Well, we've survived our first week in Philadelphia! I just came back from a neighborhood block party. It seems that our neighborhood is mostly families with young kids, with a couple of Jesuits and assorted sisters thrown in. We were fed some great food and had the chance to enjoy a lazy summer afternoon with our new neighbors.

I've spent most of my time this week at a mandatory domestic violence training that I need to complete before I can start taking on clients at the shelter. The training is spread out over three weeks and is being held in Center City at the Duane Morris building (definitely the nicest office space I'll be in all year!) We've got a great mix of people attending the training, including the new executive director of Women Against Abuse, a few crisis counselors from the shelter, a case manager at Sojourner House (WAA's transitional housing facility), administrative staff from the legal and advocacy departments, and one parole officer who works specifically with perpetrators of domestic violence. Staff members from WAA and other DV organizations based in Philadelphia have come in to give presentations on DV concerns in specific populations such as families, teens, and LGBTQI and immigrant communities; as well as on legal and mental health issues that we might encounter.

The training has actually been more difficult than I expected. Domestic violence is not a happy topic, and it can be really distressing to hear about its effects on victims and their children. It's also frightening to realize that no one, regardless of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation, or nationality, is 100% safe from domestic violence. I'm glad that WAA provides strong institutional support for staff self-care. Friday was self-care day at the shelter; after a half-day of training, I arrived at the shelter just in time for ice cream sundaes in the dining room! I spent the rest of the afternoon helping to paint what will soon be the new staff lounge (formerly the children's art room - thanks to some generous donations, we've got a brand new art room for the kids, where they can work with art therapists.)

We also survived our first week of living in community! Navigating chore charts, bathroom schedules, and grocery lists for 7 people with a wide range of personal habits and food needs has been surprisingly uncomplicated, although I am trying to remember that we've lived together for a grand total of 12 days, and are probably still in the honeymoon phase of our community life!

On Tuesday night our support people, Brian and Elizabeth, came over with some wine and cheese for our first official Community Night (one of the requirements of JVC is that we dedicate one night per week to community and another night per week to spirituality). They talked with us about some of the things that went wrong in their JV communities, and encouraged us to start conversations now about issues like kitchen etiquette, technology use, and guest policies. Not the most stimulating of discussions, but definitely things we should be thinking about.

Overall, not a bad week. I still need to work out some transitional issues that come with moving to a new city, like finding a church that has the right mix of tradition, ritual, openness, social justice, and community (quite a tall order!) but for the most part, life is good! I feel like every day I discover something new and wonderful about living in a JV community, whether it's the subscription to the Catholic Worker that appeared on our doorstep, or the cookies that arrived from an FJV in Kentucky (thanks Sr. Jeana!), or the experience of throwing together a dinner made entirely from non-perishable food items left behind by last year's Philadelphia community. I'm sure the challenges of living simply and in community will become more apparent as the year goes on, but right now I'm grateful for the little blessings that come with this life.