life: The Day I Ate Delicious Falafel

Because I leave for South Dakota a month from yesterday (YEEPS), I have felt compelled to Carpe Diem (or CARP DEEIIIMM as my high school English teacher would say), especially when it comes to the beautiful city I am so privileged to live near. Inspired by a local blogger who takes her kids, eats, and explores DC, all while looking the most edgy...I decided to try and chronicle a recent trip to Adam's Morgan I took.

First of all, this summer has been the summer of new friends. I've been able to meet people with a lot of similar interests to mine at various functions for interns in DC, especially interns interested in human rights law or immigration. It has been awesome to have deep meaningful conversations with people who think along the same lines as I do, and I've learned a lot from them. 

They are also super adventurous and love trying new things! This week, one of my new friends and I decided to explore Adams Morgan...an artsy, thriving neighborhood in DC, popular for its nightlife among 20 somethings and famous for its good food. 

We decided to hit up Amsterdam Falafel because, first of all, falafel is one of my favorite foods, and second of all, Washington Post's going out guide named it the number one place that all Washingtonians should go to eat. And it definitely lived up to it's reputation. It was SO SO GOOD. Warm fresh falafel in a pita, and then there was a toppings bar with literally anything and everything

They also gave you sticks so you could stuff all the stuffings in the pita, which was such a good idea because I always have problems with the falafel falling, making me look like a fool. AND there was  a tahini dispenser, which was amazing cause I always want more tahini than falafel places give me.

My toppings of choice- cucumbers, some green tasty stuff, tomatoes, TONS of tahini

After that, we walked around the neighborhood for a bit. Visited some shops, looked at the buildings. The row houses in Adams Morgan are gorgeous. Each a different color, and all of them have big rounded windows that look like they would be perfect to build a day bed into, overlooking the city. The best reading nook ever. Dream home right there.

Cool shop with lots of colorful things

View of Adam's Morgan

We got so invested in the neighborhoods, staring a people's houses and watching dogs in the dog park (maybe we were a bit creepy but whatever) that we ended up in Dupont Circle...and decided to go to Mr. Yogato for frozen yogurt. I'm a big fan of frozen yogurt-so good, so many toppings, AND Mr. Yogato has trivia that if you get right you get a discount. They also have board games, and pictures on the wall of people who have eaten there 100 days straight. Basically its craziness. And I loved it. 

Also the trivia question: Think of 4 words that end in "DOUS", and think of 4 countries that only have 1 vowel in their name (not including y). It's super tricky my friends.

Other fun things this week:

Finally reached Gold Card Status at Starbucks. Obsessed. 

Shadowed my boss at a meeting she had with the White house. Loved the architecture of the Executive Office Building. So cool

Sometimes D.C. takes my breath away. 

TAP Root beer Float from Urban BBQ. Can't get much better than that.

This jacket has been in my church's lost and found for 5 months now, so I decided to give it a home. After I take out the shoulder pads. 

Thats it for right now...check back next week for my song of the week, a new book review, and some more descriptions of things I've been up to.

book: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

 Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

Usually, I'm not a big supporter of non-fiction. Unless it's by Lauren Hillenbrand (who wrote Seabiscuit and Unbroken...if you haven't read either of those do so now..they are so GOOD) I'm usually not interested. I tend to pick topics that I think will be interesting, and then half way through I've lost interest through all of the technical jargon and mumbo jumbo that tends to accompany dry, non-fiction books.

This book, however, was able to captivate me. Katherine Boo, a writer from D.C. (local! :)), was able to catch the human story in a way that was captivating and thought provoking. Boo spent years researching and living in a slum outside of the international airport in Mumbai, India. The stark contrast between a flourishing city in an economic boom, and those stuck in a poverty still lingering from the country's caste system, is striking.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers followed the stories of individuals, real people living real lives. You were able to relate with their dreams and hope that they succeeded. I had a hard time remembering that these people were REAL, living, breathing individuals out there in the world. Their stories were so different than anything I had ever heard, the horrific things they had to endure seemed like they should have come out of someone's imagination.


Boo does an excellent job reminding us that behind the poverty statistics and numbers, there are beings that live and dream like everybody else. This story was really thought provoking, and I recommend it to anybody ready to see  a harsh view of reality.

music: Tourist by Yuna

This song has been following me around lately. Literally, I've been hearing it everywhere. Yuna is awesome because:

1.  she ran rock the head scarf like nobody's business;
2.  she's from Malaysia;
3. she is all about displaying common human emotions through her music, in a really honest and endearing way.  

I love this song because it really shows the inner conflict someone can go through when they love someone a little more than that someone loves them....an amazing feeling most likely coupled with hurt.

We found friendship in a pretty great place....

