Post-week Orientation Festivities

Since the last blog, and all the experiences of the airport, there have been many more while I was serving in Philadelphia, PA. As mentioned in the previous blog, I, along with 4 other LV's, were volunteering at St. James the Less Parish on the north side of Philly. Throughout the week we helped organize the materials in the kitchen and art room, tend to the yard work and vegetable gardens out behind the school, and paint some bathrooms. Now all this sounds fine and dandy, but being who I am with my previous luck, there was some excitement in store for myself and the others.

To begin, the place where we were staying was an old rectory in a Catholic parish, that was later turned into an Episcopal parish. The group stayed in the rectory, and without going into too much detail, the rectory was haunted (legit). **if you want the stories of proof, leave a comment, and I will be sure to send you a private message detailing all that we experienced, etc.**

Secondly, we became tourists of the city, and wanted to accomplish all that we could with the short time we had! On the list of places to go/see included: finding the best cheesesteak around (different opinions based on who you talk to), seeing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, climb the stairs from "Rocky", and finding a local, delicious drink known as Water Ice, from the best spot around, Rita's. I am happy to say that we accomplished all of these tasks! :D.

#1: Finding the best cheesesteak around; as I mentioned above, it depends on who you talk to about the best cheesesteaks in Philly, but from numerous people that we had talked to throughout the week, we were guided towards "Pat's King of Steaks". Not only did this location fit into our "Rocky" theme for the day, but also, I must say, did find this cheesesteak to be rather delicious. The process of ordering became very nerve-wracking, but all was accomplished, and a great treat was enjoyed! (the proper way to order the sandwich seen here is "steak wiz-wit";  whiz = with cheez whiz, wit = with onions)

 Step #2.1: See the Liberty Bell; finding the Liberty Bell was not hard to do once in Philadelphia. After walking down what is known as "South Street", you come to a section of the city that has old colonial houses, that automatically make you feel like you have travelled back to the time of the Revolutionary War, etc. While going around seeking the bell, we also passed by the house where Benjamin Franklin lived, Betsy Ross' house, as well as the location of where she made the original 13-starred flag, and other exciting places from our nation's history. Once to the Bell, we got inside and walked through the museum area, and then was in it's presence! Here pictured are my new roommates Jennifer (left) and Stephanie (right).

Step #2.2: See Independence Hall; Our time began to run thin as we were being such knowledgeable tourists, that we were not able to take the full tour of Independence Hall, and see where such important documents (i.e. Declaration of Independence) were signed. From the picture, you can also tell that the building is under renovation and preservation. The screen at the top of the building displays the picture though of what it will look like once completed. In conversation with my mom, it is crazy to think how much more I appreciate all of these historical locations now, seeing as I have the choice towards which I want to see, versus "forced" to go and see places that I have no interest in. Historic Philadelphia is definitely a place I would like to come back to! :).

Step #3: Climb the stairs from "Rocky"; it was on our last night in Philly that the group conquered the 72 stair climb to the top of Philadelphia's Art museum, and felt for just a few seconds like we were Sylvester Stalone. The hype of the stairs made it seem like it was going to be much more of climb, than that of what was actually experienced. After making it to the top of the stairs, and making the traditional pose, standing where he stood, we climbed back down to the bottom, and found the statue right next to the stairs, and had time for more photo-op's. My "serious face" was non-existant when I took the picture, but in reality, when do I ever have a serious, winning face?! Ha.

 Step #4: Finding a local, delicious drink known as Water Ice, from the best spot around, Rita's; we obviously found the Water Ice shop, and seriously enjoyed every bite that we had. It is hard to describe the consistency of Water Ice. I would combine it as a mixture between a slushie and a sno-cone. The Water Ice is made daily, and there were probably at least 15 different flavors to choose from that day. Staying away from the traditional flavors, such as peach, chocolate, or cherry, I decided to be  brave, and tried the Swedish Fish flavor...DELICIOUS! To my surprise,  and excitement, there were bits of Swedish Fish mixed in with the delicious treat, and made for an even better experience! I have heard rumors you can find Rita's in the New York City area, and I am definitely going to have scope them out before they close on Labor Day!

All in all, the week in Philadelphia was a great time, but I am so excited to say that I am officially moved into my house in the Bedford Park neighborhood in 'da Bronx, New York'. To no longer be living out of a suitcase, worrying if my clothes are wrinkled or not is such a relief! I was so happy to see some clothes tonight when unpacking that I feel I haven't seen in years! Ha.

I do want to provide an update on Bernard: he made it safely to the neighborhood! I do want to include though that there was a second attempt at life this week while in Philly. On Wednesday, Fr. Sean, the local pastor for the Episcopal church came to make us dinner, and brought his dogs along. Bernard was residing up in the room where we were staying, and the dogs came up to greet us. When they were getting ready to leave, the dogs (2 yellow labs) thought they were poodles and tried to squeeze through the door frame, knocking Bernard on the floor, and causing me to create yet another dramatic scene to save his life. All is well, and he cannot wait to move into permanent residency, versus the temporary, rent-a-home, he is in now.

ALSO, I would like to add, that while on the way home from sight-seeing Philadelphia, we were graced with the presence of Bernard's girlfriend, whom I decided was named Bernadette. As you can see from the picture, the 2 owners (myself and the random woman) are proud owners of our bamboo, and we couldn't be more happy for them. :)

I would just like to end by saying thanks to everyone who has been following this blog! It means a lot that you continually check back here for updates on this new adventure! I like seeing and hearing about the feedback so keep it coming!

Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever.