Newburyport, MA

Tell me if you would like to live here or not: You're in a small town next to a big city, you're surrounded by the mountains and sit right on the coast, your weather is warm and sunny year round, you have culture, sidewalks, bike lanes and farmer's markets. Tourists can whale watch, shop and dine out on fresh seafood. Your history dates back to the formation of the country.

Just call me urban planner extraordinaire.

I have never been to this imaginary hotspot, but we came close this week when we visited Newyburyport, MA. What a nice place!

Just 35-miles north of Boston, Dominic and I decided to rent a car and drive up to this costal village together. Although I needed to visit Newburyport for work, Dominic could come along and study while I made my site visit and then we knew we would be perfectly positioned to enjoy a weekend get-a-way for our two year anniversary. We stayed in a studio apartment at the Market Street Inn:

It sure was fun to be on the water in a charming New England town. From coffee shops like Seattle, to a prayerful labyrinth walk, it had the makings of an ideal vacation location. Too bad we were there to write papers, deliver meetings and launch campaigns. This would definitely be a fun place to return.

What Would You Do?

I was standing in line at Family Dollar today when three kids came running in the door heaving deep sighs of relief from the heat. The frigid store stands directly in front of the bus stop so while Mom waited outside the kids were free to cool off near the cash registers.

The youngest boy - not quite two I'd say - made a bee line for the toys while his sisters hung around the checkout counter where the candy was displayed. I hadn't been waiting two minutes before the girls had each taken, opened and started munching on a package of candy.

They didn't have money with them and it didn't matter anyway because they did not pay. When Mom propped open the door hollered at them to get back outside all three left and stood outside in front of the door.

The bus hadn't come and the line hadn't moved (normally I would be annoyed at this wait), so I watched the girls through the glass doors. There are security cameras everywhere in Family Dollar, so would something happen?

The older - maybe six or seven years old - was picking candy out of the container and chewing away not even a foot outside of the front door. The younger - I'd say 4 or 5 - embarrassingly hid her contraband in her pocket and eyed her sister's behavior while turning her back to her mother.

I finally got to the counter and cautiously asked Louis my cashier if he had seen. "Yea," he said. "But they're outside so there's nothing I can do."

Ergonomics Please

I don't mind working from my corner of our living room. The 'office' is fairly organized and I have a window view of all the street happenings down below. Our apartment is quiet and I have complete control of the thermostat so there's really not much to complain about.

Unfortunately, I have aged. My back has been screaming at me for some time to stop sitting on one of our hand-me-down wooden kitchen chairs and invest in something that would make the long hours at the computer more pleasant.

I'm no occupational therapist, but I convinced myself for quite a while that I didn't need an appropriate chair because sitting uncomfortably would provide an impetus to get up and move more often. Without the water cooler or conference room meetings, I needed all the excuses I could find to get up throughout the day.

I decided to shop around after getting a flyer on desk ergonomics at a health fair recently. Look at this happy, productive employee. I should look for a chair like hers:

Instead. I purchased this contraption on Amazon:

I won't bore you with the benefits of kneeling chairs. I know they're great. I just am not so sure they're great for me.

First of all, I built the chair when it arrived Thursday night. It's adjustable and as is evidenced by the photograph above, (office clutter aside) I wanted to sit tall at the desk. Perhaps a little too tall. I was so high I had to find a box and a photo album to put my laptop on. Then came the issue of the keyboard. My wrists are supported, but I have to hold my arms up to type while the mouse is a foot below on the desk. My shins are sore, my knees are blue, and I have serious doubts about the sustainability of this set up.

The pro: I stood more - a lot more. Since my computer was so high I could basically stand and work just as comfortably as sitting. Great.

The con: The pain relocated. Upper back to lower legs. I'm not sure which is worse, but I'm beginning to think I'll head back to the kitchen chair.

Hit the Road

Dominic and I have not traveled extensively together, but we’re starting to rack up the out-of-town experiences under our belt.

To celebrate America’s birthday this weekend we took the Bolt Bus up to Boston. We have dear friends Kyle and Sara who recently moved to Beantown and they were amazing hosts.

