On Baseball

Note: this is my second new post of the day! Check out the one below it to read about my first impressions of Cristo Rey :).

You learn a lot about yourself through travel, and the same could be said for your baseball team. I mentioned the other night that Megan, Rachel, and I went to the Astros game on Saturday, and it was more than just a fun night with some community members!

I just want to give those who might not know a brief explanation of my love for the great game of baseball. I grew up a Phillies phan, pre-2008 World Series Championship. I loved them when they were terrible, I love them the same now that they’re terrible again. I think I have high blood pressure during baseball season because of them. My roommates tell me that I’m a different person when I watch baseball- I yell and scream, and while there’s famously no crying in baseball, I do it anyway (I cried in Disneyworld of all places when the Giants beat us my junior year of college, and again last year… and sophomore year when the stupid Yankees beat us…).

That said, I feel for the Astros- it, yet again, is not their year. This Saturday night game, however, was a kind of bizarre experience for a few reasons:

11. The Ballpark. First of all, it’s indoors (thank God). What happens if the ball hits the ceiling? That’s just awkward. It is a retractable dome, but who in their right mind would ever open a dome in Texas? There is a giant wall in left field. In order to hit a home run there, you have to aim it perfectly through some weird arches where fans stand to watch the game. If they were allowed that close to the field in Philadelphia, no visiting team would be safe. Also, there is a little random hill past the warning track along the back edge of center field, which also has a flag pole in it- ON the field. What?

22.  They have no fans. It’s honestly just sad. There were 3,000 people in the park TOPS on a SATURDAY NIGHT game. When the jumbotron instructs the fans to “make noise,” the noise level in the stadium does not change, except for the three out of towners, Phils and Reds fans respectively, who know to follow baseball instructions. There are so many giveaways during the game as incentives for fans to go, but they don’t seem to be working. Instead of the Hatfield hot dog toss, we tried to succeed in the Texas tamale toss.

33.  No one is sure what the mascot is. Now, I know I’m one to talk being both a Phils phan (what is the phanatic?) and a proud PC Friar, but still. The team is called the Astros, the park seems to be train-themed, and the mascot in the costume walking around the park is some anonymous brown animal that could be a dog or a bear, but then it has horns, and no one is really sure. What is an Astro? I thought it was space-related since NASA is here, but I left the park more confused than when I came in.

44. The traditions. 7^th inning stretch music = “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” Need I say more? Because when they get a home run there is a train that goes across the aforementioned wall, and a cowboy shoots a loud but fake gun. When the team wins, fireworks go off. INSIDE the dome. Wha?

Now, I know each team has its traditions, but those left us very curious. We did, however, really like the tamale toss and the Astros slogan, “ROOT. ROOT. ROOT.” Houstonians call them the ‘Stros, or at least those who acknowledge their existence. It’s hard to be baseball in the land where football is king, but come ON, Houston, there is more in the world than the Texans!

So, what did I learn about myself and my team at an Astros/Brewers game? Well, if there was any doubt where my allegiances lie, it’s gone. Phorever a Phils Phan. Give me a word I can put a Ph in phront of, and I will. I also learned how aggressive Phillies phans are- there was very little security at the Astros game, and the ushers don’t have to break up fights (phights?). Mostly, I learned how lucky I am to be a Phillies phan, part of a tradition that boos Santa Claus (those were Eagles fans though, a different breed of tortured Philadelphia sports fan), our own pitchers, and almost every umpire in the MLB. We have a beautiful ballpark, and a real pride in our city, whether or not the team is something to be proud of.

Also, side note about nice Texans: the tickets we had were given to the JV house, seats in the 400 level of the stadium. We were a little lost trying to find the escalator to get up to our seats, and when we mentioned to the usher that it was our second day in Houston, he told us, “well then y’all can pick a seat down here.” We were in the 100 level on the third base line for the game! We had the section practically to ourselves, which was sad, but we had great seats- and a perfect view of the out of town scoreboard. 

Suddenly I See

We woke up yesterday, had a quick breakfast, and got in the car with Ana, Eva’s boss at her new placement. Ana took us to all the different agencies we’ll be working with so that we could meet our co-workers and see where our community members were working. It was a great day, but a lot of back and forth. I am so happy that now I’ll be able to picture everyone in her workplace, and I learned a lot about the city of Houston in the process.

Seeing the different social services in a city is a great way to learn about it as a whole, its problems, and where it is thriving. Many of my housemates will be working with people experiencing homelessness, and seeing their placements was a great look at the different reasons for homelessness in Houston and the services available to the homeless. Their organizations are really incredible- they minister to everyone: the sick, the addicted, pregnant women and families, and the mentally disabled. Rachel’s site has 400 beds, and if needed has mats for many more people when it’s raining or (rarely) too cold.

