There ARE good samaritans in NYC!!

So this past week was a little stressful in my experiences, and below I will detail to the best of my abilities what happened.

Monday morning, I left for my summer job at the normal time of 6 am, and began my walk to the train. I slid my metro card, put it back in my wallet, and headed down for the train which was just arriving. Commence the usual activity: headphones, ipod on and jamming, ride into Brooklyn and walk to work. So far, pretty usual. Cut to lunch time and getting ready to head out to the local corner store, and I can't find my wallet. I am flipping my backpack upside down, inside out, changing my clothes constantly, hoping that it will appear. After pacing the office for a few moments, I decided to claim that I was pick-pocketed, and am now going to have my identity floating around the great city. I begin the normal process of canceling all of my cards, requesting new information etc., but come to a halt when I realize that my state drivers license was also there. Ensue panic, but later calm, when I read online they still have the ability to view my records and print another one to send out to me. The rest of the work day goes horrible, because the only thing on my mind is how much someone is loving carrying around my favorite NYC Subway System wallet. A co-worker provides me with some cash to get home, and I begin to plan how to tell the community without to much of a freakout. Now, if you know me at all, I can never calmly tell a story or express what happened, so begin the dramatic telling of the story to Stephanie and Br. Ed. The look of crazy was real, but then some bit of sympathy was accompanied. I spent the whole night stressing out, and feeling like I would never be the same again (I'm sure you're thinking, "C'mon Christopher, get over it, you've ordered the new cards it'll be fine..."). I am able to get some sleep Monday night, but wake up Tuesday for work with the worst headache I have experienced ever, due to the amount of stress I was putting on myself. I took the morning off to just relax and recover (thank goodness for an awesome boss), while keeping a cool the rest of the day. Here's the fun part: Wednesday! The morning routine begins, and I get on the subway heading for work. As I am riding along, we arrive at the 34th St-Herald Square stop, and out of my peripherals, I see a woman charging towards me. I look up, and extended out in front of her is MY WALLET!! :D. I couldn't believe it! I wanted to jump and give the woman the biggest hug in the world, but knew that would not be the most appropriate thing, so went with a calm "Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it!" After the awkward exchange of words and what to say, I asked how she knew it belonged to me. She told me as she was getting off the train, she noticed a wallet sitting on the seat, and wanted to make sure it didn't continue traveling the city, so she grabbed it. When she opened it up, she immediately recognized my face from the driver's license and my daily morning commute. She made it her mission to hold onto the wallet, continue riding the same morning train on the same car, and make sure it arrived safely back to me. Later in the conversation she told me she looked for me on Tuesday morning, but couldn't find me, and was worried that I was going to no longer take public transit. Lucky for her, there I was on Wednesday, as usual, and she was able to complete her act of good samaritan.

This is my favorite NYC Subway System Wallet

It still amazes me to think how simple it would have been to ditch that wallet, and just let someone find it and use the contents. I am forever grateful for her simple actions, and I eagerly await my turn to pay it forward!

On a completely different topic, I just want to pass along an awesome link to a video for everyone to enjoy: LV, Maybe? (click here)

A lengthier post about my recent adventures to come this weekend! :)

Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever!

A little recap would be nice...

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to my blog!! Its amazing to look back and think that its already been a year. Man, how time flies. After returning from a very fun (and long) orientation, I am ready for round 2!!

I thought it would be fun to reflect back and pick out my "Top 10 Moments" of my first year as an LV. (you'll want to read the whole thing, I promise...)

And so, here are:

CHRISTOPHER'S TOP 10 MOMENTS 

FROM YEAR ONE OF LV!!

10. Exploring the East Coast and New England Area: As you may remember from reading, I was able to spend weekends visiting different volunteers along the East Coast, while also exploring and sightseeing the beautiful northeastern part of the US. Its amazing how close everything is in this part of the country, and really, how quickly you are able to get out of NYC and enjoy the beauty around. I cannot wait to see what year 2 will bring driving around/taking buses and trains to see different areas. 