We tend to think we know what it takes to show guests a good time. Dominic and I strike a nice balance between planning and itinerary drafting (Sarah) and low key relaxing (Dominic). What we haven’t quite figured out yet is how to balance our two travel preferences when we are guests ourselves.

Sara and Kyle went out of the way to make us feel welcome. From pre-purchasing unlimited subway passes to researching a list of popular tourist activities prior to our arrival, we were well cared for. Sara loves to cook – much to our benefit, and Kyle doesn’t mind being a tourist in his own town, so we were set.

If given a day in a new place, my top choice would be to set out walking and not stop until I collapse. I want to see it all, I want to do it all, and I have little regard for the human necessities such as eating and drinking. I’m not big into expensive tourist sights, but I do want to see what I can and I certainly want to be outside.

On the other hand, Dominic would be perfectly content to sit inside a dark café or bar and read a new book all day long. You could put him anywhere and he would be happy. He likes to grab a drink and chat, he definitely prefers to eat at regular intervals.

If left to our own devices, we would probably have to travel separately. Thank goodness for hospitable friends. We can walk the Freedom trail and relax over a drink in the city. We can play board games at home one night and take the subway to the Boston Pops dress rehearsal another. It was a perfect weekend with fun-loving friends.

Boston has been a nice example of how easy it is to balance our separate vacation preferences when we are with dear friends. Lesson learned - always travel in clans.

Thank you Patriots

Born in the U.S.A.!

Older. Wiser.

One more year, come and gone. To celebrate the start of a fresh 365-day rotation around the sun, Dominic planned a day for us enjoy what I love: playing in the sun and eating delicious food.

The Bronx is lovely, especially when you surround yourself with the NY Botanical Garden and - new to me this summer - Orchard Beach. One bus from Fordham Road, just past Co-Op City, this 'engineering marvel' offers a beach fit for honeymooners. Ok, maybe not that relaxing, but definitely suitable for an afternoon jog and a cool dip. The beach is clean and the metal detectorists are very friendly.

Fun fact: I have wanted to go to a hibachi grill since I was 21. Seriously. They cook the food right in front of you! They do tricks with their kitchen utensils. What could be better? If it's good enough for The Office it will work for my birthday dinner. As it turns out we sat at a table full of people from the Bronx. Sure, the general mood was grumpy at the beginning, but it turned out to be a fun group after the birthday ice cream was delivered.

Last year's Vancouver B.C. Birthday kite. A forbidden activity on Orchard Beach, this picture must have been snapped right before we were scolded by a park ranger.

If you want a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery for your birthday the time to go is 10:30 p.m. Otherwise, put on your comfy shoes because you'll be waiting in a line that wraps around the block. The verdict: totally worth it.

Beat the Heat

Summer has arrived. Not the kind of summer that prompts open windows and evening iced tea on the patio, I mean the kind of summer that hits you like a sauna when you walk out the door and forces evening showers just so you can sleep.

Showers would be nice, of course, if there was water pressure in the apartment building...

With temperatures at or above 90 degrees all week I've learned about a new Bronx solution to the heat wave: a johnny pump. Of course! Why didn't I think to uncap the fire hydrant in front of the building sending more than 1,000 gallons of emergency - fighting resource spraying into the street? Oh, because it's illegal.

Where I come from the opening of a fire hydrant, under the careful supervision of the local fire department, can be requested for block parties. In the Bronx, you do it yourself and have your own apartment party every day.

According to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, "Opening a hydrant without a spray cap lowers water pressure and can hinder firefighting by reducing the flow of water to hoses and pumps. The reduction of water pressure resulting from illegally opened hydrants can also cause problems at hospitals and other medical facilities." It turns out the city takes this seriously, "Opening a hydrant illegally can result in fines of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to 30 days or both." I wonder if anyone has gone to prison for this. I imagine they don't get much street credibility for this crime. Just look at how popular they are with the children:

And bus drivers,

And delivery trucks.

I, like this poor guy, am not a huge fan of testing my long jump every time I want to cross the street.

To be honest, I don't blame my neighbors at all though. If we hadn't received a generous window AC unit donation last winter I would probably be putting on my bathing suit to join them.

