Southern Hospitality

After a long, but unbelievable, 5 days at the Bellarmine Retreat Center in Waynesboro, PA, five strangers left in two cars for Raleigh, NC, a place they would quickly come to call home. Our house is truly beautiful, aside from the cockroach here and there, with a huge porch that is being completely redone this week. We are really lucky to have been placed in this house, a house that has already become home to us all.


Upon our arrival in Raleigh, we were welcomed by a former JV with groceries and dinner. The following day, he brought us all around the city on a little tour and that night, we were graced with a potluck dinner at our house with colleagues from our new jobs, support people, and more former JVs. We have been more than welcomed with more than open arms. I cannot even express how amazing it feels to come to a new city and have over 20 people come to my house the second night with food to fill the fridge, conversation that lasts for hours, and hugs that are full of love. It has been a whirlwind so far.


We spent Thursday and Friday visiting our five placements. We had the opportunity to see where each of us will be working, to interact with each other's colleagues, and learn about each of the five agencies. Check them out for yourselves:
Alliance of AIDS Services - Carolina : http://www.aas-c.org
Disability Rights North Carolina: http://www.disabilityrightsnc.org
Urban Ministries of Wake County: http://www.urbanmin.org
Pan-Lutheran Ministries Families Together: http://www.plmft.org
Legal Aid North Carolina - Farmworkers' Unit: http://www.legalaidnc.org/public/learn/statewide_projects/fwu/default.htm
It was really great to be able to see where everyone will be working and having the chance to get an idea of what we will each be doing.


The past 24 hours or so have been some of my favorite so far. Last night, we went to The Nazareth House - a Catholic Worker house - for dinner with Scott, Roberta, and Anne, our support team for the year. Scott and Roberta opened Nazareth House about 5 years ago and have opened their doors to homeless men and women who need a place to stay after visiting the hospital, as well as to families of those on death row. The North Carolina Central Prison is less than a mile from our house and is home to the 159 inmates who are on death row. I know we will be learning a lot more about the death penalty this year, as it is practically on our doorstep. I am very interested to see how my opinions about the death penalty are either strengthened or changed based on all that I will learn this year. 


We have a great support team and had great conversations last night - ranging from discussion about the death penalty, the current controversies surrounding the Wake County School Board and their current initiative to basically re segregate the schools in the county (look it up!), spirituality, and then some. I am so excited to learn about more social justice issues, besides HIV/AIDS, this year and to have rich conversations with those who are directly involved in such issues. It is going to be a fantastic year as I learn and grow and my life takes shape!


Today, we went to Sunday morning mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Durham, NC, a primarily African-American parish run by the Jesuits. Fr. Ray, the priest there, is our Jesuit liaison and another member of our support team. When we stepped out of the car, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but mostly thought I was walking into your typical Sunday Catholic mass - boy was I wrong! There was a fantastic gospel choir that shared some beautiful music with the congregation. Fr. Ray's homily was really captivating, and the congregation was so welcoming. At the beginning of mass, all visitors are asked to stand up and introduce themselves, which the five of us did. When mass was finished, a handful of people came up to us asking us about our work, wishing us luck, and telling us to come back, that we were more than welcome in their community. 


I have never felt so welcome in a place as I feel here in Raleigh. Everyone we have met has been nothing but helpful, kind, and accepting of our presence. In just 5 days, I feel like I belong here. Southern hospitality...it is a blessed thing. I feel very blessed, lucky, and grateful for all that I have experienced so far, all of the people that I have met (both those in Raleigh and those doing JVC all over the East Coast), and for the southern hospitality that people always talk about. They aren't kidding about it!