My new comfort zone

Denver has a population of about 2.7 million people. Des Moines has a population of about 206,000. There are more people that live in the metro area of Denver then there are people in the state of Iowa. This is just mind blowing. When I decided to come out to Denver it was mainly for me to get out of my comfort zone and get out of my comfort zone I have.

Let’s start with public transportation. It is a main form of transportation here in Denver. So many different people take the bus and light rails. I have never had to depend on public transportation before so to say the least I got pretty worked up about it. On my first day on the bus I was really trying to blend in and look like a local. Yeah, that didn’t work. I think everyone knew that this was my first time. Maybe it was because I was holding a map with the bus routes and using Google maps on my phone to make sure we were going in the right direction but who really knows how they knew. I have always heard stories that people who take the bus are mean and scary but in my experience that is just not the case. On my first day I got complemented on my shoes and got called a Greek goddess. If that doesn’t make you feel good then I don’t know what will. So the next time you are scared to get on the bus just know there is a good chance that someone will brighten your day.

Getting out of my comfort zone is pretty easy to do in Denver. Just walked down Colfax (one of the main streets in Denver) and you will see so many different characters. Homeless people will ask you for money, business types will walk into you without even noticing and a Midwestern girl just trying to get to the bus stop will act like a starry-eyed Rachel Berry when she first lands in New York City (if you don’t understand that reference then I really am a nerd).  So far my experience in Denver has been great. I hope when I am around town again I run into the lady that offered me a cinnamon roll once before and maybe this time I‘ll take her up on her offer. Yeah, probably not. I hope that eventually I’ll feel more comfortable being on my own. So far I haven’t starved but there is only so much ramen a girl can eat. 
 

Denver is city that has everything you could ever want or need.  Do you need a milk shake at midnight? Because Tom’s dinner is right across the street and has the best chocolate peanut butter milkshake known to man and really what more do you need in life than a good milkshake? 

Jerica George, Comm Arts;  Internship: The Publishing House

From Simon Sager, Communication Arts

Our first week of internships is done! I would consider this week to have been very successful. Going in to my time in Denver this fall, I think my internship is what I was most nervous about. It is nerve wracking to jump into a new organization and trying to get to a place where you are an asset to your supervisor and not a burden. Thankfully, everyone I came in contact with was absolutely wonderful. I feel like I have a good base knowledge of what I am doing (thanks Wartburg Communication Arts Department!).

On the social front, these last two weeks have made it really clear that we have a great group out here. I think that each of us is really up for just about anything and we are all determined to have an awesome time in Denver. I think the highlight for me so far has been hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a solid hike, and absolutely gorgeous at the top. 

What I love most about Wartburg West is that you have a family you can home to every night. That’s exactly what I feel like I am doing whenever I come back from my internship – coming home. It is so awesome to be able to share all of these awesome experiences with a group. Even in the short amount of time we have been here I know that I am creating friendships that will last the rest of my life.

Beginning of a New Adventure

Alexia Brewster

Wartburg West Blog

Week 1

The Beginning of a New Adventure

It has been two weeks since we have moved into the Wartburg West apartment in Denver, CO.  Our first week here was spent having orientation and exploring the city.  As a group, we rode the bus to different parts of Denver to better understand where we were living.  It is interesting how different a neighborhood can be by just going down fifteen blocks.  I still am surprised by how different the neighborhood where I live is compared to the one I work in when I take the bus to my internship.  It is also intriguing to see who rides the bus during specific times of the day.  I have found that the elderly and young families tend to ride midday while mornings and nights consist of workers.  

In addition to exploring the city, I explored the Rocky Mountains with a couple of Wartburg students last Saturday.  We left early in the morning for a three-hour drive to one of the trails by Estes Park.  It was a two-hour loop that scaled up part of the mountain and back down.  On the way up, we stopped at various small waterfalls to take pictures and dip our feet in the water.  Thankfully, it was partially cloudy and the weather wasn’t too hot for hiking, although the water did feel nice.  There were quite a few people out hiking that day, including a family that was traveling on alpacas.  You could tell it was the kids’ first time by how excited they were.  My favorite part of the hike though was when we got to the top of the mountain.  We were taking a break and eating some snacks when a small squirrel started to run up to each of us, asking for food.  Rachel, who was sitting down, offered some of her granola bar to the squirrel who immediately leapt up onto her lap and started eating.  It probably stayed on her lap for a whole five minutes before scurrying away.  After that, we trekked back down the mountain and finished our hike in the Rocky Mountains.  I can’t wait for the next adventure.