Goofing off with Guests

It's safe to say this blog has been neglected the past few months. Before you go pointing fingers, just remember that our preference will always be to live life offline and report on what we learn from the experiences here when we have a chance. Sometimes though, we're not learning we're just playing.

We've had quite the run of guests lately. NYC draws a crowd. Here they are in photos:

RPCVS: Easy to host. Will sleep on the floor without complaint.

Seattlites: Brought the weather with them. Fun foodies and inspired fashionista.

NEXT, THE FAMILY ROTATION:

1. OH cousins from the 'nati: Arrived with a list, left with worn out tennis shoes.

2. The graduates: One last hurrah before Buckeye commencement.

3. CA cousin from law school: Likes Manhattan. (Drinking one with his pal Dom that is).

Obviously we don't worry about taking photos while out tour guiding. From the Brooklyn Bridge and Wall Street to midtown and Times Square we have scaled the entire island by foot and these were the top photos we could retrieve from my phone.

Come see us this summer - there's still time and we're getting more metro savvy with every guest!

Paradise Unpaved

After living in the Bronx for almost a year now, I think I subconsciously began to believe that the whole of New York was covered with 6 story buildings, bodegas, and unisex barbershops. Luckily Sarah and I had a chance to get out this weekend to get a taste of the nature that New York State has on offer.

After finishing up my last final, and Sarah a long week at work, we boarded the Metro North from Harlem and headed north up to the Catskills. I love traveling by train, especially when it can drop you in nature at the trailhead of a wonderful hike

Our train ride took us along the Hudson River past West Point and other neat, old-looking (to a west-coaster) places. We disembarked at Cold Spring and started our hike up Breakneck Ridge. It was a pretty strenuous hike, as we clambered up the side of this huge mountain, but was well worth it as the views over the Hudson were pretty fantastic. We got a good view of Bannerman Castle. It was used as a defensive position during the Revolutionary war.

It was neat to sit atop this mountain and think about British ships being turned back as they attempted to make it down the Hudson river to attack New York. Again, this wasn't the sort of field trip we took as school kids in California. We did spend a lot of time learning this the Revolutionary war though, so this was a pretty cool to see something of historical significance from this period.

The area we hiked was pretty lush and green. We even saw some hawks... Or at least I think they were hawks.

After a long day of hiking we found a great stream to cool our feet.

We ended the day by browsing around downtown Cold Spring and dinner on the spot where Washington and his military advisors camped when they came to scout out a military training facility that became West Point.

All in all it was a real nice way to spend a friday.

Sidewalk Art

What are we going for here?

1. Bilingual Education? Valuable outreach in the South Bronx

2. Busy Line Effect? It does save some time to eliminate the extra two letters here

3. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Perhaps they're published?

Orchids on Broadway

The NY Botanical Garden is hosting Orchids on Broadway from now through April 25. I would go there every day if I could. I took my parents last weekend and had so much fun I couldn't help but return with Dominic in tow this afternoon.

Scattered throughout the conservatory, the delicate flowers pop out of trees, shrubs and formal glass cases. Three things I didn't know before the orchid show that I'm happy to say I now am aware of:

1. They're colorful. They come in more colors and color combinations than you can imagine. -- all that is, except black.

2. Orchids are prevalent. The orchid plant is spread second most widely in the world, only beat by grasses. You may think orchids are a tropical, but it turns out they grow on every continent except Antarctica (no one wants to live there).

3. Orchids are adaptable. They grow in every habitat except under water.

We enjoyed a cabaret concert and returned home humming John Coltrane's version of My Favorite Things.

Any orchid owners out there with care tips for this rookie? I once tried to care for an orchid... it didn't go so well.

Saving Soles

I'll sacrifice a tree in the Bronx for Dominic's nostalgia.

Better here than stuck to my shoes...

All Are Welcome

They're a good looking couple if I do say so myself!

This weekend Mom and Dad stopped by for a visit. Rolling up on Friday afternoon you'd think they lived a few minutes down the street... until you watched me move three loads of 'closet clean out items' from the trunk. I guess it is about time I collected the extra wedding decorations, my precious photo albums, and my George Foreman Grill. Little makes my mom happier than 'de-cluttering'.