The people we met amaze me in terms of their willingness to serve without judgment, and their intense understanding of homelessness. Just because someone is experiencing homelessness does NOT mean that it’s his or her fault. In fact, for the most part, they are the product of a system that underserved them. They are hard workers and 99% do not want to be there. The classic picture of the “shelter shopper,” someone who goes from one place to the next just freeloading off of different ministries, is rarely a reality.

There is a lot of interesting work surrounding immigration and refugee resettlement in Houston, which Cassie and Eva will be dealing with a lot. Karen will be combating human trafficking, which is a big issue in Houston (where there is water, there is opportunity for trafficking) and its surrounding areas. Human trafficking awareness month is September, and I’m hoping to be able to volunteer for some of their events and learn more about the issue next month.

Ana, our tour guide for the day, was so helpful in showing us around! She was born in Brazil but grew up in Houston, and has a wealth of knowledge about the city. She and I had a conversation about Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the city of Houston, not only in terms of emergency preparedness but the impact on all the social services agencies in the city. It’s been difficult for them to deal with the influx of people, but also the way that certain landlords and other agencies view them and accept their services in the aftermath. I’m excited to explore this topic further!! She also took us to a Texan chain called Pappasito's for Tex-Mex lunch. I had shrimp fajitas that were SO good!

And yes, I did get to go see Cristo Rey. And I love it even more than I thought I could!!!!! I am SO excited to begin working there- can I start right now?! My co-workers were so friendly, supportive, and excited, and I am feeding off of their enthusiasm. It’s slightly overwhelming, but also a dream come true, and I can’t wait to start working tomorrow. I will have my own desk (yes!!!!!!), and the school as a whole is so cool. And well-air-conditioned (phew).

Our reception at each site was so warm and welcoming! It’s so nice to not have to explain what a JV is at every place we go, and the people of Texas have been so friendly and warm. They love to make jokes about how hot we must be, since we’re all from “up north.” I have been trying to write down funny expressions I hear, like “she’d get lost just crossing the street.” Try to hear it in a Texan accent- it’s just better.

That night we watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics- why did I ever stop listening to the Spice Girls? I’m not sure, but have begun listening to them again, don’t worry. We had a fun night of coloring and working on my Spanish skills, since I’m the only one in the house who doesn’t speak Spanish. It’s coming along though!

We came home absolutely exhausted- most of my housemates and I came home and took a power nap that lasted much longer than we anticipated, and dinner was cleaning out leftovers, since our fridge is full of them! That's what's on par for tonight, as well. Today, we planned a week and a half of dinners, community nights, and Spirituality nights- I’m planning the first one, and cooking dinner tomorrow night

!

More topically themed posts are heading your way, less day-to-day, I promise. I just wanted to share my excitement about my new job and city! I actually wrote one about baseball that I'll publish right now too. Double post day, woohoo!

xo

Settling In

Hello, everyone!

Yes, I promise I am in fact alive and well, I’m sorry it took me so long to update again! It’s been a whirlwind few days, but I can say today that I’m settled in and comfy. I still don’t have internet in my house, so I’m writing from a very cool café that’s about five minutes from the house called Bohemeo’s.

I have done so much over the past week! It’s hard to put into words. I think there will be a post to follow about my retreat, but I’ll answer questions that I’ve been getting the most- questions about my community!

This is my little corner of Houston!

We have a great closet! It's a lot more organized now that I have some bed risers :).

I live with 6 girls, and the first few days have been so much fun. One of our community members, Cassie, unfortunately had to go home after orientation because of a death in the family, and she will be back in about a week. We miss her, it honestly feels like something is missing in the house!

The rest of my community: Eva- from Springfield, MA. Eva went to Holy Cross and Worcester State (smarty pants), and is working as a caseworker for Catholic Charities in Houston. She is hoping to go to med school after JVC. Her roommate is…

Megan- from Marlton, NJ! Megan and I had actually met before we got to Houston due to a lot of various connections from home. And it has been so fun to live with her, and GREAT to have another Phils fan in the house. Megan is working with the St. Vincent DePaul Society in Houston, and went to Loyola Maryland undergrad. She and Eva live across the hall from me and…

Karen- Karen is my direct roommate! She’s from Chicago, and is working with Houston Rescue and Restore to advocate against human trafficking. She’s a lot of fun, and went to Loyola Marymount in LA.

Rachel- is from Cincinnati originally, but went to Loyola Chicago (are you sensing a theme here?). She is working at Star of Hope Mission in Houston, an emergency shelter for women and children. She lives in the front room with…

Cassie- from Burlingame, CA! Cassie is home, but when she comes back, she’ll be working at Catholic Charities doing refugee resettlement. She’s a BC grad, and we can’t wait to have her back!

