The Road Trip: Vermont and Back

After leaving Montreal, we typed my friend Kelsey's address into the GPS and headed back to America. After buying souvenirs, we crossed the border. At the border, they pulled us over and interrogated us and searched our car. But we we passed and they let us into America where we then mailed postcards to our friends and hosts.

KELSEY!!! 

Vermont's lakes were flooded. A lot. It was unbelievable how close the lake waterline in all the lakes we passed were to the road. Apparently, they are having extreme floodings due to all the snow melting from the rain they had after the crazy winter. So driving was cool because the water was really close to where the road began.

We got to Burlington around 1 and since Kelsey was at work we decided to visit the Magic Hat Brewery. You can give yourself a self-guided tour or you can wait for a guide to give it. We waited since we showed up right before one started. They also give you unlimited free beer samples (omnomnom). The tour we could have just done by ourselves without the guide. They didn't say much (Sam Adams was much better with their tour) that was really important besides their history. But their gift shop was fun and they had crazy artwork and Magic Hat is delicious and super cool and they love music and arts so I like them too (: Also I loved our tour guide's beard. He was a hipster to the max and I loved him. I wanted to touch his beard but I didn't.

The Steamboat.

After Magic Hat, the next stop was the Shelbourne Museum where Kelsey works. It appears I had neglected to inform my fellow roadie how awesome it was. (Basically, when I suggest a place to visit, there's an 89% chance it will be amazing and 100% chance that we can make it be amazing so no more doubt and skepticism please.) The Shelbourne Museum is a super cool, former estate of this rich lady who loved collecting things and art. They have lots of really old buildings from the estate in addition to the ones they moved there by helicopter and train. They even have a gigantic steamboat sitting on their lawn (SOOOO COOL)!!

Kelsey was the bestest and got us in for free since she works there (: We spent 2 hours frolicking about and looking at circus exhibits and gun exhibits and blacksmiths working and printing presses (and how they evolved over time, amazingness). Afterwards, we met up with Kelsey and went to dinner.

By that time, I wasn't feeling the greatest but I thought maybe it was because I was hungry. We ate at an amazing place that served quesadillas and food and I scarfed mine down really quickly because we had our most important part of the trip ahead of us: The Avett Brothers.

Even Sarah Palin went to hear the Avett Brothers!

I love Vermont because they invited the Avett Brothers to their state and gave us free ice cream during the concert. As I said before, a large reason why I wanted to visit Kelsey and drive up north was because I knew that she had a ticket that I could use for this concert (: Which was sooo very very good. I only wish that I didn't feel so sick during it (I really felt miserable and that put a damper on things for me but I tried so hard to look not sick for everyone else) But the Avett Brothers were amazing and so good and sexy and I love them and you should go see them in concert if you ever get the chance!!!

After the concert, we crashed in Kelsey's awesome apartment. I really liked her place, it's cute and she has a nice room and wonderfully large kitchen. Kelsey's roomie had a huge air mattress for me to sleep on that inflated like 2 feet thick (I've never seen one so thick). I fell asleep almost instantly and didn't hear anyone get up to turn off lights or doors nor did I hear her roomie walk past me to get to her room. I DID however wake up when the dog tried climbing up on the mattress at 6am. That brought a short shriek out of me since I forgot a dog existed and I wasn't expecting a hairy dog-face in my face. But that was a fun surprise.

Vermont is awesome becasue they have large farmer's markets in walking distance and so we went there to watch Vermontians protect and sell their rhubarb and let their babies play in the fountain. We ate breakfast at a place sorta like NDB but they have more selection and it was incredibly good (and I wasn't sick in the morning yayayay)

After roaming Burlington for a while and getting Vermont maple creemies, it was noon and we had to start heading back towards home. (Booo. It was soooo sad leaving Kelsey but she's very happy in Vermont so that makes me happy.) We drove. Correction: Michael drove. I rode. He still wouldn't let me drive. For dinner, we showed up in the Bronx in Denise's neighborhood and ate real New York pizza. [Side rant- everyone claims NY pizza is amazing but to me it tasted like normal pizza and wasn't as special except that my slice had lots of veggies in addition to chicken]

Real New York pizza

Denise met us at her favorite local place and we ate pizza with her and her friend and then we went to her house to say hi to her family (I think they thought we were crazy for randomly showing up in the city without really making plans that morning to do so because they seemed a bit confused as to how we got there). Denise's dog loved Michael though. I think it was because the dog's fur is a blonde version of Michael's hair. 

We left New York City and headed home for realsies. The only traffic we EVER encountered on the trip was in Newark, DE (go figure) on our way back to my house (in MD). We got to my house around 11 and Michael dropped me off so he could go back to DE so he could wear his Canada hat to church in the morning. (I love Pastor John Groth).

And that was the end of the trip ):

Pretty much that was the 1st and best vacation I had ever had. A 6-day road trip was a good choice. 6 days was long enough that you weren't exhausted or annoyed or whatnot from being on the road for too long away from home but it was still long enough that I was ready to go back to real life by the end. I had lots of fun and learned a lot and finally finished reflecting from it. Yay!