We spent Saturday at the Botanical Garden and downtown taking in St. Patrick's, Times Square and $9.99 burgers and beer. Those two are fun to have around!

After church on Sunday we got outta dodge in the car. It's always amazing to see our city from above ground. Dominic and I make terrible navigators (Ok, Dom's not so bad). I didn't even realize the street we live on was one way. Fortunately we made it safe and sound to Oyster Bay and Roosevelt's home. We only had a couple hours, but took full advantage of the sunset to walk down to the sound and listen to the waves. Who knew we were so close to the water?!

There's something very special about spending time with our family. Thank you so much for coming to see us! Y'all come back now ya hear?

Project Cicero

Project Cicero gives books to under-resourced NYC public schools, homeless shelters, juvenile detention facilities, community centers, and reading programs like the one where I volunteer each week.

Books come from an annual citywide book drive. It's a nice exchange from independent, public and parochial schools, organizations and corporations to the places mentioned above. In 2010, Project Cicero distributed 200,000 books.

Distribution. Enter Volunteer Sarah.

Today me and four of my closest volunteer buddies from the South Bronx brought empty suitcases to the Pennsylvania Hotel near Herald Square to collect as many books as we could carry. Unfortunately, we were on the wait list and the last session to collect, so we had slim pickins. Dr. Seuss was on my list, (along with 'how things work' books and Scholastic picture books with large letters for kindergartners) but Seuss must be popular because I missed the last of the books.

Regardless of the selection, you get 45 minutes to run back and forth from the book conference room to your luggage in the hallway. I must have carried four or five armloads. It was like being a kid in a free candy shop.

Thanks to Project Cicero our program library got five full suitcase loads of books for this year!

Ninth grade Earth Sciences

Three weeks ago the director of a reading program where I volunteer approached me with a 'perfect fit'. She said, "Sarah, you work in health and one of our students is failing his ninth grade Earth Sciences class and needs a tutor. In my mind I think you'll be an excellent tutor for him!"

Earth Sciences and health promotion... it was a correlation similar to Peace Corps designating me a Community Health Educator based on my communication's internship in the Central Ohio Diabetes Association. "I would be happy to," I replied.

So we sat down, David and I, and that first week we calculated gradient. Turns out my brain was able to dust off my high school education after all. I was very concerned, however, that what he might throw at me in subsequent weeks would prove my incompetence and break my director's 'perfect fit' ideal.

Yesterday David comes in and presents me with his Regents exam packet. Students are allowed to use this guide during the examination, but they obviously need to know each topic proficiently to be able to use the guide. He says, "I hate C14." I thought to myself. "Me too."

He was specifically struggling with the concept of the half life of isotopes. C14 was just the first one, but there are three other calculations he needed to understand as well. We started the only way I could imagine -- he let me read the book. All of a sudden I decided to use what I knew which was health.

"David," I said. "Think about people. What would a human's half life be?" He said 50 years which sounded good to me. I told him the half life of carbon was not 50, but 5,730 years and I asked him what characteristics people exhibit when they've reached their half life. "Wrinkles, a bad back, muscle soreness, maybe." We were on a roll. I explained that people can do things to change our half life. Smoking, drunk driving and extreme sports all affect our condition when we reach our half life. Carbon, interestingly enough, is not affected by any external conditions. It is going to age by 5,730 years regardless of pressure, temperature or light.

We went on to discuss how when humans reach half life we don't change into anything else. We decompose. We began talking about decomposition, trash and compost and I quickly realized I was getting off topic. "Carbon, however, changes into lead. So every 5,730 years there are going to be smaller percentages of carbon and larger percentages of lead in the sample. This goes on indefinitely," I read. We looked at the questions on his homework and by the grace of God my explanation worked. He completed the entire assignment perfectly. He was proud of his understanding.

I'll admit, we turned to problems in the book and got stuck on one of the calculations. Fortunately for both of us David is strong at math. He'll check that question with his teacher tomorrow.

