a half post

Sorry for the delay, I have to write quick!

Here is a brief update on what is going on here:

1. I took a whirlwhind trip back to CA. It was fun, warm, and I am sorry if I didn't see you. Don't trip chocolate chip, I am coming home in June for 2 weeks (hopefully)

2. I got hired by Maryland Youth Ballet as a receptionist and ballet instructor for 2-5 year olds. I AM VERY EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3. No, I did not get the Nat Pack. It saves me 7 dollars and 2 hours on the metro per game. I am fine.

4. I am moving in with a girl from my small group. Her roommate had to go to the Congo for State so I am taking her place. It is far from the metro but it is SO NICE and it has a gym.

5. I am going to NYC this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. I work at Copper Canyon Grill. It is a bit frustrating sometimes. I don't love it but I like getting paid.

7. I thought I was done shredding paper- but now I have another weeks worth.

Sorry this is so short and I didn't do my normal shout out, but I have to run! Love and miss you all.

-Chrissie

let it snow!

What do when one is snowed in and there is no cable or internet:

1. Wake up late

2. Take a long time to eat and prepare food

3. Talk on the phone with people from CA

4. Write

5. Read

6. Watch episodes of Gilmore Girls that my roommate brought

7. Take a walk and watch everyone shovel out their cars

8. Eat the snow

9. Nap

10. Repeat the above

Over 2 feet of snow! I LOVE IT!! PTL we just got internet back! Tuesday we are gonna get hit with 5 more inches!

the long awaited INDIA post

I have been putting off this post, for no apparent reason, and now that I am snowed in, w/o any internet I have no distractions or reasons to not tell everybody how India was.

For those of you who read the team blog, this part may be a bit redundant but you can also skip to the next paragraph if you wish. Every day we were in India was a full day of ministry. One day we would give clothes to people with leprosy, another food to people with HIV, we had Henna put on us while chatting with ladies who had escaped prostitution, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes we spent five minutes in a village and other times there was so much chaos, it felt like we were in a village for hours. A lot of our days were filled with travel and long meals. The last days we were there we hosted VBS for 1200 orphans, which was the highlight of the trip for me. We stayed in a “hotel” that was basically a hostel and I had three other roommates from the team.

A lot of India reminded me of Ghana. Eating with your right hand, the villages, the drinking water that came in a bag, and the abundance of adorable children were all so similar to the place I studied abroad. In a way, I feel as if I understood the culture a bit better and could respect the differences. But it still killed me to see a village with no running water but an abundance of cell phone reception.

My favorite part was VBS. This huge affair was carefully planned and I think excellently executed. The kids were divided into 4 groups and had four stations to go through-crafts, games, teaching, and bible memory. I was helping the games station and at first I was a bit disappointed, it seemed like something Phil (my brother) would be good at, but not necessarily me. Surprisingly, I liked having fun with the kids and just like dance; I did not always need words to speak to the kids.

Josh and I sponsor a child in India through the Harvest India organization. For just 30 dollars a month we help provide her schooling, housing, classes, and food. We were lucky we got to meet her! She is incredibly thin, has a big smile, and loves to sing. Once we met her she clung to my side and she made sure I was always looking for her. It was such a joy to meet her and be able to meet her brother and sisters. Another little girl really stood out to me because she was the poorest little orphan girl I have ever seen. While all the girls had long hair and dresses, she had short hair and tattered shorts on. I could tell by watching her that she had a strong spirit and could defend herself if needed. Her name is super hard to remember so I just called her Mandy in my head. (Her name sounded something like that) On the last day of VBS I asked her to take a picture with me and I walked her to the big tent. From then on, she called me “mom” and I had never felt the weight of the word until then. My heart sunk and I realized I may have given her the most affection she has ever had. During the parade we had, both of my girls found me in the midst of everyone and we walked together. Later that night, when we came back to the orphanage, Mandy found me as soon as I stepped out of the van. She clung onto my waist and did not let go until I had to leave. Another girl told me she was ten years old, but she was the size of a six year old. I nearly cried as I said good-bye to them and I told them that they were beautiful, God loves them, and so do I.

Will I go back to India? Maybe. I know I will always support Suresh, Harvest India, and the girl I support (actually she will be too old for the orphanage soon). I feel that God has shown me how much need there is in this world. We served thousands of people in the two weeks I was there and I want to go to more countries to see what God is doing there. I learned more than what I can write in this one post, but I would love to talk more about my experience with any of you. Thanks for reading and thanks for the continuous support!

shout out 3

1 order of pad thai at DC's best Thai place- $10.95
1 standard meal at Copper Grill-$15
1 head of lettuce- $3

Friends that you can talk to in the middle of a snowstorm- Priceless

Thanks to all my wonderful friends at home who have been calling, texting, and facebooking. Miss you!

shroeder the shredder

Yup, I named the shredder. His name is Shroeder. We spend so much time together, it was the least I could do.