So, as you can tell, I’m the only community member who was lucky enough to be Dominican-educated instead of “Jesucated” and proud of it! I have lots of Dominican things sprawled throughout the house already, and I am so excited to connect with the Dominican sisters here in Houston. I have really liked what I’ve learned about Jesuit spirituality so far, but I’m a Dominican at heart.

Our house is called Casa Rutilio Grande, named after the Jesuit martyr who was a friend of Oscar Romero in El Salvador. Eva’s family is Salvadorian, and her grandma actually knew both Rutilio Grande and Oscar Romero! We have pictures of them all over the house, and are excited to do more research on their lives. We call Rutilio Grande “Ruti G,” a nickname that was passed down from communities before us.

We spent the weekend getting settled in the house- cleaning, re-organizing, and unpacking. I have definitely made my room feel homey, and one of the first things I hung up was a set of Christmas lights! PC has very strict fire codes, and I wasn’t allowed to have them in my room for the past four years, so I was really excited to be able to use them here in Houston. Last night, three of us went to the Astros game, and we’re looking forward to the Olympic closing ceremony tonight!

Look for posts in the coming days about: retreat, baseball, and first impressions of Houston, including a run-in with my roommate Kathleen’s sister, Christine, and her husband, Ryan!

Gonna Make This Place My Home

Hello from Houston! My car is empty! And don't worry, it's not because someone took my stuff. I unpacked my belongings into my new home! This morning after a lovely breakfast at the hotel, we made a pit stop at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (I forgot pillows of all things...), and went to my house!

We told Kathleen, the JV I'm replacing, that we'd meet her at noon, but it was only 11:30 so we decided to pass by the house on Polk Street and continue on to check out Cristo Rey. There is a ton of constuction happening at the school, but it was great to even see a little bit of it! I am so excited to start my work there. I just found out I'll be teaching three sections of Freshmen writing seminar and one of Drama. I can't wait to meet the kids!

We got back to Polk Street in a much more direct way than getting to CRJ.. Houston has been a bit challenging to navigate so far, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon. Once we pulled in the driveway, I went up on our adorable porch and met Kathleen! It was so good to finally meet her, as she's been so helpful over the past few weeks. She gave us a tour of the house and helped us move my stuff in. It's a very cute house, nicely air conditioned and very big! The closets are huge, which is great.

Tomorrow is the big day! My Dad's flight is in the morning, and I will hopefully be on the road to Normangee,TX by 2 for my orientation. You won't hear from me for a while- I'll be in a tech-free zone as far as I know for a few days at least, but I'll be sure to update you all when I return :). I can't believe that I start tomorrow- I am so excited, but I am a little nervous and overwhelmed at the same time. I can't believe I'll be living in Houston for a year! Prayers and positive energy will be much appreciated.

Mission Control, This is Houston...

... The Tullys have landed.

I'm here!!! I still honestly can't believe 1) that I'm here, 2) that I'm staying here for a year?! and 3) that JVC starts on Sunday!

We drove through the Bayou this morning, and saw lots of signs for places we couldn't pronounce- Bigeux Lake, Atchafalya Basin- and advertisements for Cajun restaurants. While we didn't stop, it was great to see part of the culture I've learned about over the past few years.

There is a scene in Disney's The Princess and the Frog where the characters "go on down the bayou," and I of course had the song stuck in my head throughout the whole drive. If you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you (but you should go see it immediately!), but for those who have seen it: there is a place in the Bayou called Evangeline!

We crossed into Texas and were met with the typical "Welcome to..." sign, but the phrase below Welcome to Texas made me giggle: Drive friendly, it's the Texan way. The Texan drivers were friendly, but also very speedy! The speed limit on I-10 was 75--- lots of zooming and passing occurred, but we arrived safely. We were about 2 miles from the hotel, so excited to finally be done driving, and--- we hit traffic.

For the first time in 5 days, we hit traffic. Our last 2 miles were the longest. There was a terrible accident further down I-10 W, and it took about 45 minutes to go 2 miles... but at last, we were here! We arrived at the beautiful Magnolia Hotel, where we have complementary happy hour, milk and cookies before bed, and breakfast in the morning. A few days living in luxury before the simple life begins, eh?

I haven't really explored the city quite yet. We walked just around the corner for a nice light dinner tonight, which was a nice change. Southern food is delicious but HEAVY! Lots of fried, sauced, sweet, oily food--- which of course tastes amazing but after 4 days I was very happy to eat a big salad with some lovely ahi tuna.