My director was right. Despite my doubts, despite my intimidation, despite my lack of qualifications I can serve this ninth grader. At the very least he is getting positive reinforcement from someone learning right along with him.

NY Style Caribbean Getaway

This is our new mid-winter escape. Thank the Lord for the New York Botanical Garden.

I'll admit, the winter is making us weary. It's cold, it's brown, and the frozen yellow snow has trash poking out of it now. Yesterday we splurged on a family membership to the garden. It was the best investment we have made in a long time.

Inside the conservatory we wandered through the exhibits ranging from a high desert to the tropical rainforest. Plants, plants everywhere! It was a feast for the eyes. The web site states: "The Enid A Haupt Conservatory is beautiful in all seasons, but in winter it feeds the color starved soul with lush green leaves and florid flowers and warms the cold and weary with it's sultry climate." Sultry climate, now that's where I belong.

Who knew fern leaves were 'born' all wrapped up like this? From chocolate beans to exotic orchids we were like kids in a candy store exploring the exhibits.

Green is good.

The conservatory has the largest glasshouse in the United States, holding 11 distinct habitats. It was fun to walk through the tropics while glancing out the window at the snow-covered gardens.

After our walk Dominic went to the cafe to study while I ran around outside. I was praising God the entire time for this open space without cars or crosswalks, trash or dogs. It was a peaceful escape and a challenging jog.

We have a lot to look forward to as members of this special place. This spring the farmer's market will return and as the seasons progress we'll look towards picnics among the azaleas and rhododendrons, strolls through the herb, rock and rose gardens and morning jogs to the historic stone quarry.

Where do you escape from winter?

Nine Days that Changed the World

June 2-10, 1979, Pope John Paul II traveled to his native Poland to address a war-torn country. One third of the population saw him live, millions more listened on the radio and watched him on television as he told the depressed population: "Do not be afraid."

Newt and Callista Gingrich came to Fordham last night to present a screening of their newest documentary, Nine Days that Changed the World, about the historic trip. We were captivated by a story we knew very little about prior to this week.

After the screening we thanked the Gingrichs for coming to the Bronx. I shared that I was most struck by the power of Pope John Paul's devotion to the cross. Callista was very gracious and reiterated a point made in the documentary that as a country the U.S. hasn't experienced the radical oppression that many countries have because of the faith we cling to.

AeroGarden 3 weeks | Marriage 1.5 years

February is National Indoor Gardening Month! According to my first edition of AeroGrow magazine, there is an entire website of webinars and videos on indoor gardening. I now have my very own, year-round garden calendar so I know exactly when to plant for vine-ripened tomatoes all winter long and when fresh spring greens would be likely to sprout for summer salads.

If I sound excited about this gift it is because I am. Check out my herb garden's progress after exactly three weeks:

This is lemon basil under the light. Notice how the leaves rise up to get those rays:

The lights are on about 16 hours each day. They know exactly how much these little starters need to meet their full potential. Here's a picture from just a few hours later after the light went off:

Nap time

I'm thankful for Dominic, and not just because of his thoughtful generosity. Today we have enjoyed marriage for a year and a half. From Queen Anne hill to Rose Hill he makes my life exciting and inspires me to reach the highest heights.

A Sunday Sigh

Here we are ending January without a clue how this month has passed so quickly. It could be that we spent less than half the month in NYC, or that we spent only half together. This week was the end of a whirlwind of travel activity for a bit. A bit.

I arrived at LaGuardia on Tuesday night and non-intentionally stayed on Pacific Time for the remainder of the week. After work on Wednesday, while every other New Yorker rushed home to avoid the severe winter storm, Dominic and I put on our boots and caught the D train to Manhattan to grab a drink with a friend and fellow RPCV who was in town for for an interview. After reminiscing and getting caught up we were on track to get home well after midnight.

Thursday afternoon I got a call from one of Dominic's cousins who had been trying to fly into JFK for days. About a half an hour later she arrived at our apartment and we spent the evening getting to know one another. She was also in town for an interview [perhaps the state of our union is improving?] and would only be sleeping over for a couple nights, but it was a terrific opportunity to visit, learn more about the cousins, and hear about her international lifestyle. The willingness to travel and visit family members - no matter how often you talk or how well you know each other - is one of the best things about my in-laws. We were up late by default because of Dominic's class times.

