Holy Cow! Look at all these Sheep!

Once again we were received with gracious hospitality by Ken's family and friends in Detroit. We were treated to lunch and given cute care packages of some of the products of Michigan. By far the highlight of the day was the Henry Ford Museum, I've never been more engaged in a museum. I got to sit on the bus that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on, experience every kind of media, and see a lot of really shiny cars. Then we went outside and entered Greenfield Village which is a whole new world of "living history." I think I could have spent two days seeing the old houses and talking to the actors. After a Polish lunch we headed to Ken's hometown Rossford, OH and met with the mayor and other city officials. It was really refreshing and comforting to hear these people and the pride they had in their small town that reminded me a lot of Eldridge. When asked what makes Rossford so attractive all of them agreed that it was the sense of family. They talked a football coach that was sick and how the whole town rallied around him, or how on friday night everyone walks to the football game. They raved about their education system and discussed how they see the individual as the product of their family. They were candid about the downfalls of a small town but it was clear that the pros outwayed the cons. If I'm being completely honest, it was hard to think about family while mine is gathered at the Cabin--my favorite place in the world. Then the mayor started to talk about what a unique oppurtunity we had been given with this trip. No matter how exhausted I am, or how many times I feel like I'm gonna puke in the 15 passenger van, I don't ever want to take this trip for granted. That said, I need to get to bed so I can live it up in Cleveland tomorrow!

Would You Rather?

Besides going to the race track, we saw a lot of Indianapolis through our car window. When we talked about the city at the end of the day it was funny that everyone's responses were based on the aesthetic aspect of the city. I found myself evaluating Indianapolis on the same level--admiring the trees, grimacing at the muddy river, and commenting on the cute little restaurants and shops downtown. One image that really sticks out to me is off course the race track--283 acres of parking lots, bleachers, public restrooms, media buildings, etc. As we were led around the site I was really trying to find something to appreciate about a place who's monetary worth is a number I can't wrap my head around. One of Bonnie's prompts mentions the Joni Mitchell song that says "they paved paradise/and put up a parking lot." I think that phrase definitely applies in Indianapolis. As we wandered around downtown in the evening, I found the city very charming and kind of homey and loved the amount of trees in the area. But I couldn't help but revert back to earlier this morning, at the race track. I don't know if I could enjoy the area with that loud roar of the racing cars in the background and people invading my town for a couple days.
On a positive note, I learned a lot about the actual sports of racing and some of the traditions. I always dismissed it as a ridiculous sport, but as we are all learning to do on this trip, I opened my mind to it and saw a lot of similarities in the draws of racing compared to other more physical sports like traditions, challenges, and camaraderie to name a few.
I think on Day 23 we are all feeling the accomplishment and exhaustion of meeting our hump day. I'm gonna turn in early because we have an exciting line-up for next week including Boston on the 4th!

Family Matters

Well in keeping with our theme, on our 6 mile walk to the showers this morning I had to see the Family Matters theme song! And it was fitting because my family came to see me on their way to my Grandparents cabin in Northern Wisconsin. I was at the art institute, got their call, and ran out the door into the traffic and jumped into the van! We had dinner at Rock Bottom and then headed back to Big Mama to show them where I've been living for the past 21 days. I wish i could squeeze all 4 sisters into my bunk and snuggle but they are going to spend the day with us tomorrow! In every place we have witnessed families, good, bad, non-related, etc, I can't get over how blessed I am to have the family that I do!

That's Not My Name

If I could sum up Minneapolis in one word it would be community. We began the day at Mall of America where I got to spend 3 hours catching up with Kate and Patrick!! We rode the rollercoaster, walked around, and even had some conversation about American identity. It was really fun to talk to friends my age, especially two that have traveled quite a bit, and see that the ideas we have been discussing are prevalent in their lives too.

From the mall we headed to the Mill City area and spent most of the hour on the balcony of the Guthrie Theater enjoying the breeze and the view. I was really impressed by the interesting and modern architecture of this theater and according to Heather and Kate; Minneapolis boasts the

second largest theater population next to New York City.

