The Basics

So, seeing as this is my 4^th post, I figured that it should be about time that I fill you all in on the basics of my situation since I’ve moved out here to Harrisburg. However, I am not quite sure how this post will end up, I may end up venturing into “non-basic-land” and teeter on the border of “in-depth-land.” If you were not expecting such an adventure then please accept my sincerest apologies for leading you astray with the title of this blog post. I hoped to upload some pictures from my road trip out here and write about that experience, but my computer literally will not allow it. I’ve tried to upload pictures and it says no, that it’s too full. And I think it’s just because my PC is lazy, and because he doesn’t get much exercise. I try to slim him down (remove programs) but he will not let me. Jerk.

So anyways. I am living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which is the capitol of PA (raise your hand if you didn’t know that Harrisburg was the capitol of PA. If you raised your hand you are in the majority who figured that it was Philadelphia, and if not Philly, then definitely Pittsburgh, and if not Pittsburgh, then who the heck knows). I only figured this little factoid out when I visited Katie in early June. She picked me up from the airport in D.C. and as we were arriving into Harrisburg I saw a building that looked a lot like a capitol building, and that’s when it hit me. The fact that Harrisburg only has a population of around 50,000 also adds confusion as to why it is the Capitol of PA, the “Keystone State.” My only guess would be its central location in PA and because it’s right on the Susquehanna River.

I moved into a two bedroom apartment with a friend of mine who I met in Thailand a couple years ago named John-Michael. JM (as I like to call him) and I originally bonded in Thailand because of our affinity for hardcore music. We still share this affinity but also many more. It’s a pleasure to live with JM and it’s been a blessing. And it’s amazing how perfectly this living situation worked out, really. When I was looking to move to Harrisburg, JM had just moved into Harrisburg and was looking for a roommate. It was a match made in heaven (cute, I know). Anyways, we live in a section of Harrisburg called “Alison Hill.” It’s one of the more “rougher” areas of Harrisburg. There is a lot of poverty, unemployment, and crime related to drug use and drug trafficking. It’s extremely diverse. White people are the minority here. JM, Katie and her roommates, and I definitely stick out here. It’s a lot like stepping into a totally different culture. I will write more later about what it has been like living “on Alison Hill” as they say. One of the big perks of my living situation is that I am only two blocks from where Katie and her roommates live. It’s been great having her so close by, especially after four months of having her not so close by.

Shortly after I moved in, I started going to work at a used book warehouse called Midtown Scholar. It’s a job that Katie’s roommate, Desiree, helped set up for me. I am so thankful that she did. It doesn’t pay a whole lot, it’s not very rewarding, it gets kind of cold in the warehouse, but I have been blessed to have an income shortly after arriving here (especially when I didn’t have much money to start with), and I have met some amazing people there. The management treats their employees really well. They are really flexible and considerate and you can tell it’s about the people, not about how many books they are shipping out a day. My boss, Seung, has already bought me lunch six or seven times, and he usually brings in donuts at least once a week for everyone to partake in. My duties there are pretty simple. For a large portion of the day I will be wrapping books (putting the books in a plastic baggy and then taping a cardboard box around the book). I also “pull” books which means I take a stack of orders and go out and find the books in the warehouse and “pull” them off the shelf so that they can be wrapped. Sometimes I “shelve” books, which includes taking new shipments of books that arrive at the warehouse and putting them where there’s room on one of the many shelves in the warehouse so that one day they can be pulled, and then wrapped. I just started a new and exciting part of my job, think of it as a promotion of sorts. I now “dazzle.” Exciting I know. “Dazzlers” take the already wrapped books and scan the order form (which is taped onto the front of the package by the wrappers) into the computer database. This puts all the shipping info and stuff into a spreadsheet of sorts so that it can be printed out all neat and orderly on a sticker which we then adhere to the front of the package and toss in a gigantic cardboard box. I like dazzling because it’s something new. And because there are some funny/funky looking names out there that give me an occasional chuckle.

As of last week, I just started a new part-time job working as a case manager at a place called Susquehanna Harbor Safe Haven (SHSH). SHSH is a residential facility for chronically homeless men that have been diagnosed with a mental illness. It’s not a shelter, but it’s not an intense transitional housing, high demands and expectations, three-step program type of deal either. It’s a brand new building and program that just started this summer, so everyone is still trying to figure things out. Since it’s such a new program, it’s off to a little of a slow start (and because the people in charge of SHSH are also in charge of several other programs and they are inundated with work). So my first week basically consisted of me spending time with and getting to know the staff and residents that I will be working with. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be doing there, and neither is my supervisor, but I’m looking forward to being involved with this program and maybe giving input that may help shape what the program will look like in the future.

So this is the first time that I’ve worked two jobs at the same time. They are both part-time jobs that are pretty flexible, which is really nice. But it still takes some time getting used to. I am really thankful that I have found these jobs and I look forward to how they both will end up in the future.

Since arriving in Harrisburg I have been going to a church called Harrisburg Brethren in Christ (or HBIC) with Katie and Desiree. It is very different from what I’m used to, but in an incredibly beautiful way. It’s the first congregation that I’ve been a part of that is racially diverse. It’s not quite 50% are white and 50% are black but it’s one of the most racially diverse churches in the nation. I know that it is because in my racial reconciliation class (that’s held at HBIC) that I’m going to with Desiree and Katie, I’ve learned that one of the most racially segregated times in the United States is on Sunday mornings. Something like less than 3% of churches in the United States have a congregation that is racially diverse (which means that at least 20% of the congregation consists of people that are a different skin color of the 80%). It’s really a shame that this is true. And it’s a big problem that I have no idea how to fix. But I am learning a lot. And as I’ve lived here I’ve been learning a lot about myself and my own racial misconceptions and prejudices that I never knew I had. The class is the first time that I have been in a group of people that openly and honestly talk about a topic that hardly anyone wants to acknowledge. It’s been eye-opening to say the least.

So that’s pretty much the basics. I hope to touch on certain aspects that I’ve mentioned in more detail in more posts in the future. Life is very different here, but I am loving it. I miss all my Cali peeps and my family but I know that I will see you soon and you remain in my heart and in my thoughts.

Some highlights so far have included:

-moving in to the surprise of a fully furnished room.

-the racial reconciliation class at HBIC

-eating lunch with a family of Burmese refugees in Alison Hill

-meeting so many new people

-experiencing fall on the east coast

-visiting John C. at Cornell

-going to a Tyrone Wells concert in Philly

-visiting Katie’s family in Ohio

-going to “Field of Screams”

-playing “Street Fighter” on Sega Genesis with JM and Katie

-and getting to see my girl every day (well almost every day).