On Friday night we hosted a Growing in Faith 101 class in our living room. The church we started attending regularly doesn't have a building yet so the mid-week classes, groups and studies typically take place in someones home. We're thankful for this community and honored to have the opportunity to host our neighbors. More on this to come...

Saturday we said goodbye to our cousin and then Dom voluntarily sacrificed his day to help people complete their taxes at a local nonprofit. I headed down to the South Bronx to read with elementary school students - the least I can do to address the failing school system in this city. We met at the train station and headed to Manhattan for a Mediterranean dinner with our Peace Corps friends. We ran from the restaurant - literally - to Broadway to see Mary Poppins. Mary couldn't have provided a better way to end such a hectic week.

Do you remember Mary Poppins? Surely supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, taken down with a spoonful of sugar, is a delightful memory from childhood. Of course humming Let's Go Fly A Kite is a lighthearted tune for Saturday afternoon chores, but do you remember the message of Mary Poppins? The magic of a talking umbrella and hopping into chalk art, the value placed on family over money, the focus on stewardship? This musical could have been written in 2008. It was a perfect way for Dominic and I to relax, refocus and remember our blessings. We are so grateful for the balance we've found here.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go feed the birds.

The Philippines

As I sit and stare out of the Fordham Library window at this...

....I can’t help but think about the stark contrast from where I was just a few days ago.

Sarah was kind enough to agree to allow me to take advantage of a great opportunity to attend a 2 week Project Assessment course in the Philippines. My first time in Southeast Asia was a wonderful experience.

The trip began auspiciously enough when I was delayed for a whole day. Now the reader may be thinking that this sounds terrible and it would indeed have been if I had been delayed someplace like O’Hare or JFK. Fortunately for me I was delayed here….

…In Guam. I eventually did make it to Manila.

We were hosted for the first week of classes by Ateneo de Manila. Outside of our classroom time we did get to go on some cultural trips and see the city. These included trips to the old city center known as Intramuros as well as Corregidor. This is the island where the Americans and Philippinos fought the last battle before being defeated (initially) by the Japanese in WWII. It was from here that McCarther’s “I shall return” comes.

While in Manila I also got to taste a local delicacy that I heard a lot about called balot. I thought I had eaten some challenging things while abroad in my past, but this one may take the cake. It is a duck egg that has been allowed to fertilize and so it has a nearly developed embryo inside. You break a hole in the top, drink the juice (which tastes a lot like chicken soup) and then proceed to eat the insides; hoping all the while that you don't taste feather or beak which is a sign that the egg has been allowed to fertilize for too long. Here's a photo of my particular egg.

It was rough getting it down, but it actually tasted pretty good.

For the second week of class we traveled to a rural fishing village in the south of Luzon island and spent time living with the local fishing folk. While learning about a local livelihood project (which we were there to assess) we got a chance to go fishing with them. Here we are traveling by boat out to a fishing site.

This was a highlight of the trip. The fishermen spread out these nets that then sink down in the water a few feet in a circular pattern.

They then use these tools which are kind of like large toilet plungers to smack the water. This hopefully startles the fish so that they scramble and get caught up in the net. The video below is of me taking part in the smacking. Our catch was pretty minuscule so perhaps my form can use some work.

After catching our fish we went to a white sandy beach, started a fire and ate our catch. It was a pretty darn neat experience.

The villagers in Baranguay Uno, Batangas were so friendly. It had been a while since I had stayed with a host family and I forgot how enjoyable and worthwhile it is to stay with locals while traveling; even if only for a few days, as was the case on this trip. here's a picture of the village:

I, as so many others before me, was very enamored of the artistry of the most common mode of public transportation in the Philippines: the Jeepney.

This particular Jeepney caught our eye. Not sure why Mike Tyson is associated with the Bronx? But nonetheless it's pretty sweet.

All in all it was a great trip and a worthwhile class. Hopefully Sarah and I will be able to visit Southeast Asia sometime in the future.