We enjoyed a leisurely dinner in World Market, which is an old Sears’s warehouse that has been turned into a market for all kinds of international food, clothes, and other items. It was fun to get to choose from healthy, cheap, and different cuisines and listen to the live folk acoustic music in center. With a few hours to spare we decided to call Kate for directions to a lake that has free live concerts most nights. We ended up at Harriet Lake, at a beautiful bandstand. Despite the show being canceled at the last minute. Kate, Monkey, and Bella (her dogs) rollerbladed to the lake to join us for class. As we played with the dogs and talked about the past few days, I couldn’t help but notice the people around me. There was a group of 4 year old girls and boys pretending to perform on the stage while their parents sat in the stands, teenage girls leaving the beach in bikinis on their bikes, couples walking, middle aged adults in lawn chairs visiting, and TONS of bladers, bikers, runners, and kayakers. It was a Thursday night at 9 and all these people were collectively being active and enjoying nature. That is the kind of community I want to be involved in. I think the active, community feel mixed with the urban and progressive experience at the theater made Minneapolis very attractive and unique.
I suppose it didn’t hurt to get to see Kate and see her home. Which just affirms what I have been learning about myself on this trip—that as much as I am attracted to the physical beauty and landscape of each location the people that I encounter there make it or break it.

We're on the News!

Our day had an exciting start with a T.V. interview with the local news in Rapid City, South Dakota. Watch it at http://www.newscenterone.tv/default.aspx. Its cool to have some media interest in our trip!
Following the interview, we continued on with a day full of monuments, beautiful prairie scenery, and some harsh history lessons. Because we packed Mount Rushmore National Monument and Crazy Horse Memorial in the same day it was really interesting to compare the two projects. Beginning a little more than 20 years of each other, the monuments although seemingly opposite, share a lot of similarities.
Both sites boast a strong emphasis on education. While at Mt Rushmore, I witnessed several families with young children having conversations about history which was inspiring to see that dialogue taking place. At Crazy Horse, they have plans to build a medical center and all kinds of educational programs. Additionally, both monuments also went to grandiose measures to honor a part of history-- just the nostrils on Crazy Horse are 30 ft in diameter! They even shared one of the sculptors Korczak Ziolkowski, who worked on Mount Rushmore, is the visionary behind Crazy Horse. I think our group also responded similarly to both monuments. While it was hard not to be impressed and somewhat surprised by the sheer size and work that went into both monuments, we also had a lot of questions that went unanswered. What does this form of herofication say about our society? Are we honoring history or some sort of subjective memory? We have come across several monuments on this trip--The Alamo, Central High School, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Portlandia--and most agreed that Central High School felt the most genuine and appropriate without all the bells and whistles.
After the monuments we headed to Pine Ridge and the cemetery for the victims of the Wounded Knee Masscre. As we trudged up the hill to the cemetery I was flooded with emotion. The landscape of rolling hills and prairie, even the smells, evoked a feeling of home to me that mixed with the heaviness and despondency in the air to make a disturbing combination. Reflecting on it now, I can see the significance of this experience. Despite always knowing that the Native Americans had and are still experiencing injustice, it seemed to be something that happened a long time ago, far away, and by others. Being there, I was faced with the nearness of it and a sense of ownership that was hard to swallow.

Trifactos and Such

Packed in 4 across in the backseat of a 15 passenger van for 2 hours doesn't sound that glamorous. But when that is the view out your window and you're surrounded by great people, its hard to complain. We started the day at a local co-op and got some food for a day of white water rafting and hot springs. The white water rafting was incredibly fun and full of laughs. The hot springs was not what we expected but we got hot showers and a nap in the sun. I'm exhausted and we have to get up early to meet a local representative at the Today show at Mount Rushmore. Stay tuned for a more in depth update tomorrow!

Just Visiting

The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as "an area where man himself is a visitor who does not remain...with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable." As I think back on today at Glacier National Park and the first 17 days of our journey I realize how much of our trip has been wilderness to us.
We started the day off at Night Owl Restaurant where we had a delicious and cheap hot breakfast. It was interesting to see the way we stuck out as a group of outsiders in a crowd that seemed to be predominantly local. Several times throughout the meal I felt the familiar discomfort of intrusiveness that I remembered feeling in other places like the church service in Little Rock and Fort Bliss in El Paso. In a way, all of these places mentioned were wilderness to us in some way or another and it was up to us to decide the way in which we were gonna survive. Did we possibly carry with us some metaphoric bear spray to keep enough of the wild out of these adventures to maintain our current beliefs?

I love the way Henry David Thoreau talks about being in nature "wishing to live deliberately to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." As I write this I am wrapped in my snuggy in the parking lot of the Super 8 with a beautiful mountain towering over me. I can't help but feel small and humble with all that Glacier offered me today. It was so refreshing to experience something in a state of deliberate passivity because I had no need to put up a defense. I wondered how our breakfast experience would have differed had we viewed the small town diner culture as a wilderness...

