From Hiking Mountain Roads to Exploring Philly
Sunday, August 27th, 2017
We landed and Deke and Kristen met us at the airport. We all rode the SEPTA bus (for the first time of many times) and headed to Deke's rooftop for our first pizza dinner as a Philly cohort.
The rooftop view from Deke's house:
Next, we headed to meet our hosts family for first time! We all were full of mixed emotions. I'll never forget the ride as we dropped each of us off and drove around the community that would become our new community for the next several months. Kristen had reminded us to take off our shoes before we entered the house, an Indonesian custom, however, I forgot! My homestay family is Vesia (mom), Sandrie (dad), Chelsea (two year old) and grandmother. My roommate is Hannah. We met our family and went over house rules. The first night we tried some very delicious Indonesian food and talked a bit about Philly. Then, we went to bed- our first night as a diverse family of Indonesians, Georgians, and an East African.
Meet my roommate, Hannah:
Monday, August 28th, 2017
Mrs. Kristen and Mr. Deke planned a scavenger hunt for us around Philadelphia.
We were all given teams and I was with Ellie and Addie! We were excited to begin and a little overwhelmed because we had to figure out how to navigate the city on SEPTA and the subway! We used goggle maps and the Septa app, and may have gotten a little lost... but we saw beautiful murals, had a wonderful lunch at the Plenty Cafe, got directions from people around the city, and had a lot of fun! We all took pictures at the Friendship gate bridge in Chinatown and Mrs. Kristen introduced us to one of the bubble tea spots in town, Kung Fu Tea.
Hannah had the idea of attending a Braves game so we all went to see a Philles VS. Braves game. The Georgia peaches were rooting for the Braves, however the Philles took the win. Nevertheless, the Braves did have many very impressive home runs!
Tuesday, August 29th, 2017
Today, was our first day of class at Philadelphia Praise Center. We learned about what the semester ahead would look like. We will be reading "Slow Kingdom Coming" and learning about how to better serve others and "practices for doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly in the world".
Wednesday, August 30th, 2017
Today was our second day of class at Philadelphia Praise Center with Dr. Lindy Backues. Later that night, we all got together and had a yummy spaghetti dinner at Kristen's home and made peach pies at Deke's home.
Afterwards, I came back to my home stay to hang out with my home stay sister, Chelsea!
Chelsea in pink:
Friday, September 1st, 2017
Today, we visited our internship locations! We went to NSC, Nationalities Service Center, "one of the most effective and established immigrant and refugee organizations in Philadelphia. NSC prepares and empowers immigrants and refugees to transcend challenging circumstances by providing comprehensive client-centered services to build a solid foundation for a self-sustaining and dignified future".
After we visited NSC, we headed to Southwark School, "one of Philadelphia's most diverse, progressive, and quickly improving elementary and middle schools in Philadelphia. Its student body represents over 32 countries with 48% as English language learners.
Tapestry at NSC:
Southwark School:
Saturday, September 2nd, 2017
Today, I rested and spent time with my homestay family!
Sunday, September 3rd, 2017
Today we went to church and afterwards we went to the Indonesian market!
This was my first time attending an Indonesian church and I loved it! My home stay dad sings and plays guitar in the worship band (pictured below in the jean jacket). I loved worshiping in both English and Indonesian- it was such a powerful reminder that God hears our prayers and hearts no matter where we are from or what language we speak.
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
The worship band at Philadelphia Praise Center:
The Indonesian Market:
