An epic day

I've had a little bit of a tough week. Work has been hard, I've been struggling with insecurities, and i'm tired. I think I may have cried myself to sleep (or at least cried while talking to Matt before falling asleep) at least once since last Saturday. So I was really looking forward to this weekend - but I also wasn't expecting too much from it. Today turned out to be just the day I needed.

I got up to find that Ket was already cleaning up the house in anticipation of our "Garden Work Day and Tea"with members of Rochester Area Mennonite Fellowship. I put on some tea and was finally able to journal a bit about my struggles this week and work - to think things through and feel more at peace with where I'm at. And then we got to host the first work day for our yard. In exchange for $25 dollars off the rent, the church negotiated that we would be responsible for maintaining the front yard at our house. The day before we arrived, Austin weedwacked the weeds/grass in the yard - but other than that the landscaping doesn't look like it has been touched in a few years. With help from a few members of the church we pulled out almost everything from the front bed (mostly invasive species and weeds), cleaned away the weeds from the foundation, and trimmed our front hedge by at least 4 feet (it's still at least my height - so that gives you some idea of all the work we did). It was so great to be outside doing something physical for a change. Plus we talked as we worked, and sat for awhile afterwards for tea and cake/muffins. It was a beautiful example of fellowship and mutual aid - what was an intimating mess turned into a fun morning project and a time to bond with members of the church. And the weather was perfect for working outside - it had rained last night so the ground was soft and the fall weather was making its first real appearance. The perfect beginning to a beautiful day.

After about an hour of down time, at the urging of our J-Team, Ket and I made our way over to the Greentopia festival in High Falls. We ended up walking there which gave us some time to talk and laugh, to notice the city, and to enjoy the sun coming out from behind the rain clouds. The festival was great! J-team was there with Sweet Beez, we learned about so many ecofriendly/ fair trade things in Rochester, and we got to try some awesome samples. Plus we got to walk out over the Genesee River and see High Falls - a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the city of Rochester.

High Falls! 

While on the bridge, we met another couple from church and talked more about the things to see and do in Rochester. I felt like we were being successful Rochestatrians, plus having a blast! I bought a recycled journal - whose cover is a map of the Finger Lakes/Lake Ontario region where I'm living at the moment - and some homemade shampoo soap. And Ket and I also got some grocery shopping done for the house.



On the way home we met up with a friend of mine from 6 yrs ago who also happens to be in Rochester and tried out our first garbage plate. I was a little intimidated by this Rochester tradition - but we all, including Megan Pettigrew, had our first plate this evening. Hot dogs (or burgers), Fries, Mac Salad, onions, and a spicy meat sauce poured over top - not at all good for you but maybe the best way to pack your body full of protein and carbs for a low price (which was the goal when they first became popular during the great depression). We ended up talking for over an hour and eventually realized that Megan had Sweet Beez plans to extract honey - so we all tagged along.

Honey extraction overlooking Rochester at sunset. 

Thus we ended up watching the sun set from the roof of an old warehouse near the Genessee River where Sweet Beez keeps most of their hives. The bees were lively, we were excited to see what was going on, and the view of Rochester in the evening was striking. We retired to the Sweet Beez office to taste the honey right off the combs and then to watch the centrifuge work.

The day was filled with so many firsts and small adventures. So many good reminders that even if my service placement is tough, Rochester is still the place I need to be right now. And that I have an awesome, supportive community right here that will have my back and inspire me to be extra crazy. Life is good.