A rough month. Between the holidays and the illness/death of my grandfather, I was back and forth to Indiana three times. Thanks to the incredible flexibility of my team at GBA, I was able to work remotely for a week and avoid a fourth trip! I don't mind the travel so much, but working out the logistics of all these trips was stressful. Before I left the third time, my housemates and I were talking about what we could do with the PULSE group to reconnect and leave for the holidays on a high note. It was then that I realized just how much I had already checked out. Yes, I would be missing things in Pittsburgh while I was away, but I wasn't being present even when I was here.
I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with both my immediate and extended family in the past several weeks! I kept coming back to the fact that unlike in college when I knew I'd be in Indianapolis by the time May rolled around, I currently can't pin a date on the next time I'll be back. I love the wide open vastness of the future and all its possibilities, but at the same time there are that many more ways I can screw up my priorities. In other words, if I want to see my family, I now have to be the one to make it happen.
Anyway, of the various times I've left Pittsburgh since August, this was the first time that coming back here really felt like coming home.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Murals of Pittsburgh: A Smattering
I just can't get enough of street art. And last, clearly not a mural, but this is the giant inflatable duck that spent the last month with us here in Pittsburgh!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Settling
It's taken a while, but here's update number one on life in Pittsburgh! Our first week here was orientation, during which the 16 of us got to know each other and started to get acquainted with the city. Lots of team-building exercises, which were surprisingly fun as far as team-building exercises go. The whole PULSE group this year is really quality people, and it didn't take us long to get comfortable with each other. I'm living in the newest PULSE house, and no one had lived here for some time before us, which means that we had a few plumbing/mail/appliance issues at the beginning, which thankfully have now been resolved. Each of the houses wrote a house covenant to refer to about chores, conflicts, house money, guests, or other issues that might come up. My house is eating together four times a week (plus a community meal once a week with all the PULSErs), and it's a lot of fun seeing what everyone thinks to cook.
Since getting here we've figured out where the nearest restaurants and groceries and churches and libraries are to us. We've been learning some of the quirks of the city, like the Pittsburgh left (when a car in the left-turn lane speeds in front of the cars going the opposite way to make its turn as soon as the light turns green) and how on buses you always pay when you're farthest from downtown, no matter if you're getting on or off. Pittsburgh is full of variety, and while I am easily confused by the counter-intuitive streets, at least there are usually cool murals or buildings to look at when I get lost. One day I walked from downtown across the Monongahela River to my work. Little did I know that the bridge I took would leave me on a roadway where to my frustration I could see my building down by the water, but I could see no way to get down the huge height difference and across several sets of railroad tracks to get there.
I started my job at Green Building Alliance three weeks ago. During my second week the organization had a huge event for its 20th anniversary, so now that that's over things are falling into more of a routine. I had very little previous experience with green building, so I'm learning a ton. I've been researching topics for the website, working on the Green Workplace Challenge (a Pittsburgh contest to get businesses and organizations to do as many green actions as possible), and handling other various tasks as they come. I just wrote a resource page about composting toilets, which I never imagined getting excited about, but they're super cool. Haha. I have a fair amount of discretion about how I spend my time, so I'm curious to see what other interests I discover and what direction this year takes me... My coworkers are funny and helpful and incredibly good at what they do, so I have lots to learn from them too. Last week I went to a networking event at a bar downtown, which was a whole new experience. I've never had a full-time job before, never had to commute 45 minutes to get anywhere, and I've certainly never had to try to develop a professional network. One PULSEr did suggest that maybe the Mennonite game is good training for networking. Another said networking is like professional flirting, which seemed to me to accurately describe the weirdness of it.
The hardest thing about the past month has been trying to strike a balance. I have a different schedule than I'm used to, and we've been so busy getting settled that other things have been neglected. My hope for this month is to have more time for maintaining relationships, more time to be with my own thoughts, and more time to explore. There's so much to do in this city (we already have a whole list of things we want to do this year), and even though we only just got here it seems like there may not be enough time to do it! But in any case I'm thoroughly enjoying these new friends and this new home.
