Since Saturday!

Well, since Saturday morning. On our way out of the house, somehow I stepped off the stair wrong and totally rolled my ankle. It hurt more than it had when I had done the same in the past. But I didn't want to look dumb, so I just smiled and kept walking. It hurt. But my thought was, "Just walk it off." We got in the taxi, and I rubbed it for a little while, and it was fine during lunch and only bothered me when taking the stairs up and down from the rooftop. When we got home, we put our food away, and left again for Placita Olvera! It was great and the crowds made it ever better! It actually made it seem more authentic! :) I bought a gorrito and tried a coco roll, which was DELICIOUS! Then we watched a break dancing group and they pulled Lydia into the middle. It was great fun to watch (and video)! Then we made our way into the church right there, and Juanita told us that the church is really big on helping immigrants right now. When we got back home, my ankle was.. pretty swollen. Aaaand it was starting to feel really tender. I don't think walking on it was such a great idea. So I texted my friend Michael (shout out! haha.), and he told me it may be light sprain. That made me sad because LA Term is a lot of walking. And a lot of stairs. And then I made a stupid decision. I told myself that I wasn't going to let it slow me down. Way to be healthy, Tracy, right? Of course.
So Sunday, a bunch of us went to try out New City Church, which is where our professor Nori goes to church. I thought it was a good service and was very impressed that they addressed the subject of homosexuality (even though it was pretty tangental to the sermon) (and I AM aware that I made that word up!). The pastor was saying that when Jesus came, he took all of the 10 commandments and took them to the heart level, saying that if you lust after a woman, it was the same as adultery, if you hate a man, it's like killing him. He went on to say that if sin is at a heart level, who are we to judge gays if our own hearts are not right either? And he mentioned that the Bible rarely talks about homosexuality. It's only talked about when in conjunction with a list of sins. But the point of all this was to say that homosexuals are welcomed in the church, even though he's not going to say that it's right. He just knows that he's not in a place to judge them, but knows they need Jesus, too. But with all that said, I don't think that's the church for me. It just didn't click like I feel like it should, so I'll keep looking! After church, Lydia and I went with Brianna and Justine back to Placita Olvera to show them around. We watched the same break dance show and Lydia got pulled into the center again! I thought it was hilarious! Then we came back, and I told myself that I should probably not be walking around so much on my huge ankle.
Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Lydia and I met up with Christy to get coffee and then go down to watch the parade on Crenshaw Boulevard. But before we left, I bought an ankle brace becuase my parents told me to. I'm glad I did. The parade was pretty cool; the high school marching bands/colorguard/dance teams were great! And as we were walking away from the parade, this woman called out to us and asked if she could interview us. I, of course, said yes. It turns out that she wanted to talk to us about expectations for the coming presidency. She asked me the most questions, and even though I didn't really know what I was talking about, Christy and Lydia told me that I BSed it pretty well. :) So I got my 30 seconds of fame. But I didn't see it, because Christy and I went to Santa Monica after that. It was fun just hanging out with her for a day. Our bus ride back took waaaay too long! We got on the 704 at 4:40 and finally got off at 6:20, but it was way before we had planned to get off! We just got sick of riding that same bus and had seen a metro stop, so we got off as soon as we could! That was soooo long. But we got home and watched GOSSIPGIRL! I'm glad there's still something that's the same that I can hold onto. But yes, I'm glad I wore the brace all day, because most of the swelling went down.
Tuesday, Lydia and I got up early to make our way to Sarah's house to watch the inauguration, but because Lydia also had an interview schedule, she decided to leave me at the bus stop to get there on time. The problem is, I didn't know where the house was. I got off at the right stop, but didn't know where to go from there, so I called Justine to see if she was there. She wasn't. And didn't know if anyone else was going. So I went back to the bus stop. But not before buying a stamp so I could mail my AC application! And then I waited at the bus stop for forever and talked to a one-legged man in a wheelchair and the uy who came out of the tire shop to offer me a ride. Surprisingly, I was unafraid, even though I was alone. I as just riding the joy wave. haha. Then I just went home. And watched the inaugural address on youtube. And then I mailed my application! So that's done for now. Until I have my phone interview! :) The other thing I finally did was to call the place in which I'm interesting in interning. The problem is that no one has called me back! And I have to interview and choose by Friday! AGH!
Today was the first day of our Urban Explorations class. It was pretty cool. We spent maybe an hour talking about our assignment, and then we were off! We went to Olvera Street (for the third time!) and talked about our history reading. We toured the very first house of Los Angeles (and California!) and saw the famous street of Calle de los Negros, where the Chinese Massacre of 1871 took place. Then we made our way to Los Angeles Catholic Church. Or something like that. I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention at that point. I forgot I was supposed to be observing. Instead I realized that my ankle was beginning to cause a little bit of discomfort again. Then we went to Bunker hill and the water court at California Plaza and ... the place where you can see all the banks. I forgot what it's called. It was a day of a lot of walking, but learning about the city. Then we came home, and I called my internship places again with no luck. And here I am now!
Prayer: I am So frustrated with the fact that they haven't called me back. I'm starting to be a little nervous about the fact that I have to know by Friday and haven't even spoken with anyone who can help me, so I'd definitely appreciate prayer for that! Also, my ankle doesn't hurt a lot, but as you read, it's caused me quite a bit of discomfort, so pray for healing, because I don't like wearing that brace. It actually makes my ankle hurt more, I think. And while you're at it, keep in mind that I'm searching for a church that's a good fit for me. :)
I love you!
TJ



P.S. I posted pictures on Facebook. :)