11.10.08
A few work blog posts
So I was not the most prolific blogger on my trip to Lebanon and Syria to visit Iraqi refugees. I could give a laundry list of reasons (tops would be hit-and-miss connectivity), but I did get a couple of things up for work. I’ve included a few links below – saves me from cutting and pasting, and you can show the CRS blog a little love 
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Bishop Audo talking about interfaith relations in Aleppo, Syria
Tour guide reciting the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic
Reflection on visit to confidential shelter for women
Photo of super-cute little girls posing with items from their grandmother’s dry goods shop, partially funded through CRS
Recap of my first meeting with an Iraqi refugee family in their home
11.08.08
Not a single good picture of a buggy
A couple of months ago Matt asked if I wanted to drive up to Pennsylvania with him to check out a whitewater canoe for work. It was my first venture into Amish country and of course it was picturesque and idyllic – until I started thinking about how much work it would be to run full farms without machinery. I’m glad there are people who carry on that traditional lifestyle, but I don’t think I have it in me.
Matt did end up purchasing the canoe, so with the boat strapped on the roof, we started back and stopped at this great (read: touristy) market/nursery for lunch. The nursery was gorgeous and we bought our first tree for our new house, a rosebush and a butterfly bush.
Of course, all of this had to go inside the rig since the canoe was on the roof -
So after wrestling the plants inside the car, we ordered sandwiches at the market. The store had all of these great baked goods and we couldn’t resist a black raspberry pie -
11.04.08
Happy election day!
I’m sure you’ve heard enough about going out and voting, so I’ll just tell you about my experience on the bus yesterday morning. It was packed, and I jostled my way to a standing position toward the middle. There were a couple more Caucasian people than usual, but still, 90% of the passengers were African American (let’s hear it for living in a place with more diversity than Northern CA!). The talk around me turned to the election, and you can probably deduce by my location in a “liberal elite” East Coast city who everyone on the bus is going to vote for today.
One of the men near me started singing a spiritual/gospel song that I’ve heard before (no idea what it really is, though), but instead of the actual lyrics, he started singing “free at last.” A few other people joined in, but what amazed me is that they started singing lines from the entire “I Have a Dream” speech – I consider myself pretty progressive, but I only know highlights of the speech. This group was singing entire paragraphs – and they were good! I couldn’t believe how a group of strangers pulled together and freestyled a MLK speech to a gospel tune swaying on a city bus on a Monday morning. I’m bummed I’m not riding the bus today (right now I’m on a train to DC for a conference) – I bet the excitement will be even more palpable today.