Since getting here we've figured out where the nearest restaurants and groceries and churches and libraries are to us. We've been learning some of the quirks of the city, like the Pittsburgh left (when a car in the left-turn lane speeds in front of the cars going the opposite way to make its turn as soon as the light turns green) and how on buses you always pay when you're farthest from downtown, no matter if you're getting on or off. Pittsburgh is full of variety, and while I am easily confused by the counter-intuitive streets, at least there are usually cool murals or buildings to look at when I get lost. One day I walked from downtown across the Monongahela River to my work. Little did I know that the bridge I took would leave me on a roadway where to my frustration I could see my building down by the water, but I could see no way to get down the huge height difference and across several sets of railroad tracks to get there.
I started my job at Green Building Alliance three weeks ago. During my second week the organization had a huge event for its 20th anniversary, so now that that's over things are falling into more of a routine. I had very little previous experience with green building, so I'm learning a ton. I've been researching topics for the website, working on the Green Workplace Challenge (a Pittsburgh contest to get businesses and organizations to do as many green actions as possible), and handling other various tasks as they come. I just wrote a resource page about composting toilets, which I never imagined getting excited about, but they're super cool. Haha. I have a fair amount of discretion about how I spend my time, so I'm curious to see what other interests I discover and what direction this year takes me... My coworkers are funny and helpful and incredibly good at what they do, so I have lots to learn from them too. Last week I went to a networking event at a bar downtown, which was a whole new experience. I've never had a full-time job before, never had to commute 45 minutes to get anywhere, and I've certainly never had to try to develop a professional network. One PULSEr did suggest that maybe the Mennonite game is good training for networking. Another said networking is like professional flirting, which seemed to me to accurately describe the weirdness of it.
The hardest thing about the past month has been trying to strike a balance. I have a different schedule than I'm used to, and we've been so busy getting settled that other things have been neglected. My hope for this month is to have more time for maintaining relationships, more time to be with my own thoughts, and more time to explore. There's so much to do in this city (we already have a whole list of things we want to do this year), and even though we only just got here it seems like there may not be enough time to do it! But in any case I'm thoroughly enjoying these new friends and this new home.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
PULSE Placement!
Only a couple more weeks here in Indy before I pack up and head to Pittsburgh to start my year with PULSE (Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience)! I recently found out that I'll be living with three other women in the newest PULSE house on Collins St. Once we all get there, we'll have a week of orientation to get settled in, get acquainted with each other, and start finding our way around the city. We'll also begin to work out what it means for us to be an intentional community, both within each house and as a whole group. This means setting the basis for finances, household expectations, group activities, and how individual needs or desires fit into community life.
We start our placements on September 3. I'm spending the year volunteering with Green Building Alliance, a nonprofit that provides knowledge to businesses (mainly) who are interested in environmentally friendly building projects and connects them with the necessary resources. I'll be doing research on green building practices, compiling and organizing information into resource pages for the website, and tracking green building projects already underway in Pittsburgh. Green building is not something I currently know very much about, but I'm excited to learn more about what's possible and how it fits with what I do know about sustainability and chemistry.
I'll do my best to keep you posted on how things go, but I'm anticipating a year of meaningful relationships, professional growth, honed community living skills, adventures in the city, and maybe even the opening up of possibilities for where I'll find myself at this time next year. Wooot!
(P.S. Almost forgot this, but I knew you'd all be jumping to ask... You're still quite welcome to donate to PULSE on my behalf at http://pulsepittsburgh.org/ruth-maust/.)
We start our placements on September 3. I'm spending the year volunteering with Green Building Alliance, a nonprofit that provides knowledge to businesses (mainly) who are interested in environmentally friendly building projects and connects them with the necessary resources. I'll be doing research on green building practices, compiling and organizing information into resource pages for the website, and tracking green building projects already underway in Pittsburgh. Green building is not something I currently know very much about, but I'm excited to learn more about what's possible and how it fits with what I do know about sustainability and chemistry.
