First Day = Great

Well today was a great introduction to the next 13 weeks of life. And, I am really excited about it! 

Commuting to downtown Seattle via bus only takes about 20 minutes and the bus stop is literally around the corner from my house. Speaking of my house - I have enjoyed getting to know the Li family a little better this weekend. They have quite the "extended" family with 2 ducks, 7 baby chickens, and 2 Chihuahuas! The kids are also fun, Erin is 8 and Billy is 4. I think Billy and I have already become great buddies and it is fun to hang out with them a little bit in the evenings. Michael, the dad, has been away on travel with the EPA (he works there too) but I have been able to spend some time with his wife Annette and hear about her life. She spent some time in the Peace Corps and has done a fair bit of traveling. 

I arrived to work this morning by 8am after wandering around for a "few" minutes downtown trying to find my skyscraper. Once I found it, the check-in process was pretty straight forward and reminded me of my work experience with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Finger prints, ID badges, cubicles and all. But, the view of the city from the 8th floor is unlike any other work place environment - on clear days you can see Mt. Rainer out the window!

My boss, Sally, is really cool and passionate about what she does with the Tribal Trust & Assistance Unit. I learned so much from my co-workers today about why they do what they do and it is refreshing to hear from people who believe so strongly in the mission of the organization and their own role within the unit. The mission of the Tribal Unit within the EPA is have an in-depth understanding of Tribal environmental needs, advocate for Tribal environmental needs and perspectives at all levels, and assist EPA employees and others to understand the unique culture and status of Tribal governments. If you don't think this job is important, you will be surprised to learn that there are 275 recognized tribal governments in Alaska alone! These groups are often on the margin and economic drivers have put significant strain on their communities.  

My project is one that the governments specifically asked the EPA to help them with so the end product will tangibly be meeting the real needs of those who have limited resources to address them. These tribal communities are feeling the effects of climate change right now and are in desperate need of adaptation strategies to help them adjust. My supervisor has already begun to connect me with professors, organizations and research groups who have been working on addressing some of these issues and I will hopefully be able to sythesize the material and come up with some practical help and strategies for implementation. 

Basically, I am going to like the job. Also, I get to set my own schedule so I am trying a 8am-6pm schedule which gives me every other Friday off!!! I am so going to take advantage of those 3-day weekends. My co-workers made me feel welcome today and one of them even took me out for lunch. I don't think spending time in the office will be all that bad as long as I can explore the city a little bit during the lunch break :)

One final praise I wanted to mention was that I found a really cool church a few blocks from my house called Mars Hill U-District. It is one of the campuses of Mark Driscoll's church and there is a lot happening there. They are passionate about reaching the city and preaching the word. They are also located close to the University of Washington and have quite a few outreach programs to the students there. I am also going to try and join one of the community groups that meets in the evenings during the week. I am really thankful to find a strong Christan community to get plugged into! 

So, all in all, thank you for the prayers. God has already been doing some pretty amazing things.