the caravan.

Just down the street is the infamous "Geno's Philly Cheesesteaks," which recently made national news for posting a sign that says you can't order there if you don't speak English. Needless to say we opted for the "more culturally friendly" establishment.
-My new friend Stephanie enjoys her cheesesteak while I devour my vegetarian french fries.-

Fresh From The Corner

There are some who, when they call Karri and I to catch up, will first think to ask about how the move went. The move went great. Running boxes up two flights of stairs made a fantastic lower body workout, followed by strapping our box spring, oversized loveseat, and full-size couch into tow lines and praying that our little balcony would prove sturdily built. At one point, the couch was perched on our 2-inch-wide railing, 20 percent over the balcony and 80 percent hanging over the street. Panicked, Karri’s mom and stepmom and myself summoned all the adrenaline we could and heaved it the rest of the way. I wish we had more pictures, but as I’m sure you can imagine, we were quite concerned about other matters.

There are some who, when they call Karri and I to catch up, will first think to ask about whether it feels like home yet. It’s never going to be Fort Wayne, but we’re very comfortable in our apartment. We’re meeting our neighbors, finding the essentials (the Blockbuster, the Target, the Coffee Roaster), and hanging things on the wall, which has a certain way of giving a space the feeling of permanence. We are starting to run out of things to do, though, and for want of a job for me, and the start of classes for Karri, and not much community and not much money, we’re getting a bit restless. We do think of home a lot, and love it when we hear from you. (Comment on the blog, by the way! I love to hear from you!)

There are some who, when they call Karri and I to catch up, will first think to ask how the job search is going. It’s been up and down. An early opening at Starbucks led to several days of not hearing anything. This prompted a good deal of worry, and a greater impetus to find something new. I’ve been sending resumes out quite frequently, to businesses, schools, and studios, but have yet to hear back. Then, just today, I spoke to the Starbucks manager again, and things seem to be all set but for the background check. (Here’s hoping they don’t count my record in Kentucky…) So I may be gainfully employed very soon. Please continue to pray.

There are some who, when they call Karri and I to catch up, will first think to ask all these things. But the men I’ve shared life with, the brothers who know me in my inner self, the real Jim, the profound and genuine Jim, always ask one thing. “Have you had your first real cheese steak yet? How was it?”

Spectacular.

"this is Karri from ... Philly"

I was on a conference call last week and realized if I had to introduce myself I would say "This is Karri DeSelm from... Philadelphia...." The surroundings are becoming much more familiar and yes, I've actually started driving (in the suburbs - but still an achievement for me!) but the idea that we are living in "philly" still doesn't quite seem real. I guess its the same odd feeling I got being in another country. I thought being somewhere "across the ocean" was supposed to feel dramatically different but somehow you just feel that you ARE where you ARE and distance is relative to how much you are missing what you have left. I am missing Fort Wayne - family, friends, conversations (thankfully Jim and I enjoy talking to each other.... a lot), familiarity driving, Old Crown... but the adventure is still fun here.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: We have decided that in the beginning God created public transportation, and Adam's curse is what brought on suburban sprawl and the crazy desire to drive everwhere. Driving downtown is a nightmare (for Jim - I don't dare try yet) and the cost of parking is unthinkable in Fort Wayne terms, but we enjoy being in "center city." So Saturday we decided to try the trolley (no gas or pollution there!) which run frequently and close to our apartment. Our $1.30 a piece (one way) ride was less than 20 minutes, which is less time than it takes to drive through West Philly and into the city. To our suprise, half way into the ride the trolley rolls into a tunnel underground and then becomes part of the downtown subway system. So we spent the evening walking around, watching skateboarders and bikers doing tricks in Love Park until the bicycle police, who could have learned a few tips, broke up the fun. Then we took the trolley home, hopped off, and walked the two blocks apartment, using no gas in our whole trip!

OTHER GREAT MOMENTS: JIm's first Philly cheese steak, bought from the corner of our block.

CHURCH: We decided to choose one of the 5 different church communities that use the same building on the corner of our block this past Sunday. We were warmly greeted by almost every one of the 30 or so attendees that morning. It is young and diverse and we enjoyed the pastor. Afterwards there was "fellowship and food" in the back while the next church began their service in the sanctuary. We felt so welcome and everyone was happily surprised that we actually lived right there in the neighborhood, as only a few of them did. We are planning on going to their Wednesday night bible study, which meets in someone's home, and dinner is provided (yes!) to check it out more. We love the idea of attending a church that is there in our neighborhood and they seem to have a vision for investing in the local community.

I have two days of orientation at school next Monday and Tuesday and then class begins Wednesday! I've already started reading the one textbook I've purchased. (Yes, we are a little bored. We resorted to TV last night, a rare event for us.) For all those interested in the area that I am interested in, and of a political mind as well, I'm greatly enjoying and being challenged by Noam Chomsky's "Profit over People," a short but intense read about "neoliberalism and the global order."

Loving the adventure, trusting God, and missing the Fort,
Karri

New Apartment!

Well, we're here! After all the planning and packing, we are in Philadelphia and in a fantastic apartment. I'll update some thoughts soon, but here are some pictures of the new place.


Here's us on the first night! Got the keys and everything!


Our living room. Gotta find a good spot for the projector.


Our hallway. The apartment is really long and narrow. So much bigger than we expected.


Our view from our third floor balcony.


And our adventure in getting furniture into the third floor balcony. We brought up the box spring and both couches. Maybe we'll post that story later.

We love our new place! Thanks for praying! We'll write stories soon!

jim...

sometimes jim meditates to reduce stress... on top of large chess pieces.


this is his "counseling" face.... he's faking it for the camera.

One More Time To Kill The Pain...

Today, I'm packing up my fifth office in four years for the first time for the last time. A strange sensation, putting all the trappings of a previous reality into boxes and pulling them out a door I'm so used to coming into. It still doesn't quite feel like it's happening. It feels more like a chore. More like the thing to do. Karri's been amazing about packing up her trappings. She spent a whole afternoon sifting through old cassette tapes and cards, revisiting the memories and letting the feelings seep into her soul.
For some reason, and I don't think it's intentional, I'm having a difficult time opening up to the feelings behind this move. It feels like a move. Nothing more. And I'm fully aware of what I'm leaving, who I'm saying goodbye to, but I'm not grieving yet. Maybe it'll come later, once I've unpacked these trappings in a new place. Maybe it'll come when it stops feeling like a set of responsibilities and starts feeling like the new present. Maybe it'll just simmer for a while. Maybe it'll hit when we come back for the first time and realize that the people here have lived without us for a while. Or maybe I'm just not as nostalgic as I thought... nope.
So I'm packing up my fifth office. And my books are heavy. And I'm giving away my furniture that my grandma and I reupholstered together. It's tough going from a house to an apartment. And Mars needs some chairs. And I've got yogurt that I need to eat. Can't let good yogurt go to waste! And I'm thinking the coffee here was never that great, but always good enough. And I'm thinking that PowerPoint is a weird program. And I'm thinking that even before I worked here, I belonged here. And that's comforting. I don't need an office to be able to walk in the door, and I don't need to come to staff meeting for these people to be my family.
So I'm packing up my fifth office in four years for the first time for the last time. I don't know how I'm going to get these boxes into my car.