Documenting a year of National Service with Americorps VISTA. Exploring the ups and downs of living below the poverty line in the US.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Top 10 reasons why a blizzard in Philadelphia rock!
The normally alluring sound of ambulances, cop cars, buses and street cars become just a quiet hum that lolls you to sleep since the snow has made it impossible for vehicles to drive down your street.
For about 5hrs the snow is actually white!
Snow is the perfect community revitalization program; for weeks after the snow the trash, broken glass and road kill is perfectly concealed under a blanket of white.
Your poorly heated apartment feels cozy compared to the 20 degree weather outside.
The stray animals find a cozy place inside instead of following you on the sidewalks.
The local cafe stays open until 8pm instead of 9pm...not really a plus, but if you brave the 2ft of snow for a peppermint hot chocolate your small order is upgraded to a large...on the house!
Instead of waiting for the bus alone a large group of angry commuters gathers together to heckle every bus that passes by until the correct bus finally arrives...30mins late.
The large amount of cars getting stuck in the middle of the road allows for creative gambling on which car will be totalled first!
You finally have time to watch every B rated movie you wouldn't allow yourself to spend money watching in the theater.
The next morning you can skate to work since none of the sidewalks have been cleaned.
I am currently partaking in a year of National service with Americorps VISTA. I recently completed my MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. I love to travel, cook, read, create art, advocate and learn.
Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love... Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others."-Elie Wiesel
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."- Margaret Mead
I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman. ~Anaïs Nin
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