9. Attempting to make "Paranormal Activity: Bedford Park": In the fall, our community television was out of order for over a week, waiting for repair. Kenny, Steph, Jen and I decided we were going to get crafty and recreate the Paranormal Activity movies, seeing as we had recently watched them. The first few days of filming went great, but it was really amazing to see how much we were getting in our own heads and becoming afraid of our own house that we were living in. Needless to say, the filming ended, but there is some great, comedic footage on my computer if at anytime anyone would like to see our attempted project. 

8. LV Retreats: Throughout the year, the Lasallian Volunteers meet up a total of 4 times to share in community through different retreats. These retreats were strategically placed to provide for a break away from the service sites and allow for us to come together and share our experiences. So many laughs and good memories were formed during these long weekends away. With such a strong group of LVs this year, I know we are going to have just as much fun, if not more, on retreats this year! 

7. Lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree: Being in New York, there were so many different tourist-y activities I wanted to attend, and this was for surely a highlight. It is incredible to watch this year after year on TV, and then all of a sudden I am a member standing in the audience seeing it LIVE! Aside from the rude woman in front of me at the beginning, the holiday spirit was overflowing and was contagious to those who may not have had as much! 

6. Living the New York theatre scene: My initial reaction to being placed in New York was "Oh good, I can see a lot of theatre!!" Then I received my first stipend and realized all the real-world items I would have to purchase aka responsibilities to save and got nervous. However, very quickly I learned of general rush policies and lottery lines and was able to see shows at such large discount prices. It was such a fun experience watching a show and applying what I learned for 4 years at Lewis; lighting, sound, costume, directing styles, set, etc. If I had to peg my favorite show from my first year its a toss up between Once: A New Musical or Peter and the Starcatcher. 

5. Completing a Half Marathon: It is still such a proud accomplishment to look back and think that I ran and completed a half marathon. If you would have told me a year ago I would actually enjoy running, I would have dropped to the ground gasping for air because I'd be laughing so hard. Through generous family and friends donating to a program I love, I found a hidden motivation to show everyone what I was made of! Stay tuned for more information regarding Year 2, and what run I will do this year...

4. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: This is another one of those tourist-y things I just HAD to do while living in New York. From my earliest years, this parade has always been my favorite and truly a dream to attend. The balloons, the floats, the atmosphere, the EVERYTHING was incredible, and I feel so lucky to say that I have finally attended and a dream came true. If I could change just one thing, I would want to be sitting on the bleachers outside Macy's on 34th Street where all the performers stop, but beggars cant be choosers when given such an exciting opportunity! 

3. Going on the Kairos Retreat (really any...) with my students: Being able to bring my students away on various weekend retreats was such a highlighted moment in my service year. There is something about bringing city kids out into the country and mountains that brings about a new side of them. The reverence demonstrated towards the reflections, prayers, and all in between really made my job so enjoyable to be with them! I cannot wait to see those students become leaders this year, and share those special moments with retreatants to come! 

2. My community becoming family: Within any family there are disagreements and arguments, but as I reflect back on my year, I don't know if I would be who I am today without the experience of sharing community with the brothers and volunteers. In the end, we were able to learn from one another and really share some pretty funny moments. To this day, I still believe Bedford Park is the best community to be a part of in the LV Program ;). 

and the #1 moment of Christopher's Year One Experiences is...

1. BECOMING A LOUGHLINITE!: Working at Bishop Loughlin MHS has really made such an impact on who I am as a person, and what I want to do in my life! I will forever be a Loughlinite, taking "pride" in the Lions and who they are. It is in the amazing relationships formed with the students, faculty, administration, and anyone who passes through our doors, that I am truly blessed and honored to be able to call myself a Loughlinite through it all! 

So Year 2, whatcha got for me?! I am ready to go!! 

Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever! 

One year down...

...where did the time go?!

I cannot believe that it has already been one full school year in my Lasallian Volunteer experience! Crazy! As with any school year, it gets extremely busy towards the end, and again that has affected my blogging. :/.

It has been so beautiful in NY it is sometimes hard to be inside school all day, but then when it comes to the weekend, I find no energy to go out and explore and be active. Its basically a lose-lose situation. In the month of May, it was non-stop action; proctor the SAT, LaSalle Days at Loughlin, a retreat with the faculty, clean out the office, Debriefing Retreat in Chicago, and a site visit from our new LV in community next year. It was all so much fun! From that month of May, I'm going to highlight events: LaSalle Days and Debriefing Retreat.

