Hello!

Hi friends and family!

I would guess as you begin to read this that you're thinking:

1. Julia's leaving... again?!
2. And she's blogging... again?!?!
3. TEXAS?!?!?!?!

Well, I can tell you that all three of those thoughts have passed through my mind more than once over the past 6 months. Yes, just as I have gotten over leaving Providence and have re-settled into living in Philadelphia, I am off again. Specifically, to Texas. And of course I will be blogging- as great as it is for you all to keep up with my wild and crazy adventures, blogging is really helpful to me in terms of personal reflection.

So, why am I moving to Texas? I (JCT) will be spending the next year as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). I have committed myself to a year of living simply, in community, dedicated to social justice and spirituality. I'm living in a house with 5 other young women who will also be Jesuit Volunteers (JVs) in Houston, at different organizations throughout the city. They're more than just my housemates, we're living together in intentional community, which I will expand upon a little more in a later post. My work will be at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston, where I will be preparing the first ever graduating class for life in college, teaching, and helping out however I'm really needed. I don't have full details of my exact work yet- when I do, I'll let you know :). I'm just excited to be a part of such an amazing institution! For more info about CRJ, their website is here.

I will leave home on July 30th with my Dad, and we'll be roadtripping over 5 days to get to Houston, with planned stops along the way. We'll arrive on August 3rd, and my Dad will fly back on August 5th, which is when I'll drive to the first part of JVC: my orientation! More updates to come... less than 3 weeks til I leave!