our dining/kitchen room

my housemate amy with the guitar she is so skilled at playing...immaculately.

Our living room.

some pictures...moore to come

Southwest is the Best.

My neighborhood is great. I was talking with one of my housemates today and discussing how it is really starting to feel like home. Today two of my housemates and I travelled up to the University of Pennsylvania campus for our day off. It is only 15 blocks from our house, but it feels literally worlds away. So here I am spending my sabbath talking on the phone and getting on the internet. It feels good to relax.

Next week I start community service. I think i will spend mondays with some nuns teaching english to undocumented citizens. Tuesdays and Wednesdays I will work for Catholic Social Serivices with their food bank and senior citizen program. Then on Thursdays I will volunteer at Southwest Community Development Center doing whatever they need. I also might work with adult literacy one night a week. So my schedule is full and things are really starting to get going. As the weeks go by I am sure that I will be busier than I can imagine. I have already walked more than I ever have in my life. Hopefully it will work as a built in workout system.

I miss you all. I hope I have some funny stories to share soon.

Oh there is one funny story. I met a girl named angel as Cornerstone Christian Academy. I had just met her and I asked her to tell me about herself. She immediatley said, "well when I was five my dad took me to Dave and Busters...." and went on and on about the trip to Dave and Busters and never gave me any personal information about herself. Funny.

love love love
rebekah

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated. Life has in general been pretty crazy. I have officially been here two weeks and I am almost positive that I love living in Philadelphia. The neighborhood is of course very different that what I am used to. If you want more of an idea just google or wikipedia the area of South West Philadelphia and there should be some information there.

This past week and this week will be spent in training and in getting to know our neighbors. I am also trying to pin down where I will serve the community in the mornings.

We have some really cool neighbors on our street. On Saturday we got invited to a Jamaican Bar-b-que complete with jerk chicken, curried goat, and ox-tail. It was an adventure for sure. I will try to post more stories later as they come up. Today is actually the first time I have checked my e-mail since I have been here so my Internet access is sporadic.

Hope everyone is having a great week in Texas!

Rebekah

Here I Am!

Just a quick note to let everyone know I am in my house in Philly. I have great roommates and will spend the week training and learning more about the city. As soon as I can I will post pictures of the house.

P.S. My day off is Friday if anyone wants to call!

Peace
Rebekah

this. is. it

As I write I am almost completely packed. With the help of my dad (a very skilled packer) and space bags, (exactly what they sound like, bags from space) I am on my way to Philly with the contents of three suitcases to last me one year. Packing has been a challenge. Its hard to look at everything I own and try to decide what I will to need to exist in a climate that is very different than Texas.
Today my mom and dad and I will drive to Dallas where we will spend the night tonight. Early tomorrow morning I will board a flight to Philadelphia, and from that point on who knows. Pray that I will have a smooth transition and that my housemates and I will get along well. On Sunday I will be heading to Atlanta for training so who knows when I will see a computer again. Have faith if you don't hear from me for a while...I will surface in the real world eventually!

peace,
rebekah