As I get ready to move on to the next phase of my life, I've been thinking a lot about different relationships that have impacted me. I feel like I have been scrambling in this one month I have left to spend time with literally any and every person that means something to me. I have felt a little spread thin, and a little unable to express my emotions.

Looking back on my college years, I not only see some of the best years of my life, but also the years that shaped and formed who I am. The past two weekends, I have been visiting friends that mean the world to me....and both times I had long rides back to reflect on where my life is going and where I've come from. It makes me so nervous to move so far away, but I know that these people will always be there for me....and I will always have the time we had together to hold close.

Friendship does not matter whether you are on the East coast or living it up in the Midwest...all that matters is that I know these people were placed in my life for a reason.

This next month, I'm spending every waking moment with my friends. Literally, I do not have a free weekend until I leave...but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Even though everyone and everything is changing, there is one thing that won't ever change: the laughter, the adventure, and the friendship.

You know you have pretty great friends when you can watch a sitcom...and think "MMM yeah my friends got you beat."

This has been a LITTLE deep for me...so I'm going to end with this.


Dance it out

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Wow... did this book do something to me. It took me a really long time to get into it- I would pick it up, and put it back down, and pick it up again for a month. There was nothing catching to me about the plot, the narrative is told in an unconventional way that is hard to get used to, and the story does not follow linearly....but somewhere after the 10th time I put it back down I found myself invested in the characters. The layers of depth of each character kept growing and growing- until they became these complex beings with real human emotions and reactions, something I could not tear myself away from. 


This story is narrated by Death- a spiritual being that hates war, hates suffering, and is reluctant to bring mass quantities of souls away from the Earth. Death has compassion and a heart that seems deeper than many humans- cares more about individuals than Hitler and the Nazis. Death is haunted by humans. Death becomes invested in the story of one girl- Liesel- who steals books just for the sake of learning. After being torn away from her biological family, she moved in with a foster mother and father during World War II. Her foster father had a love for humanity deeper than the ocean, for playing the accordion  and for rolling his own cigarettes. He saw right through the Nazi plot and cared for each individual person that he came in contact with.


 She also became best friends with a boy named Rudy, a boy content on saving the world and was passionate about justice. Together the went around town, going on adventures until they grew older, and their eyes were opened to the reality of war and hatred.


This story provides an alternate view of the Holocaust that is not usually portrayed. It comes from the viewpoints of the Germans, those Germans who were strong and stood up to the Nazis, but also lived in fear of the party's retribution. It displays the struggle between right and wrong, between saving yourself or loving your neighbor. 


This story, albeit somewhat difficult to read just because of how slow moving the plot was towards the beginning, left me in tears. I am not a big crier, but I felt so strongly for each of these characters and loved as they loved. This story goes beyond plot to look at the inner souls of each character and the struggles of humanity. If you are ready for a book to make you think, a book that will have you laughing one second, and two seconds later will have you crying...then go for it.

Empowerment

Yesterday, as I got off from work, I was starving. Didn't get a chance to eat breakfast, and I didn't get to leave for lunch until 2. First, I stopped at Starbucks and had a nice conversation with the barista. Feeling good, I decided to walk to Chipotle and maybe get a burrito, sit outside, and enjoy the sun shining on the Inner Harbor of Baltimore.

I walked slowly through the mass of people, taking my time as I was pondering if I wanted carnitas or a veggie burrito. People were shuffling by, focused on their own priorities as the moved, dressed in their business suits that classify them has important people working within the financial district. Going against the flow was a woman, wearing a Ravens hoody and a loose pair of jeans, tears streaming down her face, pleading with people for a meal.

People kept walking by, not even bothering to acknowledge her, not wanting to recognize the pain that she felt. I can understand where they are coming from. Everyday on my walk to work, I pass by the same people who ask me for spare change. We have been taught as a society not to give them money, because they might use it to fuel a hypothetical addiction they may have, inadvertantly telling them that their lifestyle is acceptable.
As this woman walked by me, I was so tempted to just pass on by and get my burrito. I wouldn't have to bother myself with it, and it would be just all the other people I pass and ignore. But I couldn't. I couldn't look at her and just see her as a little blip in my day. I turned around and said "Sure, I'll buy you lunch. Where would you like to go?"

Immediately, she claimed "PRAISE GOD!" And went on to tell me that she has been praying for anybody to come by just to give me a meal, that she had to run away from her husband who had tried to kill her, and that she had a two month old. She was currently staying on the couch in a friend's apartment, but she hasn't had anything to eat in 3 days because all of her money has to go towards feeding her baby and buying diapers.
I was taken aback. The first words out of her mouth were "PRAISE GOD."  Would those be the first words in my mouth in that situation? As we walked to  7-11, she told me about her church, about how she became a Christian, about how God saved her and her baby from the abusive situation, how she named her baby Anika because in Greek in means "very beautiful," and she liked that it meant something in the same language of the Bible. She told me about how she prays for everything, seeks guidance from God about all situations in her life, from what to name her baby to where she is going to find her next meal.