I'll do my best to keep you posted on how things go, but I'm anticipating a year of meaningful relationships, professional growth, honed community living skills, adventures in the city, and maybe even the opening up of possibilities for where I'll find myself at this time next year. Wooot!
(P.S. Almost forgot this, but I knew you'd all be jumping to ask... You're still quite welcome to donate to PULSE on my behalf at http://pulsepittsburgh.org/ruth-maust/.)
Monday, August 5, 2013
Exercises in Being Alone
On coming back from Europe at the end of last summer, I had two realizations. One, when I'm a tourist in a new city I search out all the most interesting events and locations so I can get to know the city and make the most of my time there. I've certainly experienced Indianapolis in various ways over the years, but I've never put forth much intentional effort to explore it in quite that way. Two, I've gone to a lot more places alone in Europe than I ever have at home. I don't mean errands, but things like restaurants, bars, parks, events, etc. In the U.S. I've been more likely to stay home than to go out if I can't find someone to go with. I admit it's a somewhat awkward experience to sit down to dinner by oneself, but it seems like it shouldn't have to be.
Since I don't have a job this summer, I decided a good way to keep busy and get out of the house would be to combine these two thoughts and look for things I can do in Indianapolis even if friends are busy or if I just don't feel like coordinating. I want to own my connection to Indianapolis, to branch out into new settings, and to practice being comfortable by myself. Here's how it's gone so far.
1. Wine/beer tastings and local brewery tour. I found two different wine shops that do free weekly tastings, plus a brewery where I sampled beers and got to learn about their whole production process.
2. There are several fairly new cafes each just a few blocks from home where I can go to read, write postcards, drink tea, or eat gelato. Mmm.
3. A drag show, which was a fundraiser for the fight against HIV/AIDS and my first time in a gay bar.
4. Indy pride parade and festival. Mostly just observed (it's quite a production), but I did get a "spiritual reading" and blessing at the festival.
5. Independent music and art festival, where local artists sold their handicrafts. If you had happened to pass by, you might have seen me drinking rhubarb wine or in front of the stage learning an African dance.
6. Art galleries are always a win.
7. A huge yoga event at Monument Circle.
8. I am a huge fan of street food, and Indianapolis has been stepping up its game with food trucks all over the place.
On top of getting exposure to some new things, I was able to bike or walk to each of these, which is super convenient and leaves me no excuses. Yay for exercise, sunshine, and being able to find my way around downtown better! There are a few more solo adventures I'd like to squeeze in still if I have the time, but overall I'm pretty happy with what I've managed to do.
Since I don't have a job this summer, I decided a good way to keep busy and get out of the house would be to combine these two thoughts and look for things I can do in Indianapolis even if friends are busy or if I just don't feel like coordinating. I want to own my connection to Indianapolis, to branch out into new settings, and to practice being comfortable by myself. Here's how it's gone so far.
1. Wine/beer tastings and local brewery tour. I found two different wine shops that do free weekly tastings, plus a brewery where I sampled beers and got to learn about their whole production process.
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| Kahn's Fine Wines, which is in an old insurance building with a sweet vault in the basement |
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| Mass Ave Wine Shoppe |
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| Goose the Market |
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| wine, beer, and meat (!) tasting at Goose |
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| Sun King Brewery |
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| Sun King fermentation tanks and assembly line |
3. A drag show, which was a fundraiser for the fight against HIV/AIDS and my first time in a gay bar.
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6. Art galleries are always a win.
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| Steven Sickles |
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| Christine Drummond |
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| Unfortunately I don't know the artist for this one, but I really liked it! |
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| Paul Villinski |
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On top of getting exposure to some new things, I was able to bike or walk to each of these, which is super convenient and leaves me no excuses. Yay for exercise, sunshine, and being able to find my way around downtown better! There are a few more solo adventures I'd like to squeeze in still if I have the time, but overall I'm pretty happy with what I've managed to do.
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