The Rain didn't stop us from having S'mores on Big Mama (the bus)

I Don't Miss a Beat...Just Notes

Identity is a million dollar world in my life right now. I mean I'm on a 40 day journey attempting to "rediscover america" while, according to Erikson, I should be seeking my own personal identity. At each stop that we've been to, we try to grasp what we can of either the identity a city is selling or if we are lucky an authentic view. Seattle was no different. We came into Seattle with several pre-concieved adjectives--progressive, green, fishy. And left with some interesting questions...
One of the highlights of the day was the underground tour. What began as a corny pun-infested tourist trap, turned into a very insightful cultural experience. Diedrick our second tour guide was quircky, witty, and not aftraid to tell the whole story. Instead of the somewhat idealistic view of history that we got at the Alamo, Graceland, and Clinton Library, Diedrick told us about the ugly side of Seatle's orgins--mainly its poor urban planning. Seattle was usually the butt of most of his jokes which made him seem refreshingly credible.
As I thought about the day, I couldn't help but compare it to the Navojo reservation. I think it is safe to say that the Silversmith family on the Navajo reservation were some of the most genuine and impactful people we have met thus far. And what stuck out to me about them was the pride in which they regarded their culture, their land, the ribbons they won at the fair, the food they ate, even their dark past. The sense of ownership mixed with immense pride was somehting that I found myself envying. So here we have two similar but rather different cases of individuals who embrace their past and culture in a very authentic way--one slightly more cynical but both very refreshing and hopeful.
I've been thinking a lot about my identity as an american and a person lately. Living on a bus with 11 other people leaves no space, privacy, or time for facades. Its revealed a lot of things about myself that I didn't necessarily know--some good and some not so encouraging. Just like Seattle, Nashville, and America I have a package that I sell to those around me that isn't necessarily the whole story. Whoever I am as a girl and America is at a nation I want to BE without apologies or pretenses in the way we saw exemplified in Seattle and with the Navajo especially.
Tomorrow we begin our National Park sequence with Glacier, Yellowstone, and Mt. Rushmore. Stay tuned if their is a gap in posting, we aren't sure whether we will have internet or not.

A Haiku for Portland

Rose gardens and rain
Makes me want to watch Twilight
Coffee all around!


Today we spent a wonderful day in Portland, Oregon. We began at Voodoo Donuts which was recently featured on the travel channel. The line was out the door and to the corner of the street and it featured donuts as crazy as peanut butter and bacon. From there, we headed to the Saturday street festival that featured over 400 vendors. It was so fun to browse around and watch people and see different crafts and foods. Today, I learned an important lesson about street festivals--never buy the first thing you like--you will inevitably see the same item 10 more times and probably at a cheaper price.
After the festival, we split up to explore the city in smaller groups. Pierce, Emma, Elisabeth, and I must have clocked a good 2-3 miles. We came across a festival and walk for Ulcertive collitis and Crohn's disease. It was interesting to talk to one of the organizers of the event about how the organization got started. Apparently a 14 year old girl with U.C. was shopping at Old Navy when she was having an attack and the manager wouldn't allow her to use the bathroom. She went on to get "Ally's law" passed in 9 states that allows persons with eligible medical conditions access to bathrooms under certain circumstances. There is even a card called "I Can't Wait" that people can carry to identify themselves. Now at first, I found the whole situation a little comical and the cause seemed a tad insignifcant compared to some of the other hot topics in legislation right now. But when I asked the lady what it meant to her to be an American she said "that one voice can be heard." And as cliche as it sounds it is inspiring to think about the fact that anyone can make a change no matter how big or small the need may be.
Well Andy, Pierce, Emma, Emily and I are smooshed into the back room watching Twilight and I can't help but be distracted!

From the Redwood Forest

This is a dangerous statement to make but today might have been one of my favorite days thus far. After a crazy couple days in LA and San Francisco, we intentionally made our day in the Redwood Forest focused on R@R. Bonnie asked us to describe in painstaking detail a meal that has taught us about America. This morning we woke up in the beautiful Northern coast of California and enjoyed a Denny's grand slam breakfast. It was refreshing to be i



the small town environment especially with the view of coast and mountains right out the window. I had scrambled eggs, an English muffin, granola, fresh seasonal fruit, and some of Ken's pancake puppies. Now, let me explain the pancake puppy to you--its a ball of fried pancake batter that goes great dipped in hot coffee. I think this meal is telling because it highlights the transition that we are going through as a nation with restaurant food. While we still want our traditional greasy and fried Denny's breakfast we are also feeling the pull of the health food craze. The slice apples at McDonald's make us feel better about the double cheese burger we are eating and even Sonic is offering wheat instead of white buns now. On a larger scale, we can learn a lot about the U.S. by the meals we consume in restaurants. Recent studies have shown that obesity is a major health problem in our nation but are we really committed to change or do we want to just feel like we are trying. Apply this to any national problem. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina--do we want to put people back in homes or just help out for a week and feel good about that? Additionally, isn't there a certain comfort in knowing that we can have the same Grand Slam breakfast at literally any town in the U.S. and if we can't have that we can surely find a latte at Starbucks? If we are what we eat then it seems that we are well-intentioned without serious results and obsessed with routine and repetition.