As we stood in the check out line at 7-11, I was struck with out friendly and personable she was, and how strong her faith in God is. I've been moping around, upset with my life because I'm not near any of my friends, grumbling about how sick I am of the food in my house. In my life full of stability and comfort, I have been refusing to lean completely on God. This woman relied FULLY on Him, even though her life was something I could never imagine, hardships that I have not come close to experiencing. How could she praise God through all of that, while I was having trouble praising God through just my miniscule trials? It all came crashing down on me.

As we walked out, she gave me a huge hug and said she was so glad that she made a new friend who believed God like she did, and I walked away. I've been kicking myself every sense. Why did I walk away so quickly? Was simply giving her a meal enough? I regret the way I acted, the way I handled things.

At work, we've been reading this book called "When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself" by Brian Fickett and Steve Corbett.

This book is all about how, when we throw our money and our resosurces at those who are in need, we are demeaning them as people. We are saying that they need our help because they can't do it themselves, and are putting them down spirtually and emotionally. Instead, we need to find ways to help them by empowering the individuals.

While buying this woman a meal may have helped her immediate needs, there was so much more I could have done to help her emotionally and spiritually. I could have found out her information so I could have made a long lasting connection. I could have contacted her pastor and found out how I could help her through her church. At the least, I could have told her how much she had impacted me and changed my way of thinking in just an hour. But I did none of these things. I gave her my resources without building her up emotionally and spiritually, without empowering her.

While we help people, we need to make sure that we are empowering them as individuals, through Christ. We need to make sure that more than just their physical needs are met. I wish I could have done the same for this woman and her baby, but I didn't. I'm hoping that she will run across someone that could give her more than I could.

Please make it a priority to empower people as you go through life, and see more than just their physical needs, but also their emotional and spiritual ones, if you attempt to assist them in any way possible.

Always Searching

I've always admired people with blogs, real blogs, that people check every day because they are actually interested in what the writer has to say. I don't know if this blog will become one of them, because I'm not particularly good at anything that I can show people how to do, I am not very good at giving my opinion, and I'm not the artsiest, smartest, or most well bred person out there.

However, I felt like I needed a space to share the things that are constantly going on in my head, even if know one reads them. Don't get me wrong, it would be great if people did! But I see this as a place where I can chronicle things that I've enjoyed, changes in my life, people I've met, as I better discover who I am and the person I want to be.

I just graduated from college, so I'm undergoing some big changes in my life. What career path do I want to take? What kinds of things do I actually like? I think of how much I changed from 12 to 14, 14 to 16, etc....now that I'm 22 I feel like I need to chronicle these changes because I am shaping into my adult self, my self that is going to be more permanent. 

ALL  that being said, I'm going to use this place to talk about books that I've read, music I like, food I've made (and eaten.. :)), people I've met, places I've discovered, the blessings and trials, the things God has been doing in my life....an experience diary. I want everything to be tangible and real, something that I, and others, can look back on and feel like they are reaching into the world, discovering something new.

So who am I?

My name is Kitty.

Thats me...and yes that's my real name.

I'm super social... I get my energy from being around people. And I love meeting new people, learning from them things I could have never known on my own. 

I love to sing. I feel closest to God when I sing, I can feel Him moving through me and around me. People always comment at the amount I smile...especially when I'm singing. I can't help it. I just love it too much :). 

Even though I love being around people and on stage, I also love the time that I get to spend by myself. I love to wander around cities and towns, exploring what they have to offer. This comes from years of traveling, exploring different cultures, meeting people, eating different foods. 

I love to read. I'm always in the middle of a book, and I love the experience having your imagination in the hands of a writer who can take you so far away, to places you could have never imagined on your own.

I love music. Any and all. People always make fun of my music library because it is so eclectic- one minute Yo Yo Ma, the next Kanye West- but thats what I love about it. I love how music can affect your mood, the way your feeling, can bring life to a room or can somber it. 

Other things about me?

I love NPR.

I drink coffee out of the same mug every morning.

I flip flop from being a vegetarian, and eating steak. 

I have been to over 20 different countries. My favorite? Living in Thailand. 

Haven't met a food I didn't like (except celery. Hate celery)

I know I can be really good friends with someone the moment they make fun of me. I'm naturally drawn to sarcasm.

My favorite color is grey. Or turquoise. And I love how yellow is used to contrast both of them.

I always have plans for decorating rooms floating around in my mind.

I'm notoriously messy...something I'm really working on. 

I'm always behind on the multiple TV shows I'm watching, and I have a problem with seeing characters from TV shows as my real friends. 

I love to laugh. 

Alright..well thats enough. Check back here for reviews about books, food, music, and stories from my different adventures!