Friends, Ben's Chili, Family, Rally

Last week was busy at Ramos House (my JV community house). Our program coordinator from the Jesuit Volunteer Corps spent the week living in our community. It gives her the opportunity to observe our daily interaction, eat meals with us, participate in spirituality night, visit our placements, and give us feedback on our community life.

The week was also busy for me with many visitors from out of town. My friend Blake came into Washington DC to spend the week with me and my brother Brian. Thursday my older brother Tommy arrived from Portland. He lived here for five years when we was attending Georgetown, so he enjoyed the weekend seeing Brian and I and several of his college friends who still live in the area. Friday my friends Delphine and Nick arrived who are serving the year as JV's in Brooklyn and Harlem. That Friday afternoon I played the role of tour guide. In the evening we went up to Georgetown to celebrate Brian's birthday.

On Saturday the JV's and my friends from out of town were fortunate enough to get a special tour of the Capitol. It was an amazing site, and in the near future I hope to sit in a session in progress. After the tour we made our way to Ben's Chili Bowl. This restaurant is just a couple of miles away from our house and is famous for being the only restaurant on it's street to survive and stay open during the 1968 race riots following the assasination of Martin Luther King. The walls are covered by many famous people who have visited the restaurant, including Hillary Clinton, Bill Cosby, and President Obama. The founder of the restaurant, Ben Ali, died less than a week ago.

On Sunday my housemates and I attended the annual Equality March and Rally infront of the Capitol where over 100,000 people marched for equal marriage and military rights. That day Blake, Delphine, Nick, and Tommy left town. It was a perfect weekend and I'm very grateful for their visits to Washington. My Jesuit Community and I always enjoy having guests and love to cook, so if you're ever in Washington don't hesitate to call on us.