Anyways after breakfast we headed to the Redwood forest to hike, journal, meditate, and enjoy the incredible beauty. I couldn't help but immediately start planning a trip to come back with my family. The trees were of course immense, which I expected, but I didn't expect there to be so many massive trees. None of our camera lens could do justice to this place, its size, or its beauty. I think in a couple weeks I will look back on the Redwoods and think that I just imagined their size. I guess I will have to come back and experience their magic again.
Afterward we got a shower in the park, did laundry, grocery shopped, and cleaned the bus. Emily and I did a little exploring of the semi-dumpy but very charming town of Crescent City and landed in a small Mexican restaurant to have some refried beans and coffee. Thank you to everyone who is reading, its fun to hear that people are following!!! Tomorrow we head to Oregon! I'm taking my clean body, dressed in clean clothes, to clean sheets in my clean bunk in a clean bus!

Whatever Happened to Predictiability?

As we walked through the streets of San Francisco I took an inventory of the consistencies in my life these last 13 days. There's of course that familiar brown and green of the Starbucks we've seen in every city, the 5 dollar foot long advertisements plastered on every billboard, and the weird smells that are constantly inhabiting our bus. I can rely on the hotel being Best Western and that Rueban will wear a black sweat suit with a white stripe and gold necklace. But other than that every day has been a completely different adventure. Someone said to us the other day, "I have to warn you about Salt Lake City, you are gonna be in culture shock" We all looked at each other and Pierce said, "I feel like we are constantly in a state of culture shock!"
Today was no different, we began in the Mission and Castro districts and ended at Fisherman's Warf. Because we did so much walking it was interesting to see how fast the city transitioned from district to district. In literally a block, the scenery between the Mission and Castro districts went from run down to beautiful muraled buildings and the passersbys transformed from pan handlers to trendy and well dressed. We ended up at Fishersman Warf where we were surrounded by Joe's Crab Shacks and Ben and Jerry's and fellow tourists. San Francisco both thrilled and overwhelmed me with its rich history, smooshed together houses, beautiful architecture, and diversity. One of my favorite parts of the day was enjoying some awesome Thai food in an upstairs restaurant and getting to look down over the street through an open window.
For the last couple hours we got to break up and explore San Francisco and experience public transportation. My group made it back safe and on time but we might have left our pride somewhere on the BART. We definitely revealed our tourist identity and felt clueless, but in the end we found our way back and made some great memories. We give Shirah a hard time for having "Shirisms" but tonight she said something quite insightful "you have to get lost in a city a couple times to really get to know it." It got me thinking about this trip and what we are trying to accomplish. Maybe this is trip is about wasting a half day in LA because we didn't account for traffic, getting lost on the Bart, feeling out of place, and experiencing culture shock in our own country. I wonder if getting lost 40 times would be enough to grasp the identity of a whole country? Whatever happened to predictability? It certainly didn't breed discovery. Ahh Ahh Ahh Ahh Chity Chi bob botta...

California Dreamin

Needless to say we were all excited to see the coast after twelve days together on the bus. We learned pretty quickly what getting around in California entitles. Distances that would take 20 minutes in Nashville took 2 hours to drive to here. We got to go to CBS studios and ran into Mary Hart on the set of ET. After some delicious and healthy food near Santa Monica Beach we got a couple hours of beach time. The weather was perfect and I think half of us passed out for a couple hours. Then we made a long, slightly painful drive to Huntington Beach for some fish tacos and a surfing festival. I found myself very attracted to the beachy feel of California but utterly overwhelmed with the traffic and money involved in literally everything.
Today was Disneyland and Hollywood. We were up at 6:30 to get showers and the park by 11. My first Disney experience was exciting and fun to just scream and enjoy the rides. With a little less than 2 hours in Hollywood we enjoyed some Sushi and Cold Stone and all the interesting people roaming around. Pierce even got to see his Friday Night Lights crush. Back at Big Mama (the bus), which is parked right by a marina, a few of us sat in the sand and enjoyed some country music thanks to Pierce and his guitar. Sorry for the newsy post thats lacking a lot of insight. I figured a little update is better than nothing. We head to San Fran tomorrow!