This year, for LaSalle Days, we focused our theme around Br. Dominic Jordan, a brother who worked for our sister school in Nyeri, Kenya, and sadly passed away earlier this year. We created a button of him for out-of-uniform day, celebrated his life through prayer, and highlighted the school as much as possible. We also participated in an international Lasallian project called "Many Stars, One LaSalle". The concept is to get all of the Lasallian schools and agencies around the world to create a human star (the Lasallian symbol) and have it be a part of a slideshow to be created and shown next spring! For the conclusion of our LaSalle Days at school, I made it a project to create a Loughlin Star! :D. We ended the week with an awesome assembly viewing the LVs Ride Documentary (the Lasallian movement, coast-to-coast bike ride, to raise awareness for the program and the break the cycle of poverty) as a student body, and then began our formation in the yard. In the end, we were able to create our star, and it truly represents Loughlin's personality in all that it looks.

Loughlin's "Many Stars, One LaSalle"

The other exciting moment for the month of May was our LV Debriefing Retreat. Looking from the outside, it is an exciting to come together with my LV family and see all my friends who I can only usually see through their facebooks when I stalk them, but this was an opportunity to share a weekend together! :D. We had a lot of fun, and were able to really take some time to come together and reflect and somewhat relax before going in for the home stretch of our year. I was most excited about this retreat because it was finally time for me to cut my hair! I'm not sure if I had mentioned it previously, but I decided after Midyear Retreat to not cut my hair, in support of donating it to cancer patients for wigs, etc. It seemed like a good idea initially, until realizing the time it would add in the morning getting ready and such, so getting it cut was a huge highlight. I shared in the moment with 8 other LV's and our director of the program! In the end, it all went to a great cause, I can say that I am proud I was able to donate such a significant to someone who will truly appreciate it! 

Before the cutting of the hair began; I had to have my hair put into small ponytails for the donation. 

Br. Fez came along for moral support as I am finishing up getting my hair buzzed off!! 

The whole group after our cuts.
 The signs represent who we did the hair donation in memory of/motivation to donate

With May being such a busy month, I was hoping for a calmer June, but that was wishful thinking. On June 2, we graduated 195 seniors from Bishop Loughlin, and what an exciting day to celebrate! Over the year, I really grew close to our seniors, and I kept telling myself that I would not be sad to see them go, and would be able to hold it together, but I was sadly mistaken. These students truly became mine over the service year, and I really appreciated all they did to help welcome me to Loughlin. It is a weird feeling without them in school, but I know they are all going to go far, and remember to come and visit Mr. Hueg when home on breaks ;). But really, it was a beautiful celebration, and they are going to really dominate their college experiences! 

After graduation, I got the opportunity to go see a show that night that I have been craving to see before the Tony Awards happened: Once. If you heard about the movie in 2006, it follows the same story line about a relationship between "Guy" and "Girl" through music and different ways of communication. Truly amazing. I was happy to be able to finally see it, and understand what all the buzz was about. As a bonus, at our performance, I had a great celebrity sighting, and feel it will remain at the top of my list for my years here in New York: NEIL PATRICK HARRIS! Just casually milling out of the theater, I literally ran into him and couldn't get my act together in time to say his name, his tagline, ask for a picture, etc. I definitely need some practice so I don't miss the next opportunity. Lol. Nonetheless, he seemed a nice guy, and later went on the next weekend to host an awesome Tony Awards, where Once took home 8 of the 11 nominations it had received! 

With this long post getting excessive, it brings us up-to-date of where I am today, enjoying this beautiful day in NYC and Father's Day. 

Tuesday will be my last day for the first year, and I couldn't be more excited. 2 friends will be coming out to visit, hoping to see some shows and just show them around New York. A much needed present after a hardworking school year. 

Until the next post (which should come before the end of my 2nd year...), thanks for checking back! :)

Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever! 

Airports provide great thinking spaces...

...so I figured I would update the blog! :).

As I sit in the Tulsa airport, where I have been spending my Spring Break (the city, not airport), I figured I would do a little update.

