4/12/2018 0 Comments Spring FeverIt’s April, and supposedly spring despite the chilly temperatures; however, I will say that after visiting the Boston YAVs this past weekend, I have gained a greater appreciation for DC weather. All-in-all, life is going well in the nation’s capital. March was a busy month with Pilgrimage spring break groups and Lent consuming the majority of my time, but now that it’s April, I feel like I can breathe again. I have always loved spring. Growing up in Mississippi, we had a field of daffodils in front of our house. The bright yellow flowers contrasting against the relatively gray gloom of late winter always brought me joy. We had several different varieties of the flowers so we had blooms from January through Easter. In DC this joy has not faded; I pick the flowers and put them around the church. I walk around the Rock Creek Parkway behind the Church of the Pilgrims where the hills are covered with these fragrant yellow harbingers of spring. I am now going to the gardens and museums that I had postponed visiting until the flowers bloomed. I have also embraced the most famous of DC’s flowers, the cherry blossoms. Here in DC it is cherry blossom season. In November, I took a ranger led tour of the National Mall where the ranger explained the origins and history of the Japanese cherry blossoms in DC. As spring approached, I kept updating peak bloom time (based on NPS “cherry blossom watch”) on our house calendar so that my roommates and I could wake up before the tourists and take in springtime in DC. On Easter after sunrise service at the Lincoln Memorial, I walked around the tidal basin and took pictures of the cherry blossoms (way too many if you ask Sarah Jeanne, one of the Boston YAVs) just before they reached peak bloom. I even bought a new Metrocard just because this one had a picture of cherry blossoms on it. This Saturday is the Cherry Blossom Parade and I plan on braving the tourists to attend. All of this to say I love spring and am discovering new and beautiful ways to love this city I now call home. The District of Columbia continues to surprise and amaze me. On our one real snow day, I went to a mass snowball fight on the National Mall with a few hundred new friends. I have heard Mayor Muriel Bowser speak six times explaining why she loves this city. I have made connections with the participants of Charlie’s Place, a service organization for those experiencing homelessness, where I volunteer on Tuesday mornings. Many of the participants call me Mississippi, which seems to me harder to remember than Sam! When I went with the other DC YAVs to talk about the YAV Program at First Presbyterian Arlington, one of the members at the Church of the Pilgrims told me how much he had missed seeing me that Sunday. Now, when I walk down the street, I am asked for directions instead of being asked if I am lost. I have built community, explored this city, struggled with public transportation, and seen what it means to be a “church” in the middle of the city. DC residents are fighters; they constantly face displacement, a rising cost of living, taxation without representation, and disparities between the beliefs of the city and the current administration. Maybe it’s the spring flowers that have renewed my optimism, but I want to keep watching DC fight for its people who love this city for more than just the monuments. I have begun looking for jobs and opportunities that would enable me to stay here when my YAV position has ended. (If you have any job leads, I would not be opposed to assistance). Ways you can continue to support me along this journey:
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AuthorMy name is Sam Russell. I am 23 years old and determined to discover more about the world and my place in it. I love exploring, travelling, learning, and enjoying nature. In May of 2016, I graduated with honors from The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) with a degree in business administration. Following graduation, I spent a summer working in Skagway, Alaska (If you’ve never been to Alaska I highly recommend it) before accepting a front desk job at The Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City. Since a young age, I thought I had my entire future as a hotel manager/owner figured out. However, now that I am in the “real world,” my goals are changing, putting me in a period of vocational and spiritual discernment. I believe that adventure is all around us and that we must embrace it and grow from it to become who we are meant to be. Being a Young Adult Volunteer in Washington D.C. is the next step on my journey, and I can’t wait to see what this incredible city has in store for me! Archives
January 2018
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