zdravo.beo...zemun...grad?

so, i have arrived. so, there's a little bit of confusion about 'where' i have arrived? well, i'll get there...let's first catch up on 'how' i arrived...

after a week of feeling like i fell into a little piece of heaven there in Akron, PA for the orientation together with 107 other young people coming from all around the world and going to all parts of the globe to serve with MCC for this year; a week of singing and praying and learning together in many languages and styles; a week of reflecting on MCC's peacemaking, relief, and development vision and how our particular assignments fit into those goals; a week of exchanging cultural insights with those coming from and going to Europe and the Middle East, particularly a new friend from Serbia, who will be working in PA this year; and a final night of dancing and laughing and hugging and packing and goodbye-ing, finally i was flying.

after a day of flying Philadelphia - Washington DC - Munich - Sarajevo, along with a fellow SALTer who is serving-and-learning in Sarajevo this year; after arriving in the airport and being picked up by the MCC-Southeast Europe program manager, finally i was touching the ground, seeing the sights, smelling the smells, hearing the sounds of this new land.

after a few days of orienting to the region, staying in an apartment with a stunning view of the surrounding hills and colorful houses and treasure chest of night lights of the city of Sarajevo; days of walking the shockingly scarred streets, with bullet-hole-studded buildings and mini-bomb-cratered sidewalks; days of wandering the old city markets with their mix of Turkish flavor and handicrafts reminding me of my journeys in Asia and Middle East as well as the modern, sophisticated cafe scene that fits my image of upscale Europe; days of listening to a soundtrack of church bells ringing and imams chanting their haunting calls to prayer; days of repeatedly telling my Sarajevo SALTer friend "you're so lucky you get to LIVE here!!!" and being told, "Anna, just wait until you see Belgrade, your city, you'll find things to love there, too", and agreeing, but still being slightly jealous; and a final day of learning about the programs and procedures of MCC-SEE and being welcomed into the home of the cutest bilingual little boy and his parents who are my MCC regional representatives, finally i was heading to my own assignment placement.

after a day of riding and roasting in a rattling bus for 8 hours through the hills of Bosna i Hercegovina, down onto the plains and across the border into Srbija; a day of starting to try to decipher signs written in the Cyrillic alphabet; after starting to see billboards and highway flyovers and traffic jams, finally i realized i was in Beograd, moj grad, my city.

after being met by my main supervisor here, and driving through the city with her for a while, and arriving at the apartment that i now call 'home', and being introduced to the area a little bit, i realized that it's not...exactly...in Beograd! umm....what??!

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so from what i've learned, ZEMUN, moj grad, developed as its own town until urban sprawl jumped the Danube and swallowed it into one continuous city area. however, Zemun still retains much of its own character and its residents have a certain pride about being from Zemun, not Beograd. but, luckily for me, it is well-connected with the Beograd public transit lines i will take to work, and it is a lovely place to walk and wander around, and i am looking forward to exploring more on both sides of the river.

so, i have arrived. so, there is a whole new world of learning to do: about the language; about the history and deeper elements of culture and values; about how to care for the children at the kindergarten and how to help the counseling center in its goals and development; and about myself of course.

and a bonus for those of you (you're not alone, i know at least a few ;-) who may still be wondering how far Serbia is from Siberia...

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zdravo.sarajevo.

i.miss.you.Camden.

things I will miss about Camden (in no particular order, and absolutely incomplete):

- walking the four blocks between my house and St. Anthony's every day, several times each way

- guys who lean out their pickup truck windows as they pass me on the street and shout out "God bless you, sweetheart!"

- ladies who sit on their front porch steps and greet me as i walk by with a "hey sweetie, how you doin?"

- little kids from my music classes and Peace Art program who yell and wave at me from their yards, "hi Miss Anna!"

- fresh garden vegetables from our backyard and from our plot in Brother Jerry's Garden across from the church and from the Mt. Ephraim produce stand

- Mexican rice and beans...Puerto Rican rice and beans...Dominican rice and beans...

- Marta's tamales, hot chocolate, and other refreshing drinks...

- anything baked or brewed or fondued by Father John

- living 5 minutes from Rita's Water Ice

- living 7 minutes from the Pennsauken Library

- yes, the view of the Philadelphia skyline is quite nice, but i wouldn't say it's the best thing about Camden as some have sarcastically stated. i'll just say it's nice.

- and so is the bridge between Camden and Philadelphia, which i will miss trekking across every so often

- living two blocks from a mural that i helped in the process of creation and celebration, which is literally a concrete testimony to how a community can live out peace and restore its streets to safety and beauty by taking care of ourselves, each other, and the earth, and a call to this community to step up and do that

- being able to sit with one of my ESL students after class and hear her story of seeing her mother and brother shot in front of her eyes in El Salvador, and of living in fear and wanting a better life for her children, and coming here to Camden and having her house broken into and herself held up at gunpoint for what little cash she had on hand, and then a few months ago breaking her foot and just the other day finding out that there's some bones out of place in it that the doctor can't fix (not sure if it's an impossibility issue or a money issue), but either way she might just always walk with a major limp...pray for 'Maria', por favor

- collaborating with CCOP and our local organizing committee to make a difference in the neighborhood with the numerous abandoned houses and the hazardous activities in the park

- weekly prayer and fun and everyday life with my housemates...always eye-opening experiences and conversations

- having the keys and knowing the tricks to open every door at the church, the friary, Francis House, Clare House..