Before Spring Break began, there were lots of exciting, successful events that happened at school and in community!

To begin, we had a group from Totino-Grace High School in Fridley, MN come and join our community for a week! It was great to have a local group from home spend some time in NYC, and be reminded of the Lasallian mission across the country in the young students. While they joined us, they spent an afternoon at Loughlin, getting to know our students through Ice Breakers, as well as enjoying some traditional New York Pizza!! After enjoying a meal together, we prepared for one of our student's favorite service activities; Random Acts of Kindness (RAK). For RAK, we make sandwiches, carry different fruits, and walk the streets of Manhattan passing out our items to those who may need, while also along the way helping out, providing the people with random acts of kindness. It is a pretty sight to see the students break down their barriers, and really enjoy the experience and get into it; definitely makes for a proud Campus Minister!

The Loughlin students and myself who participated in the
Rhode Island Homeless Sleepout Awareness Night

During the visit from T-G, I  brought a group of BLMHS students to Rhode Island to be participants in their Homeless Sleepout Awareness Night. The 4 students from Loughlin and myself travelled Friday after school to RI, and made our way to the church where the event and activities would be taking place. The students heard from speakers who used to be homeless themselves, and how they were able to beat the system, and how we are to be advocates and raise awareness to help the constant issue. Also, they were able to see a movie, celebrate Mass, and pack hygiene care packages for a local shelter. Then it was on to the big event: sleeping outside with nothing but their sleeping bags and whatever belongings they had with them. From a teacher standpoint, it was a long evening, and the students would definitely agree. Our students were continuously tossing and turning on the brick paved area where they were sleeping, but truly were able to learn a lot from the experience, and can't wait to bring it back to our school, and begin planning!

The following week, we had 2 exciting things planned for the week: all-school Lenten Prayer Service with Reconciliation for those students who wished to receive, and the conclusion of our Lenten Penny Drive/War! Planning the Prayer Service was fairly easy compared to other such ones throughout the year, but it was reconciliation that got a little nerve-wracking. Having multiple priests from multiple parishes come to our school in a busy neighborhood of Brooklyn can get a little scary aka "Will we have enough priests here to begin the reconciliation, and still fit it all into 2 class periods?!" Needless to say, we were able to pull it off, and the students really showed a respect and reverence to the sacrament!

Some of the Loughlin Class of 2012 helping out with the Penny Drive!!

The Lenten Penny Drive/War has been my biggest stress the past 6 weeks, but I can report it was very successful. The rules seem pretty easy: all pennies equal positive points, and silver and green equal negative points whatever their denomination value (i.e. $0.25 = -25 points). It was awesome to see the great school spirit put forth by all of our students to help raise money, as well as a little bit of healthy competition between the different houses in the House System! In the end, all of the money would be donated to our sister school St. Mary's in Nyeri, Kenya! I am so excited to say that we raised $3,945.76!! For my first year truly running a project like this, I am very pleased and gracious for the student's and staff's donations!!

The last big event for the Loughlin community before heading into Spring Break was one last Lenten Prayer Service! Melissa and I came up with the idea for Stations of the Cross, across the street at the church, and it was awesome! Each of our grade levels were able to complete it during one full class period, and they truly learned about what the stations are, and experienced another way to pray! :). This Lenten season really provided me with a sense of pride in our Loughlinites, and where we can go with it next year in Campus Ministry!

My last big event before being able to truly begin Spring Break was our annual Holy Week Retreat with Lasallian Youth and Campus Ministry, upstate in beautiful Goshen, NY!! Not having to plan the retreat was definitely a blessing, because unfortunately the minute we arrived my sinuses began acting up, and I acquired a beautiful cough, constant nose drainage , and sore throat. :(. The students were awesome however, and yet again, learned a lot from our guest retreat leader Tony Bellizzi! (If anyone ever gets the opportunity to experience one of his retreats, I encourage you to jump at the chance, because it is TOTALLY worth it!)

Now brings us to the big, exciting SPRING BREAK! 

