New City, New Home

I MADE IT!!

{As you can tell from this picture overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline from the Duquesne Incline.}

After a 12-hour drive, a two-day city tour of available housing and near exhaustion, I have settled into my little apartment on the edge of campus and am making progress unpacking in my new little home...none of which would have been possible without my fabulous Jonathan and my sweet mother.

The search for a place was quite grueling (more so than the drive, oh yeah...I didn't do much driving) with Pittsburgh being a much older city, everything appears to need renovations. JWK and I walked through some pretty interesting living situations (from completely restored homes in the old steel mill sections of the city to Victorian homes randomly sectioned off into 2-3 separate apartments - something you don't necessarily see "down South." Speaking of old, my sink is so vintage....the faucet is actually part of the sink - very cool! (I am fortunate that my kitchen has been renovated.) Another thing about life in an old city - - everything is old, and people deal with small spaces, radiators for heat, opening windows to cool off their homes, and old homes, old sinks, old flooring, etc. I'm actually excited about all of this...living life a completely new way. Actually, this is one of the things I love about traveling and venturing into new places - learning how differently people "do" life.



I have been challenged greatly by my travels and the people I have met to live with less. I saw this portrayed so beautifully in China - - though possessions were few and at least three generations shared housing, their investment of community was captivating. The less they had materially, the more they were able to give of themselves to friendships. Touching.



I myself am already experiencing this. (If you're a neighbor of mine, no, I'm not moving out...just cleaning out a bit.) Though, I didn't choose the renovated house in Pittsburgh and I couldn't afford a nice apartment like I'd had in Birmingham, my humble little apartment has allowed my family and I to help a fellow student who drove from Kansas and had to move in alone. I've also met my neighbor from the Caribbean and a fellow student from India. And while reading one of my books (The Body Silent) for class on campus yesterday, I met a classmate from Ohio who recognized the book.



How exciting to experience a new city with a culture all of its own, while meeting people from around the world. I'm also excited about public transportation - my bus stop is right out front! This will all be a journey, but I am enjoying every minute of it.



For all of you who prayed for us on our journey up here and for provision of my new home, I am grateful. It was so very neat to watch the Lord provide through the details that came together, as favor was found with certain individuals, as move-in help was provided in the form of new friends, and as time was spent with family to share it all.



In this journey, I cherish each of you who have encouraged me, supported me, prayed for me, and challenged me.