At an average of $532 for a gaming budget alone, we had to get creative to experience Vegas on our limited traveling college student budget. We started off the day with a tour of the giant convention center where Hugh, our tour guide, informed us on everything we needed to know about the business and Vegas. I was overwhelmed by some of the numbers he was throwing at us--a private buyer just bought a hotel for 750 million-- but I was able to get the general idea that tourism fueled the Las Vegas economy. He told us that the convention center's main mission is to "put heads in beds" and that since tourism is one of the only main incomes for Vegas, they don't want a piece of the pie but the whole thing. 13-15% of Vegas's 37,481,552 visitors are international and Las Vegas was second only to Google in brand popularity this year. Vegas also boasts one of the highest occupancy rates. Despite all this, I was the most aware of our economic downslide today.
Hugh also talked a lot about how things have been changing this last year. He told us that literally every expansion, remodeling, or building project is on hold and that hotels are trying just about everything to attract visitors including Nevada's newest campaign of "Staycation" encouraging Nevadans to take a break from work and enjoy a guiltess vacation close to home. He commented on the changing faces of the vistors of some of the ritzier places due to the economic situation saying that he saw "a kid with a sideways ball cap and pitcher of beer" at a classy place the other day. For a destination of escape, the reality of our economic state had never been so present.
On a lighter note, we got to tour several wedding chapels and even performed some mock weddings while the owners weren't paying attentions. One of the chapels we went to hosts 5,000 weddings a year and when we asked one of the employees if there had been any weddings today she said "Oh yah and there are 20-30 more tonight!"
After seeing more than we bargained for on the strip we found respite in the In and Out burger right on the edge of town. We enjoyed our burgers outside under the faint glow of the strip 1/2 mile away--a minimum distance I intend to keep from Las Vegas for atleast the next couple of years.

And We had to go to Utah to Taste the Devil's Balls

After getting a late start (and some extra sleep :)) we started the day off at Capouto's Deli where we enjoyed some wonderful food and world class chocolate--Andi and Ken bought us a taste of Amedei 9 (voted the best chocolate in the world) and Devil's Balls. Then we headed to Temple square to learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Here we were lead on a guided tour by two of the sisters which included a giant statue of Jesus that spoke to us. I think that we were all a little overwhelmed but intrigued by the religious expression we saw at the "meca" of the Mormon church. The old, intricate buildings, statues and pictures of prophets, giant murals, and the long skirts worn by all the woman of the church stuck out to me as we toured.
From Temple Square we rushed to catch a sneak peak showing of Outrage, a movie about closeted politicians, at an independent theater. We were all struck by the contrast of the two major activities. As we sat down to eat some delicious Thai food at a cute local restaurant we talked about how once again a city had surpassed our expectations and forced us to take it out of the box that we had put it in our minds. Personally, I used to view Salt Lake City as one-dimensional because of its role in the Mormon church. However, it was very inspiring to see how individuals like the owner of Capouto's and some of the people we spoke to at the film had created diverstiy and culture in this city. It made me think about the not so distant future when I may or may not have a lot of options about where I am living and working. And how ideally, I would be able to pick a city that I loved and work there but realistically it may come down to moving wherever there are jobs. I was inspired that the people living there refuse to let one dimension of their people dominate their culture. Salt Lake City demonstrated a very new and refreshing way of looking at community.

On this Episode of Andi and Ken plus 10

"The region is of course all together valueless. Ours has been the first, doubtless be the last, party of whites to visit this prophet less locality" Lt Joseph Ives spoke those words in 1858 about the Grand Canyon. At $25 a car, drawing people from all over the world I think the canyon has surprassed the expectations of its first discoverer.
It was so refreshing to be outdoors all day and get some exercise! We saw all types of people taking pictures, speaking various languages, and huffing and puffing up and down trails. I have heard all lot of different reviews on the Grand Canyon as a worthwhile vacation destination and today I was blown away with what I saw. Bonnie asked us why we think families are loading up their cars and making the haul to the Grand Canyon. I saw a lot of families spending time together, whether it was trying to survive the heat and steepness of a trail or taking goofy pictures. The Grand Canyon provides a landscape for families to be together without any distractions and share in something that parents did with their families. Our group had fun pretending to be our own weird family--belting out songs in the car, arguing about the plans of the day, and then ending the day by pulling over on the highway and enjoying the stars. Overall, I give the Grand Canyon a two thumbs up and have already added a hike to the bottom to my bucket list.

