Pretty soon, I’ll be packing up my bags and moving again.  This time last year, I was on my way to Mobile, Alabama.  Now, I’m off to Nashville, Tennessee.

First, let me assure you: I have no aspirations to be a country music star.  Quite the opposite, actually; I am extremely picky with country music.  Of course, I have been reassured that Nashville is much bigger than that, both regarding music and as a whole.

I’m actually doing another year of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the program that brought me to Alabama.  In Nashville, I’ll be working with a re-entry program that helps felons leaving prison.

I’m excited about my work, but I’m also excited to be living in a new city, one that is a bit bigger than Mobile — which sometimes feels more like a small town than a small city.  The New York Times had an article about the food […]

I am not a mother.  I am asked at least once a week if I have any kids, though, and I’m never quite sure how to respond.  A simple “no” seems curt.  “Not yet” implies that I will be, soon.  And “I’m not old enough” is perhaps true in the society in which I grew up, but not either biologically or socially in my new environment..  I am 23 years old; by this age, some of my clients have 2, 3, 4, even 7 kids.  (I work at a day center for the homeless in Alabama.)  One of my roommates, who works with Girl Scouts in the public housing projects, intentionally tries to respond with “I’m not old enough,” to try to influence her pre-teen and teenage girls.  In their environment, it is normal to have a child by the time you’re 18 or 19.  The idea that a woman in her early to mid-20s isn’t old enough to […]

I recently moved back to my parents’ house, where I’ll be for another month until I move to Alabama.  In all three places, summer can be brutal.  As my home is not air conditioned, there is little respite from the humidity.

I’ve taken to finding some easy ways to stay cool.  I often give myself “sponge baths” — a quick wipe-down of my arms and legs and face with a cool, wet towel.  It works wonders.  I’ve been staying in front of a fan pretty much at all times, drinking a lot of water, and sleeping under light sheets.  I’m sure there are lots of other tricks, though, and I’d love to hear yours.  After all, I’ll be moving to southern Alabama in the middle of August — I’ll need all the help I can get to stay cool!