A full day at South Lake Union
By Lusho Hambiliki and Cindy Obi-Njoku
Day 2 was an interesting day. In the morning, we started the day off with a quick rundown of the activities of the day. We received Orca cards for public transportation, as we would need them for the job. After this, we were visited by two police officers who gave us a presentation on safety.
Seattle Police Department employees Sarah Lawson, Crime Prevention Coordinator, and officer Matthew Roberson conduct a personal safety workshop for our outreach team
This presentation served as a reminder to us to be aware of our surroundings as we will be out and about during the course of this job. We were made aware of the emergency services available in the area in case we are ever in need of help. This was an enlightening experience, where we learned valuable safety tips and practiced various scenarios to better prepare ourselves for emergencies. This session wasn't just about learning the ropes; it also made us feel safer and more connected to our community.
Right after the workshop, we headed to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Seattle for a noon Christian Science lecture on Finding Trust in a Changing World by Leslie Pitts, CS. It was a lovely talk, and we found the speaker to be eloquent. We were really invested in her stories on healing. After the lecture, we met with the speaker and expressed admiration for her work. We stayed in church for a while interacting with other church members. We really enjoyed getting to meet more Christian Scientists.
Lusho, Cindy, and Izzy
When we were done socializing, we left to do outreach work in the South Lake Union area of downtown Seattle. On getting there, we had a lunch and then started the outreach. We distributed The Monitor to establishments around the area and during the process we encountered a few nos and more yeses, and we were grateful for that. In two establishments that were not receptive of our supply based on office policies, their workers suggested places that may be more receptive, and we found that interesting and kind. This activity was both rewarding and energizing, as we interacted with people from different backgrounds. The weather wasn’t really nice. It was chilly and rained all day. So being with friends to create a positive and fun experience was enjoyable. During our outreach, we found two establishments that accepted gift subscriptions. We also supplied to benches and magazine slots in public places and we kept a few to leave on the monorail.
When it was time to leave, Izzy took us to the Seattle Center Monorail to guide us on how to use it. On our first ride we left a few copies on the train and when we got on the ride back, we saw a man reading one of the copies. This made us really excited because we saw that our hard work was paying off. This was a highlight of the day.
A man reading the Christian Science Monitor Weekly on the Monorail
The Monorail took us to the Space Needle. Lusho had seen the Space Needle before but she liked the scenic view which reminded her how beautiful the world is.
After the monorail, we took the light rail. The light rail smelt unbelievably bad, but we survived. We were very glad to get off. We had planned to take a bus home from the light rail station, but instead of waiting for the next bus, we turned it into a chance for a nice evening walk. As we walked through the streets of U-district, we recapped the day's adventures, laughing and sharing stories. The walk home was the perfect end to a day full of new and fun experiences. Looking forward to more days like this, full of discovery, learning, and joy.