Navajo Reservation

"Come back to it. Undo it. Fix it and then move on." This translated Navajo weaving phrase has stuck with me all day long. We spent the day on the Navajo reservation near New Gallup, New Mexico. Leland Silversmith and his family opened up their home and land to us and opened our eyes to so much about the Native Americans and our country through a lot of dialogue, great food, some exploring, and even some sheep herding. No history book could ever communicate what we learned today through our friend's stories of what has happened to their relatives and what is still happening today. It was painful and powerful to watch Lee's mother cry and see the hurt in Lee's eyes as he talked. And the sad thing is, it seems that no educational books are trying to tell the truth. Aside from the tragic and violent past of the Americans toward the Native Americans, people seem to still be "peeing on the Sistene Chapel" as Lee would say by trespassing and attempting to take land that has never belonged to anyone but the Navajo.
As we sat around after dinner with the Silversmiths, it was clear that they simply wanted to welcome us and share there story with us. I think that the genuineness of this family spoke volumes to our group who has experienced a lot of ulterior motives over the past couple of days. As we joined hands to pray, I felt connected to these people and compelled to share with others the stories that they had shared with us. Lee ended the day encouraging us to think about how we live our lives and that there will be consequences for our children and grandchildren. I thought about the heaviness that had followed me around all day thinking about how people before me had treated the ancestors of the Silversmiths. In keeping with the quote I began with I think we are still in the process of undoing and fixing the terrible things that were done 150 years ago. I pray, for the sake of the Silversmiths and others, that some day soon we can move on.
P.S. I know the picture is a little goofy for such a serious blog but the great thing about today was despite a lot of heavy subject matter we still had a lot of good laughs and fun with our hosts!
P.P.S. If you get a chance check out www.longestwalk.org Lee participated in it in 2007 and it sounds like a really powerful event!

Greetings Earthlings

At 5:30 I was snuggled into my backseat in our rented minivan exhausted from a day of swimming and exploring Roswell. And as I often do during unidentifiable moods I switched my ipod to shuffle and let the iTune’s fairies decide. As the dry desert wind blew in our empty window, Bob Dylan serenaded me while I enjoyed the expansive landscape of New Mexico.
We started off the day today at the International UFO museum where I met Herman and E.J who taught me a lot about the extraterrestrial history of Roswell, NM. Herman was a Viet Nam veteran who flew fighter planes and E.J.’s mom was an alleged witness to a sighting. When I asked if I could ask a few questions E.J. turned to Herman and said, “Are we allowed?” Hmm…interesting. After exploring the streets of Roswell, we headed to the “Out of this World Café” where Guy brought what he called a biblical perspective to the world of abductions and encounters. He provided a lot of interesting things for me to think over in relation to my Christian World View. I think we were all refreshed and relieved as soon as we dove into the so-called bottomless lake and enjoyed the sun and sand for a couple hours. As I struggle to find a sociological theme for today, not because of the absence of one, but just from the pure overload of information, I’m drawn back to the familiar voice of Bob Dylan in Blowing in Wind. Bonnie asked us to identify a song that has meant something to us on this trip and reflect on why it’s important to America. I’m not sure where I first heard this song or how I know all the words but its just one of those songs that’s familiar and comforting—it reminds me of my roommate and her Bob Dylan obsession, or the countless movies its graced the soundtracks of, and a plethora of other memories. I think this lends to the many lenses that I see the world. And as I travel and explore, I am becoming very aware of these lenses in my life. One of the most influential lenses in my life is my family. Like Bob Dylan and great memories, traveling and family are synonymous in my mind. And its been exciting, interesting, and sad to be on this adventure without getting the giggles with my sisters and mom at inappropriate times or watching my dad try maneuver a 10 passenger van through undiscovered territory. Sociologically speaking though, this is an excellent opportunity for me to experience people and places stripped of one of my lenses. According to Emily Riley, I have a habit of spinning anything into a positive, so maybe this is me putting a positive spin on my unexpected homesickness. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

Would the Southern Girls Put their Hands Up

Wow! I feel like everyday my blog begins with an exclamation but that is literally what I feel like when I sit down to reflect on the day. El Paso, Texas took us by surprise with it's beautiful dry weather, stimulating art, and ginormous Fort Bliss. I think out of all the stops this was one of the most eye opening for me because we got to see the ins and outs of one of the 2nd largest military bases thanks to Lounelle and Harold. And then Uncle Ray and Lounelle treated us to some fantastic Mexican food and thanks mostly to Uncle Ray some southern attitude. Its always so great to be embraced and hosted by people from the places we visit. We finished the day with a little group jog and a 1/8th day pow wow of reviewing and revamping in which we all agreed some rest is needed. With that said, this girl is gonna have some down time. I promise to bring an extra intelligent, insightful point of view to the table tomorrow :) I've been loving the comments, keep em coming!