I have had it planned for several months to head out and visit my best friend, Sean, in Tulsa, OK where he is currently serving for the year. I was very excited to get away, and head back to the Midwest! When I arrived I was able to relax for a little bit, and then we headed out to see the city! Now, I went into the tour of the city with an open mind knowing it was smaller than New York City, but I was not expecting to have it done in just a little over a half hour. Lol. But really, I could definitely see myself spending some time back in Tulsa if provided the chance. It is an amazing city; small, beautiful, and real!!

Saturday night I got to experience the local scene of downtown Tulsa, and let me tell you, it was AWESOME! The bars were very local and chill; definitely my kind of style! I made it a mission to go to "The Max" (yes, named and modeled after Saved by the Bell). Really, how could you not enjoy a bar that had a bunch of 80's arcade games (ex: Skee Ball, Pin Ball, Pac-Man/Ms. Pac-Man, etc.) Then, it was off to the local LV hangout location (McNellies), and I understand why! McNellies is probably the coolest pub I have ever been to, with so many different beers to try on tap or in bottle, plus being able to play shuffle board was also pretty awesome. Nonetheless, it was a great way to celebrate my first real night of Spring Break!

For Easter, it was much more chill, but needed. Sharing in the Tulsa community Sunday television tradition, we began the day with a 4 hour NCIS marathon, and went from there! The afternoon was spent frolfing (frisbee golf) at a local park, and it was beautiful out! It is not a sport that I am particularly good at, but it is an opportunity to be outside and have fun with friends! The night was spent watching the new Muppets movie with the community (Br. Richard and Br. Chris), and enjoying a delicious Easter meal of Kraft Mac & Cheese and grilled BBQ chicken. It was not the traditional family celebration Easter that I am used to, but it was nice to spend it with my best friend and the brothers!

Monday of Spring Break was way chillax and way needed. The morning began early, having b-fast with one of Sean's friend Jamie. She brought us Chick-Fil-A early morning as she was headed off to work (no Easter Monday off for public schools...). Being only my 2nd time having Chick-Fil-A, it was amazing and definitely lives up to all the hype. Ha. It was then back to bed, and getting up around noon to attempt a "start" to the day :). Afternoon was eventful with a quick tour of San Miguel school to get some quick business done, and then back to community to be lazy. A tradition that has been created with the LV's out there is found back at McNellies on Monday nights, and its called PINT NIGHT!! The basic premise involves buying the beer of the week and receiving a free pint glass. Simple. I feel for sure a part of the tradition/an honorary member of the Tulsa LVs!! Monday ended with a beautiful run to the airport to pick up Br. Anthony (Tony) with whom I did my LTIP experience way back in freshman year at Lewis. It was awesome to see him and catch up with him on life since spending 16, very close weeks together traveling and teaching! It truly is amazing how friendships remain, even after years of not seeing each other!!

Tuesday provided a new experience for me that I was very excited about! I got my first opportunity to be a substitute teacher at the San Miguel School, working with the 7th and 8th grade science courses. Now, if you are asking yourself if I enjoy science, the answer is NO, however, I had confidence I could help them out for sho; and I was right! :). It was a lot of fun getting to the know the students Sean works with, and I can see why the San Miguel schools carry so much Lasallian character! It was quite the exciting day, and I learned another awesome perk to being a Lasallian Volunteer: you can do just about anything at any of the other LV sites, including subbing. ;). I must admit though, I was exhausted at the end of the day, and I only had to watch really 3.5 classes. :/. Getting home was relaxing, and took to my usual afternoon past time - napping!!

As I sit in the airport finishing this up, I have to just wonder if at times strange entertainment just has this way of following me. Currently, I have TSA running around chasing a bird that got inside the Tulsa airport with a large net trying to catch it. I mean, literally chasing this bird in large circles around the gate that I am sitting at. Secondly, an old(er) woman showed up a few minutes ago pushing a stroller, and I found it curious that it looked like there was nothing inside. However, when she rode past, I took a quick look inside, and saw a dog being pushed around, and to top it off, it had clothes on. Really, the clothes don't even top it, but rather the baby talk she is speaking to this dog, and expressing her feelings about life to it. I mean, really?! How I am the one that experiences all of this?! I am finding a camera crew to come along on my life and make sure that all this is documented, because really, there is no other way of showing people this happens to me than through video/pictures. Once I'm rich and famous, look out, it will happen!! :).

