First day of internship: check.
Everyone else started Tuesday but AFSC didn't want me till today, so it was my first day. The LA office is really only 2 people- we share our office space with some of the regional employees so we're in a pretty big office downtown, but it's really only 2 other people and I working on our programs and projects. So one of my bosses picked me up from the office this morning and we went to one of the gardens AFSC organizes at a local community center and looked around at what needs to be done for the upcoming planting season today. The kids were out of school because today was a furlough day so we didn't stay long, but on Thursdays I'll be in the garden for at least part of the day working with the kids to maintain it. On Tuesday I'll be going into a school in South LA and helping to teach HIPP- the Help to Increase the Peace Program where we talk about social issues the kids are dealing with, like gang violence and police brutality. Next Tuesday we'll be taking a walking tour of the community and taking pictures of the community assets and some of the negative aspects of the local community as well, so that should be an interesting introduction to the program. And in the mornings/the time when I'm not in the garden I'll be working on researching grants and writing proposals.
I'm hoping to also do some kind of a photography project and incorporate something creative into my time here. So I'm excited about the experience (and having my very own office!) It should be a good semester.

Class is in full swing and we're now a few weeks into being true residents of LA. We've adopted our LA walk, we've learned where things are, and we can navigate the red/purple line easily (the busses still evade us most of the time). We've done a good amount of exploring and last weekend went to the Moon Festival in Chinatown and saw the dragon dance and had the best ice cream I have ever eaten. Ever. Food trucks are quickly becoming one of my favorite things in LA.

We are currently half way into our Urban Culture class which I have really enjoyed so far. We've been discussing social issues, mostly having to do with American systems and the ways in which they are limiting or broken and then we've been visiting either the organizations themselves or authorities in the issue we've discussed that day. This past week we were discussing the problem of public transportation and visited the Los Angeles MTA and had the opportunity to speak to the librarian who's been with the bureau for 20 years and had a really interesting perspective on the development (or lack thereof) of the public transportation system in Los Angeles- something we have a personal stake in because we are using it to get around while on LA Term. I was able to contrast this meeting with a meeting that I had previously attended with a representative from the Bus Riders' Union, an organization that seeks to protect and aid the minorities and low-income families and individuals that ride the busses, and they had a very different view of the actions of the MTA and their monetary policy (a brief synopsis of the situation can be found here). So being able to talk with the people involved in the issues we're studying has been really enriching and we've all taken ownership of our learning and these societal issues in new ways because we've had the opportunity to be so involved which has been great.

And we were placed in our internships this week and found out this morning who we'll be working with this semester. I will be working for the American Friends Service Community, a Quaker organization that works to promote peace and non-violent conflict resolution in the community. The Los Angeles area AFSC works with high school youth in the classroom and in a community garden twice a week so I will helping to teach and will be writing grants for the organization. It's a small office that works out of a really cool part of downtown so I am excited to get to know everyone and to start work next week.

This Saturday is museum day so we're going to hit up MOCA and the Echo Park Art Walk tomorrow night which should be a fun weekend.

Class tomorrow!

But homework today- it will be hard to get back in the habit of getting work done, but I'm looking forward to starting class and the field trips! Every class has an experiential portion, so we go visit places that are relevant to what we're learning. We just need to convince Paul (our prof) that the beach has a lot to do with urban culture.

Last night we went to Summer Nights in Chinatown which was a dance party/food truck smorgasbord/craft fair and had a great time! I'll put up some pictures soon.

The past few days have been hectic- we seem to have struck a theme. I'm anticipating that as the semester moves into its normal schedule which will begin next week this blog will be less about day to day activities and more about what I'm learning and experiencing in my classes and internship. But for now, here's some more stuff we did!

Yesterday we visited a few NPOs we may potentially internship which was exciting because it's the beginning of the interview and selection process. Last night we attended a lecture at the LA library on "conscious capitalism". The founders of Tom's shoes and the website and magazine Good were both interviewed by the one and only Kai Ryssdal for all you NPR fans. It was an interesting to hear what each company has done to bridge the gap between a non-profit and a profitable company and I enjoyed hearing about the creative solutions that were being used to combat old problems.

This morning we heard about all of the NGOs that were visited by all the groups the day before and there were so many great opportunities presented! I am excited to go on the rest of our site visits next week and narrow down my choices for my internship. After that we went downtown and explored a little. Berit introduced me to a great used bookstore on Spring Street and then we meet the rest of the group for Vietnamese food.

After dinner we went to the LA Art Walk. All of the art galleries downtown stay open really late and people can walk around a look at art and we weren't there for a long time but there was a parade and a lot of interesting things going on. And a lot of cool art!

Some friends at The Last Bookstore on Spring.

Thai tea that I had with dinner. I realized this evening that I'd only eaten foods that I'd never previously tried today. A day well spent.

Some (fuzzy- phone quality, sorry!) pictures from our scavenger hunt today. We had a great time exploring LA a little more.

hipster spotting in Echo Park

the 500 Days of Summer bench! Angles Knoll.

Today we hiked in Griffith Park which was quite hot but good bonding time for the group. And there were some pretty sweet views of LA and the Griffith Observatory.

This evening we went out for the birthday of one of the girls in our group and then snuck our way onto the roof of the Standard Hotel and looked around. It has a nice pool and great views so I'm sure we'll be back to go swimming at some point.

LA term has begun!

Berit and I moved into our home stay yesterday in Koreatown just a few blocks from the LARK where we're taking classes. We are living with an Indian woman named Prabha who has been very welcoming and is very enthusiastic about LA term. Our apartment is close to a grocery store, the public library, coffee shops, and a number of other things which will be wonderfully convenient.

Today we had a welcome lunch at Elysian Park and had the chance to meet all the other host families and meet up with our group again. Afterward Bethany and Whitney, who live the closest to us, went with Berit and I to the Korean market near our home and we got to see a little more of the area.

Tomorrow we start orientation week which will be busy but will get us acquainted with the city, public transportation, and our group. I'm glad we'll have this time to get things figured out before we start classes andinternships and really have to rely on our knowledge of LA and each other.

The view from our roof.

My roommate, Berit, and I at today's lunch in the park.