Give Me a Plate and Set Me Free

We are officially 1/10th of the way through our trip. Day 4 in San Antonio was hot but interesting nonetheless. We spent the morning at the Alamo, enjoyed some Tex Mex on the river walk, split up to observe and talk to people, and then met back at a Gazebo for class. Matt Burchett and his wife brought us some Dr Pepper from Wako and joined us there. While Elizabeth, Emily, and I were wandering around we of course hit up Starbucks and had an interesting conversation with one of the baristas there. She had recently moved from California and was now living in San Antonio. We asked her if there were similarities between the two cities and she thought about it for awhile and replied that in both places people were so focused on material possessions. Later in our class discussion we talked about themes that we are seeing at each of the places thus far and we came up with the same conclusion--money. Matt brought up an excellent point when he compared the states and their identities with high school students--scrambling to find their identity in something whether authentic or not. Nashville was cowboys and country, Memphis was Elvis, Little Rock claimed Clinton, and so on. At each stop we have seen state after state cash in on these icons like selling everything imaginable with Elvis's face. As disturbing as this unifying factor is, I think it is very telling of who we are as a people--consumers. As usual, I have no concrete answers yet but I want to continue to explore whether this is necessarily a strictly negative revelation. Should we write off all of the Alamo's authenticity because they are trying to make a cheap buck? Or is consumption a necessary fuel for our country? I took this picture in the bathroom of Starbucks after our talk with the barista--its sort of cheesy but but who can't use a little cheese in their life? Speaking of consumption, we finally got some salad in the south at Souper Salads! I think we were all excited to have something that wasn't fried or greasy! yum!

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

Well, our quest continues in New Orleans! After a day of a service project, the French quarter, Bourbon street, and SHOWERS!!!! we are having some much needed downtime of eating Starburst, watching friends, and catching up on our blogs.
Heading into the day, I had an image of New Orleans constructed from the many stories of family and friends who had visited here for Katrina relief. But of course seeing it first hand was a whole different story. As we pulled into the parking lot of the food pantry, people were already lined up for the 11 o clock opening. I instantly felt the discomfort I often feel when doing any short term service projects. I tried to look at the situation in the shoes of those waiting at the door--we were a group of college students, dressed in matching shirts, here to help for a couple hours, and then continue on this amazing trip. And if I set myself down on the stoop, or even in the shoes of one of the many volunteers that get up day after day to keep the center going, I would feel trapped. Even as we worked throughout the day, I struggled with the big picture, how long would the onesies even stay folded, or the pantry of canned food stay organized? Where can good even begin to be accomplished?
The Preamble talks about "securing the Blessings of Liberty" and we have heard that echoed throughout our stops as we ask people what it means to be an American. I was inspired to see the ways in which the Little Rock 9 spurred our country toward this ideal, and a little grossed out but interested in the ways people lived out their blessings of liberty on the Beale and Bourbon street. But today, as much as I enjoyed being around the people at the food pantry, I have to be honest about the relief that flooded over me when I walked out that door. Today more than ever I was aware of an inequality in rights between myself and the victims in New Orleans. Sometimes when I tell people about this trip and I get that confused look, I reply "It was an once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn't pass up." I am so blessed to be able to pursue this opportunity.
I apologize for the lack of pictures today, I left my camera on the bus! I promise I will take some good ones tomorrow!

Look Who I Found in LIttle Rock!

Well the day began with that ridiculous Collin Raye "Little Rock" song running through my head and is ending with thoughts that I can't even begin to digest right now. We started off the day at Central High School, then headed to Clinton Presidential Library, followed that with an awesome $4 meat and 3 meal, and then to churc. And guess who joined us...Ms Brittany Hodges!!
Bonnie asked us to reflect on the American presidency at some point and I think this was an appropriate day to do so. As I grazed through Clinton Library I started to think about Clinton and how my only memory of him is the end of his presidency and the scandal that ensued--interesting that none of this was mentioned in the library. Anyways, as I watched the film about Clinton, I found a new appreciation for his foreign relations and the respect that other countries held for him. It made me think of the boxes that we put our Presidents in--Hoover=great depression, Lincoln=Civil War, Clinton=Monica Lewinski--or at least it did in my mind. I think its just another way we like to marginalize a history that should be celebrated for it's richness.
Its impossible to reflect on this day and not reflect on our church experience. The service lasted close to 3 hours and was an experience that I have yet to unpack in my head. However, I can say that the way in which we were welcomed into the church with hugs and genuine smiles was humbling and inspirational. It made me think of the way in which I welcome strangers into my world and this experience raises the bar on my standards for hospitality. I wish I could wrap this day up in a neat little ball but thats totally not the point. And I foresee this Little Rock experience transcending into my world view for years to come.