Well, the call for boarding has begun, but this has truly been an entertaining update for me, and hopefully for you too!!

Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever!

Not sure if I even remember how to do this...

I've been away for far too long, and I apologize. :/. Life has been crazy busy (which is good), but I've neglected to keep my audience informed!! However, good news...IM BACK!! :). 

The last time we left off, I had just returned from an awesome retreat of being together with all of the LV's and checking up on the service year. Since then I've attended 3 more weekend retreats, done 11 school retreats, had a visit from my dad and step-mom, spent a loooooong weekend back in Romeoville, attended 3 Broadway shows, ran an awesome 5K, crawled the streets of NYC for St. Patrick's Day looking for pubs, and tried to catch a bit of sleep in there when I am not at work!! Needless to say, I have been having too much fun, and can't believe how much time has flown by. 

Living in New York, and my feelings towards it, have not really changed drastically over the past few months; still loving it, continuing to learn my way around, and overall taking in as much as possible before the year is up! The students at school have been absolutely amazing! Their continued excitement about all things Campus Ministry/Lasallian Youth is the reason I do what I do. Sidenote, I AM OFFICIALLY COMING BACK FOR A SECOND YEAR AT BISHOP LOUGHLIN!! I am so excited to have renewed my contract with the volunteer program, as well as the school, and look forward to the many opportunities that will be presented for next year! Being one who plans way too far into the future, I already have some great ideas up my sleeve! ;). But really, the students are awesome, the faculty staff are awesome, and I am loving all the growth and knowledge they provide me with. I can definitely feel and see a change in the person that I am!! 

As I mentioned above, I have attended 3 weekends retreats over the past 2 months; District of Eastern North America (DENA) Young Lasallians Retreat, Discernment Retreat, and a second Kairos retreat with the students. Each retreat was a special experience, never overlapping on a similar theme, but I would have to say my favorite of the 3 was the Discernment Retreat. There was just a great feeling about taking time out of my busy schedule to truly reflect and think about not just my future as a volunteer, but also my future as an individual and my relationship with God. During one of the breakout sessions, we were able to discuss with different moderators where we were at as individuals, but also where we are at in discerning our life goals. As many of you may know, I am one that lives for the future, always excited to see the next step and what it has to offer versus living in the moment, without anticipation, and seeing where life takes me. When speaking with a specific moderator, she provided me with an awesome prayer, written by J Baps (John Baptist de La Salle as I like to call him with the students) himself. 

Stir up your trust in the infinite goodness of God.

Give honor to your Creator by leaving the care of your person in the hands of God.

Don’t be troubled about the present or disquieted about the future,

 but be concerned only about the moment you must now live.

Do not let anticipation of tomorrow be a burden on the day that is passing.

What you lack in the evening, the new morning will bring you,

 if you know how to hope in God.

 -St. John Baptist de La Salle

This prayer provided a lot of comfort and knowledge to continue my work, and who I am, without truly having to worry about what God has planned for me. 

The weather is very beautiful in New York, and can't believe I didn't even really have a winter. :(. Next year however, Mother Nature will be sure to treat me...i just know it. 

I promise with the next post, it will not be 823929 weeks before it happens. 

Continued thanks for prayers and support. :).

Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever! 

**I figure I could post a few pictures that have been from events that I talked about here in the blog...

My boss' daughter Evey Sue! :). I just thought (and know) the picture is adorable!!

Broadway Show #1 that I saw so far this year (2012)...

Broadway Show #2 that I saw so far this year (2012)...

Broadway Show #3 that I have seen so far this year (2012)...

A view from my rock where I meditated and reflected for over an hour
on one of my 3 weekend retreats!! :)

Yay for airport pick-ups on my looooooong weekend visit to Lewis University!! 

Sophia(er) and I after completing the St. Patrick's Day 5K in Providence, RI (Good ol' LU alums too!!)  

Loughlin students who attended our Habitat for Humanity: A Brush With Kindness during their February Break!

Loughlin students who attended Kairos 7 at beginning of March.

Some fancy dressed actors we met along the crawl through NYC