- semi-weekly trips to the Treehouse coffee shop

- deejaying Eddie's concerts in the Francis House chapel, listening and watching his passionate, love-filled performances of Michael Jackson, Barry White, the Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, Teddy Pendergrass, and more...telling his story of how he's survived growing up in Camden and living over three decades with HIV/AIDS, and watching the audiences' eyes widen at what a miracle this 'man in the mirror' is...

- planning and leading creative, interactive prayer services at Francis House and seeing the motto "Love Heals" lived out in our midst

- every prayer circle before every meal at Francis House, joining hands taking deep breaths, shouting out prayer requests, bowing our heads as a family and proclaiming together, "God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. God's will, not ours, be done. Amen amen!"

- Tuesday evening prayer with the friars, reading from the daily Office, especially the Franciscan prayer for vocations, "God, help us to be people of prayer after the example of Francis and Clare. May our lives of prayer be our source of strength in serving the people of God."

- Tuesday evening dinner with the friars, cooked by Sue!

- the beautiful holistic multicultural prayer that is mass at St. Anthony's

- the First Baptist Church of Moorestown with their welcoming embrace to me as a new member

- lunches and spiritual food with Rene

- going on trips to Georgia and Washington DC to advocate for peace and justice with Father Jud

- going on trips to Lancaster and NYC and Long Beach Island to refresh our bodies and spirits with Father John

- coming home to Camden. knowing that I have a home there.

goodbye for now, Camden. i love you.

peace art: endings and beginnings

goodbyes and all sorts of little finish lines are starting to rain down from that dark cloud called 'the end of Anna's year in Camden'. the final session of the Camden Peace Art Project was held on Monday. St. Anthony of Padua school ended Tuesday, so no more Friday morning music classes with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders. only a few weeks left until Francis House and ESL finish up.

and yet little seeds of new beginnings have sprouted from the same ground that tears up sometimes to think of leaving. the Peace Art mural unveiling and community rally was the first public action that i have had a hand (and a good chunk of my mind and heart invested, too) in actually organizing and emceeing!! rather than just participating or attending. possibly the beginning of a beautiful friendship, me and my buddy community organizing...i loved it! numbers in attendance were a little disappointing, because it was a weekday afternoon when a lot of people were still at work, and only a half day of school at St. Anthony's so we lost a lot of parents and kids who might have been there otherwise. but the message came through strong and clear, and apparently a few people thought it was worth listening to. !!!

the Philadelphia Inquirer ran an article on the front page of their South Jersey/B section;

the Catholic Star Herald gave us a pretty good review, too;

the Courier Post posted a series of photos here;

more photos can be found on the St. Anthony's Flickr photostream;

and there's a fantastic video on facebook that my boss, Katie Sullivan, program director of FVM, put together..don't think i can link to it, though..

so, Monday's celebration marked the culmination of our work, but only the beginning of the LOC's work to take back our park. we have to follow up with the city police who have put forth their intention of cooperation...we have to cuss out (politely) the county police and county parks management who assured us of their attendance and then called our organizer 20 minutes before the event and cancelled..because they're getting millions of dollars to put into renovating two waterfront parks...why would they care to come to an event that's trying to restore a little place in Cramer Hill? a little place with a big purpose, big needs, and big heart, which they obviously don't understand.

it's evident from the mural itself that this place is ready for new beginnings: the garden being tended, a kid being coached in baseball, a family posing in front of a sunrise, butterflies floating in the clouds, people holding hands around a beautiful tree...and these are not just pretty pictures, but these are the things that were 'won' from this process so far:

- Camden City Police Chief Thomson and representatives from the Mayor Redd office came together to publicly commit to keeping Von Nieda Park safe and clean.

- Camden City Police created bilingual flyers for the first time explaining illegal activities and fines in the park.

- Camden City Police will begin enforcing parking, littering, and public drinking ordinances in Von Nieda Park the weekend of July 10th, after a community relations campaign.

- Camden City Police impounded over 15 ATVs since the action County Parks Dept put up 10 new “No Parking/No Drinking/No Littering” signs around the park.