Back Into the Womb

Elvis, Ducks, empty parking lots, and awesome Indian food is my pathetic attempt of summing up a crazy day in Memphis!  We started the day off at the Peabody to see the ducks, headed to Beale street, then to Graceland, and ended the evening with incredible Indian food and warm hospitality at Rashina's house.  When I look back over the day, I am overwhelmed with things to talk about but I think I am going to focus on Graceland because I find myself coming back to that experience and because it will answer a prompt :)  

I got into Graceland.  Maybe I got swept away in all the hype but I loved walking through Elvis's house to the tune of various Elvis songs and watching other people holding hands, crying, laughing, and even getting married.  When we got together and discussed Graceland, I realized that I had bought into the exact image they were selling.  Just like while we all agreed the Ducks at Peabody were anticlimactic, we were still 12 of the 400 people there to see them walk to the fountain.  So what draws us to these places?  My friend Kate might say FOMS (Fear of Missing something).  What would happen if we went to Memphis and didn't see the ducks? If 400 other people are into it, we might be missing some great phenomenon.  Graceland was something I'm glad I did once.  And I guess that's all it takes for that to be an extremely successful business, for the majority of Americans to hit it up at least once in a lifetime.  I guess in all this sleep-deprived rambling is my struggle between thinking sociologically and experiencing something for what it is.   It seems silly that a grown man would be weeping over Elvis's grave, or that two people would want to be married for $600 dollars at Elvis's home.  And I know there are a million sociological implications to both those scenarios.  However, I think there is a balance between learning and analyzing and just being present at a place and taking it in.  Overall, though Graceland highlighted for me, our society's strange obsession with celebrities--whether it be Elvis Presley or Lauren Conrad.  This both comforts and disturbs me.

The other image of the day that my mind keeps replaying is the little African American boy we saw on Beale Street doing flips for money.  I have a blurry picture of a little girl around his age walking up to his jar with her Grandma to tip him.  I was hit with the stark contrast of this little boy, on his own trying to make money, compared to the little girl who was handed money and led by hand the 3 feet to the bucket.  It just seems representative of how different  a life can be based on the situation you were born into.  Anyways, once again I apologize for the slightly jumbled nature of this blog but I have to admit that my mind is focused on my bunk which Emily aptly described as so comfortable it was like "crawling back into the womb."

Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours...America

My bags are pretty much packed and class is over.  Someone just mentioned we have 14 hours till we board the bus.  And I'm actually reasonably calm after a really fun morning in Nashville that sort of set the tone for the 40 days ahead.  Here's some of the things we observed in Nashville sociologically...

When we first got on Broadway we came across a man with an American flag guitar named Tony.  On the opposite corner of the street was a man playing a guitar decorated with a confederate flag.  We saw the evidence of "new culture" with American Apparel and the statue Musica along side record shops and bars that strive to hold on to the nostalgic "old Nashville."  We talked a lot about this dichotomy in class and I really loved what Heather said about Nashville not having a concrete culture and how this Nashvegas image is sort of being forced from one side and the new hip "Vandy/Belmont/Hillsboro village is emerging elsewhere.  

As I observed the types of people that were downtown on a Friday morning, I saw a lot of what I expected--older people dressed in cowboy attire and saw a few surprises--a younger family that looked like they could be touring Disney World.  I kind of laughed to myself at the ridiculousness of both groups and the fact that they were buying into this Nashvegas image that only represented 4 blocks of our city.  But it made me take a step back and think about how we are going to be viewed by the  'natives' of each place that we visit.  Ken summed it up well when he said that we are going to be those tourists landing in the "four blocks" everywhere we go--Fisherman's Warf, Bourbon Street, etc.  And we need to look at each place with questions like 'why are they selling this portion of the city?' and 'does it really represent the city as a whole?'

Well, this has been a sort of random post that I am going to blame on the mixture of being very excited and a little overwhelmed.  I can't wait to see what this new experience is going to teach me about myself and the country I live in.  .  I can't get over how blessed I am to have this opportunity-shout out to the padres!  So, here I am-signed, sealed, delivered I'm yours... summer 2009, America, 40 states gang!!!!