My favorite quotes were "We're in Canada!" and "Green means GO!" and "Cow I win!" and anything that Kelsey said. And I still wear my Canada trucker hat every time I drive my car.

The end.

Reactions towards the 'wicked'

One can learn so much about their friends in how they react to news. For example, this Sunday was when the nation learned that Osama bin Laden died. To be honest when I first heard I was so tired that I didn't care but I passed it on to my friends so that they were aware because I figured it was important. 

I was not expecting what happened though. Riots outside of my window? Cheering and spontaneous parades on Main Street? USA chants every night in the bars? Since when did our nation care?

People took so much pleasure in the death of one man. Yes, he was responsible for terrible crimes. Yes, it appeared that he was not repentant for the acts of Sept 11. Yes, our government needs to protect its people. But he was still a man with a soul. I worry about how people in the Middle East will react to our response to this news. We call ourselves a "Christian nation" (although I would argue that we are not) yet as a people we do not share the grace that our God shares. What impact will this have in our relations with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq?

On a smaller, more day-to-day scale, where do we act without compassion and grace towards the wicked? One example I've noticed is how we treat criminals. Do we act with grace and wisdom in trying to help them and pray for a change in heart? No. More often than not, I see the opposite. For example, people in my classes get together every week to watch the show 'To Catch a Predator' so they can make fun of each man that appears on the show and so they can feel better about their own lives. They get an ego boost because they aren't 'as bad as that guy.'

This breaks my heart on so many levels. Where do we find justice in comparing ourselves to others when we all have different stories and personalities and problems? No one is good, not one. Through the grace of God, we can be forgiven and freed from our sin but not a single person deserves it. It hurts a lot hearing people make fun of rapists or murderers or felons of any sort when they have not met or gotten to know one. So much systemic injustice and brokenness exists in societies that end up causing these crimes to happen and complicate things. 

If there has been one lesson that I have learned this year, we need to learn how to forgive the most heart-breaking and disappointing crimes otherwise nothing will get restored. And the only way to truly forgive someone is by leaning on God and asking him to change YOUR heart and not just the "wicked's" for we all are wicked. 

We should not rejoice in another human's demise but we should rejoice when another has a change of heart. Ezekiel 33:11 says, ‘...As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live....' Let this be our stance and motto as a nation instead.  

MLK, Jr's Day

Today is probably the one day a year when America reflects on the injustices that has occurred within our own borders, on our own citizens by our own citizens. And today is the day that everyone quotes Martin Luther King, Jr's famous "I had a dream" speech. (Sometimes I wish that we would learn some of his other speeches too because I know they are very good as well.)

The famous question that is always being asked on this day is did we accomplish his dream? I've been perusing the news and other people's opinions on various blogs about what they think and there seems to be a general consensus that the USA has come a very long way in helping to achieve MLK, Jr's dream but we aren't there yet.

Seeing firsthand, I can tell we aren't finished accomplishing this dream. It hurts a lot when I go home and I can see what racism does. My friend can't date a certain person because of his background. A friend's father won't hire someone because his skin-color automatically makes him "lazy." A coworker gets a promotion and everyone claims it's because of minority status.

Fortunately, we have come a long way. And I want to celebrate this fact. My parents will tell me stories about when they were growing up and how life was like. My town has come a long way; even throughout history, this is a fast pace that we're trying to change.

There's a mural in Philadelphia that represents victims of crimes. Right next to it is a mural representing the the oppressors and criminals. (Supposedly the victims and oppressors worked together to help create the murals.) On the oppressors' mural there is a poem on it and some lines from it say,

"I am... all human... all hues of man."

 I think that these murals represent both sides of our lives. All too often, Americans like being the victim. We think, "This is what happened to me, this is why I am the way I am and it wasn't my fault" but we do not acknowledge all the times that we oppress others. These two murals combined I think represent my life: victimized and yet oppressing others in a terrible cycle that I can't get out of.

But some day, the cycle will end. We all are born sinners, battling with these injustices and problems. And because of this, we will have problems. No matter how hard we try, there will be problems. However, through God's glory and love and power, these problems will one day be resolved.

"The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; [the Lord] upholds the orphan and the widow."

- Psalm 146:7-9

 I believe that I have been set free from injustices and because of this faith one day the earth will be restored and then all will be made right. I don't believe that because I have faith in a Saviour that I won't ever see or experience injustices (on either side) on this broken earth but it will change some day. I do believe that Christ is the person that changes hearts, not laws, not policies, and not force. The Holy Spirit is what will cause souls to stir and continue to seek justice and repentance.

Our nation has come a long way. We still need to seek out humility and an attitude that is willing to change. I personally think that more change would be witnessed if we understood and focused on the heart change and not a policy change. What's in our hearts as individuals, as a town, as a state and as a nation is ultimately is what will bring about the fulfillment of MLK's dream.

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."

 Amen.