This past week has been pretty full. I got hired at Copper Grill ( like Yardhouse) as a host. The past two days I had training and I had to buy ugly work clothes. The 2nd day was food testing though, so that was really fun. I also get to co-teach at MYB this week! I am super excited for that bc I will be teaching 2-4 year olds!

I only have one small group now and it has been going fine. We didn't have group yesterday bc of the snow but I still had dinner with one of the leaders. Our group is doing a study by Beth Moore.

Once again, adventures in the office are funny-but only to me. When my boss realized I wasn't supposed to shred the documents she gave me to shred, I nearly died laughing. I spend a lot of time shredding still but I am also getting started on a project working with dancers with disabilities. I am excited to be working with the best people in the field!

The house hunt is still on. Emily cleaned our bathroom and kitchen bc she couldn't stand how dirty it was. I have a few leads so I should have an update soon.

IT SNOWED!!!!!!!!! A LOT!!!!!!! Last Saturday we got 6 inches maybe? and yesterday we got maybe 4 more? I like the snow! Thanks to Tracie, I have snow boots! It is so pretty to watch the snow fall and my roomie showed me how to make a good snow angel. This weekend it is also supposed to snow.

I am trying to find more interesting places to eat, so yesterday I tried Peruvian chicken. SO GOOD! I loved it!

I am turning as white as a sheet. My summer tan is now gone and I am a pasty tone everywhere now. That is definitely one thing I miss about CA-the SUN!

Sorry I haven't been able to call as much. The time difference really gets me and I can't talk while on the metro or bus bc it isn't safe for me to be distracted.

Going to the Kennedy Center tonight with a co-worker to watch Alvin Ailey!!!

Hope all is well in the sunshine! I miss CA very very much. PLEASE eat good, cheap, Asian food for me k?

-Chrissie

shout out 2

dry cleaning for one jacket- 19 dollars

2 loads of laundry-7 dollars

Copper Grill shirt for work- 20 dollars

Siblings that will call nearly every other day to see how I am doing- Priceless

Thanks Tracie, Adam, and Phil for continuously checking up on me! I am so blessed to have such wonderful family!

being business casual

" Chrissie, its DC-everyone here is business casual"-emily

Hey everybody!

Thanks for all the texts, facebook comments, emails, etc.. I really appreciate them! I am doing well here. I am freezing my face off, but overall good! I really like my roommate (Emily) and we have fun talking and doing random things together. She is from Wisconsin and she thinks it is so warm here.

Job Status:

I have had 3 interviews at Copper Grill (like a Yardhouse) , 2 interviews at Macaroni Grill, I got asked to observe classes at Maryland Youth Ballet, and I have my 2nd interview at Red Lobster on Monday. I am kinda sad about Starbucks and Ann Taylor bc those are the two I wanted. BUT MYB would be awesome bc JULIE KENT trained there and my boss founded it.

The City:

I like exploring the city! One could come to DC, live here for years , and never eat at the same place. But everything is also super expensive. I mean SUPER expensive. I have learned to like the bus and I take that as much as I can. I still have a lot to see!

The House:

I love how convenient the house is to the bus. Emily is a neat freak so she cleans as much as she can. I provide the cleaning supplies and together we are "enhancing" the place. I bought a new shower curtains and I am buying a new toaster today (ours started screaming and shaking and toasters aren't supposed to do that).

My first week in an office and here are my accomplishments:

1. I spent 3 hours trying to copy 7 dvds only to find out that my boss had it wrong- the software was never installed.

2 I spent 2 hours trying to fix someones internet in the office only to realize that I was looking at the wrong cord. It wasn't plugged in.

3. I spent one hour discussing making a facebook page, only to find out that we already have one and no one knew about it. So now we have a page but our marketing director doesn't like to use facebook.

4. 3 hours a day shredding paper-at least. I can only shred for about 30 minutes straight before the shredder overheats and then I have to let it cool for an hour. I go back and forth between updating the database and shredding all day. All the files from 1997-2005 must be shredded.

5. Made 4 important phone calls to make our committees do something with their groups. My boss just told me an hour ago that all these groups already had action plans so I don't need to do as much work. Dang.

I just laugh at all the things posted above. Working at a small non profit with retired dancers, what was I expecting? My roommate works at the hill and we just laugh about my day because it is so different than hers. She works at a fast pace, mind blowing, challenging environment and I am currently blogging at work.

I miss a lot of things from CA but I really miss having daily conversation. At work we don't talk much, the time difference makes it hard to call CA, and just don't know as many people here yet. I also really miss 24 hour fitness.

God is good and has provided me here with 2 great small groups, a dance studio close by, and just today I got to talk with Kitty Lunn (a ballerina who is now disabled and dances in a wheelchair) and possibly do work with her. I am staying warm and constantly thinking of everyone in Cali

Much Love,

Chrissie