In the lobby of the Magnolia

First observations: Houston is far more "cosmopolitan" than I had expected! It's very urban, and I walking down the street to dinner, I could have been in Philadelphia. We walked past "Center City Parking," which obviously made us think of home. I'm excited to explore more tomorrow- and see my little house on Polk Street! I will be moving my things into the house tomorrow afternoon.

Do I--- Do I Have to Leave?

Hello friends!

I'm currently flopped on my bed after a very full morning and afternoon in New Orleans! We got to sleep in this morning, which was a nice change. We left the hotel around 9:30 and walked down Tchoupitoulas to Cafe du Monde for a delicious breakfast of beignets and cafe au lait! We were already sweating by the time we sat down, so we took a seat in the air conditioned section of the restaurant. Our breakfast was great, and a perfect start to our day in NOLA.

Beignets et Cafe Au Lait

After we finished our beignets, we wandered down to the Louisiana State Museum's Presbytere and visited the Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond exhibit. I went there in January with NOLA 12, and I was really happy to be able to take my dad there. It's a great overview of the systems failures in New Orleans after Katrina, and it's fascinating but simultaneously heartbreaking and overwhelming.

King and Queen of Mardi Gras paraphernalia

Mardi Gras is more than just NOLA- it takes place all over the state of Louisiana!

184 days to Mardi Gras!

A Mardi Gras costume and perch to watch the parade

St. Louis Cathedral is right next to the Presbytere, and we took some time to visit the oldest Cathedral in the US! It's beautiful inside and out-- I think it resembles a castle. We left the Cathedral, walked around the quarter, and then we took a horse and buggy tour to see the city in a more comfortable fashion because it's so hot!

Marie Laveau, known as the Queen of Voodoo, had a shop here

I learned a lot about the city's history, especially about the French Quarter, and our tour guide Brendan was so kind and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the short rest, and before heading to lunch, we wandered back into the museum. We saw an exhibit of old photos of plantations in Louisiana and a great one about Mardi Gras, its costumes and history.

From the Presbytere, we walked a few blocks to the ACME Oyster House for lunch, yet another meal that did not disappoint. We started by splitting a dozen oysters on the half shell, then ordered another half and a half of chargrilled oysters... amazing. Then we split a "10-Napkin" Roast Beef Debris Po'Boy. We had such a lovely time and the food was of course incredible! As we finished up lunch, a second line parade went down the street! It was the perfect musical accompaniment to our bread pudding :).

In my happy place in my happy place

char-grilled

Bread Pudding

We started the walk home to the hotel, but made a slight pit-stop at Harrah's on our way! It's about 3 blocks from the hotel, and while we didn't walk out millionaires, we left with more money than we walked in with!

Part of the second-line!

We took a little siesta  before a dinner at GW Fin's for the evening- more amazing food, but we were still kinda full from lunch. We had planned to do Preservation Hall tonight, but were exhausted after dinner, so we just walked back to the hotel to crash with more Olympics.

HOUSTON TOMORROW! I can't believe it, honestly. Here's to Texas!

Down in New Orleans

Hola, NOLA!

I'm positively thrilled to be blogging from New Orleans, LA tonight! I have loved NOLA from first sight in January 2010, and I know a lot of people have differing opinions about the city, but I don't care what anyone says: it's the best.

We had a looooooooong day today- lots of driving, and while it was truly beautiful to go through southern Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, it was fairly boring until we got into Louisiana. Lots of the same rolling hills and small mountains. It was an easy drive, but very long! We left Nashville at 8:30 this morning, and having stopped once for gas in Alabama and once for lunch in Mississippi, we arrived in NOLA at 6.

We're staying at a gorgeous hotel on Tchoupitoulas Street in the Central Business District, and we walked about four blocks for dinner tonight based on a recommendation from my cousin Kevin- Cochon. It was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had- my dad and I were so happy! We sat at the back bar and watched the chefs prepare the food as we waited, and it was all incredible! I had a cocktail called "The Swinekiller," which was gin, rhubarb bitters, and limeade. It was so refreshing on such a hot day! I had oven roasted Oysters as a small plate, and even tried (and liked!) the house-made pate that was brought as an amuse-bouche between courses. I had the Lousiana cochon for my entree, which was a great pork dish with "cracklins" turnips and pickled peaches. For dessert, a delicious banana pudding-- do I ever have to leave this place? Weight watchers be damned!

We rolled back to the hotel and positively crashed- We're exhausted but very happy to be here and are looking forward to our day of touring the city tomorrow! Pictures to come, I'm way too tired to deal with Google+ instant uploads tonight, sorry!

PS- Being here is so wonderful, but I desperately miss my teammates from my NOLA immersion trips from 2010 and earlier this year in January. I keep thinking of you all with every step I take! Expect lots of texts tomorrow :)