-Camden City Council passed an ordinance making parking illegal on the west side of 29th Street, where it has often been a hazardously congested area.

it's exciting that we have these commitments and possibilities, but i do confess my sadness that i won't be around for the next year to see it unfold...because, as some of you readers probably already know through different channels, i will be living in Belgrade, Serbia starting in mid-August! i'm excited to see what kind of mixture of darkness and light will be shed on my life there..and what kind of light and shadows i will be called to share...

dear friends, may we all take up our paintbrushes or pens or cameras or baseballs or soccer balls or whatever instruments of creativity and influence we are blessed to be able to use, and follow through on the call within us to care for the people around us.

peace art: insanity today. please pray. with a smile :)

Camden Peace Art Project has been working since the beginning of May with a local artist and our kids as well as kids from the Cramer Hill Little League to design and paint a community mural on the baseball building in our neighborhood park. This park has a reputation as a place where numerous drug deals happen daily, public drinking gets out of hand every weekend, hazardous parking and illegal vending and littering is rampant, and reckless ATV drivers endanger the people who come to enjoy the playground and sports fields.

So, we have taken this opportunity to collaborate with our church and local organizing committee and nearby residents to get a commitment from the city and county police that they will be more proactive in patrolling and enforcing the rules of the park so that we can preserve this community treasure as a safe, clean, and fun place for families to come. I have spent many hours this past week painting alongside the artist and kids of all ages, because TODAY, June 21, at 3:30 pm is the mural unveiling celebration and public rally.

It is already getting some attention, because a number of city officials and police representatives have agreed to come out and make a public commitment to taking action on these problems. Prayers are much needed for the success of this event and for continued cooperation of everyone to care for the park and to restore our streets.

This is the prayer on our hearts as organizers, from Isaiah 58:11-12,

"The LORD will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

La paz y el arte, amigos :)

i.saw.Jesus.tossing.water.balloons.

yes, throwing and welcoming the splash of water balloons on a steamy day. and doing the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance and the Electric Slide. and sipping orange soda. and jumping in puddles. and sitting on the steps or the curb, watching the fun, too tired or strung out to jump in. and standing under a tent roof surrounded by sound equipment and speakers. and running down the street trying to fly a flimsy kite for the first time ever.

all at the same time, you ask?! oh yes, there was a lot of Jesus to go around at the St. Francis Inn's annual block party on Sunday.

if you looked closely, you might have seen Jesus watching over a little one in a stroller, with a beautiful bulging belly indicating another one on the way.

you might have seen Jesus running around, threading through the legs of the grown-ups, popping all the balloons he can get his hands on and wading in the kiddie pool fully-clothed.

you might have seen Jesus wearing tight jeans and an undershirt, or perhaps a sundress, or a sweatsuit, each pulling off a near-perfect zombie impersonation to Michael Jackson's THRILLER.

you might have seen Jesus wearing an outrageous clown hat and a brown habit, spinning records to keep the party funky.

you might have heard Jesus telling the saga of his real life science fiction fantasy powers and self-proclaimed guardianship of the party and genuine pleasure to meet you in snatches of intelligible speech to anyone who will listen.

you might have even taken the hand of a 3-foot-tall Jesus in a flowery lavender dress and danced in a ring with her and her grandma, and twirled her around a couple of times.

maybe next year you'll be there to see Jesus with a camera around her neck, snapping hundreds of pictures of the precious and crazy and ordinary moments that burst open and splashed us all with life that afternoon.

(photos by Katie Sullivan :)

i.saw.Jesus.getting.his.fingernails.cut

and his time-worn face of love and struggle was reflected just as much in the face of the young lady who was wielding the fingernail clippers.

i won't give too many details, but just think, what if you had a stroke? and you were left without mobility in your left arm and leg? and without a job or the ability to get yourself to the grocery store or even across the street to buy a Pepsi? and you had to move to a more run-down house because you couldn't make the mortgage payments on yours anymore? and your family mostly ignored you and your only friends were the dog and the 6 or 7 cats you kept around the house for company? and your wheelchair started falling apart? and it started getting harder and harder to pay for electricity and food and even the water bill? and you've got these new young neighbors who stop by sometimes to chat and help you with yardwork and house projects and play with your cats and even give you some bakery bread and garden vegetables and other food surplus sometimes - but what if you still knew you might not be able to pay your bills? might not be able to buy food? might be evicted from your house? would you still be able to crack jokes? would you trust your new friends to help you find a social worker and some solutions? would you still want to live?

sometimes, our neighbor tells us, he doesn't.

and we don't exactly know what to do with that, except to keep going back. keep trying to make his life a little more livable, and keep trying to re-convince him that his life is worth living.

many images flicker across my memory-reel of these past few months, in and out of his house, hanging out on his porch, taking out his trash... many mischievous smiles and riotous laughs, many cat-teasing tricks and tender cat-cuddling moments, many half-hidden winces of struggle in moving from chair to door to stairs...

but the image that sticks is of Jesus getting his fingernails cut. and Jesus gently, determinedly cutting them. one smooth, coffee-colored, female face. one wrinkled, pale peach cream-colored, male face. both lit up when his stereo started belting out "Stand By Me". one light. one love. just one story, one rhythm among the riot of beats on these city streets.

will you join me in one prayer for this one precious life?