Engaging Politics from Matthew Kristensen

Learning more about our society’s dependency on fossil fuels and how we can change this model has been very exciting in my work with Fossil Fuel Free Denver. The Fossil Fuel Free Denver mission is to work to end the use of fossil fuels in the city of Denver and offer a better quality of life to its citizens through engaging in and fostering civil conservation with decision makers, and conveying the necessity, the viability, and the attractiveness of ending our use of fossil fuels. I used research methods such as, online research, attending meetings, and participating in public awareness efforts, to learn more about this organization. I anticipated my research would reveal information about the history of the organization, further knowledge of their mission and message, and the different methods and strategies they use in the political arena. The results of my research showed that Fossil Fuel Free Denver is a fairly new organization and a sub-committee of CO-Force, an organization focused on achieving fair utility rates and clean energy for Coloradoans. Fossil Fuel Free Denver connects with citizens by raising awareness for their organization. They achieve this in different ways such as passing out business cards during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Marade, participating in the Eco Justice Ministries climate change rally, and many other public events. Research has also shown that the main way in which Fossil Fuel Free Denver engages in politics is through lobbying. Their organizational meetings focus on sharing the results from conversations with Denver decision makers and targeting new decision makers to talk with and share their mission. For the future I think Fossil Fuel Free Denver should produce some literature that lays out simple ways everyday people can reduce their fossil fuel usage. I believe passing something like that out at events rather than just business cards would be better at raising awareness for this problem and influence people to make those simple changes in their life. Working with Fossil Fuel Free Denver has shown me how powerful lobbying can be at engaging both citizens and policy makers if your cause is just and I hope to continue Fossil Fuel Free Denver’s mission by reducing my use of fossil fuels as much as I can while encouraging others to do the same. 

Jordan Duwa's Abstract on Gun Violence

The issue at hand is gun violence, and the solutions seem to be varied. Unfortunately, there have been 31 mass shootings since Columbine in 1999. In addition to the mass shooting at the theater and Colorado and adding the Sandy Hook massacre, it makes approximately 32 mass shootings. This number is alarming even though nearly 14 years have passed, but there should be no mass shootings at all. In 2012, 70 people were killed in mass shootings and another 72 were injured. It is overwhelming to see these numbers of people killed and hurt by guns and especially mass shootings. Research into each mass shooting case looks into where the gun or guns come from that the shooter has used to commit such a violent act. Many times, the shooter doesn’t own their weapon of choice which makes it more difficult to control who is allowed to purchase or handle a gun. In addition to ownership of weapons, the fact of an identified mental illness will be considered in allowing individuals to own a weapon. In regards to research methods for this engaging politics assignment, it will be done through attending meetings, bill hearings, and other Colorado Ceasefire related events that will help me to broaden my understanding of the entire situation about gun violence and the ways to end it.

With hopes to find out ways the Colorado government intends to end gun violence through their bills and laws, and a strong interest in the bills that will go through the legislature about gun violence and what both sides are saying about the issue. With a desire to attend different types of events and gatherings that deal with gun violence and Colorado Ceasefire, this will assist in the increased knowledge and understanding of gun violence and specifically laws according to Colorado. Understanding different points of view and how different people plan to tend to this problem will be vital in determining the results of this engaging politics project. With this project, an expansion of a knowledge base about the legislature and how it works will be gained, especially around these different types of gun bills. A strong focus will be put on the ways in which Colorado Ceasefire and other organizations go about changing the current laws and adding new laws regarding gun violence. This will be done through attending meetings, bill hearings, and Colorado Ceasefire gatherings. This issue is important to me personally because my father is big into hunting and I will be getting my hunter’s license but the tragedy of mass shootings and shootings in Colorado and the ones involving children, have hit hard to me because I couldn’t imagine losing a family member but also I agree that it’s important to be cautious about who is able to own a weapon. 

An Abstract about the Interfaith Alliance from Mandy Grutzmacher

For my engaging politics assignment I have been following and going to events to learn more about the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado. It is a community of faith organization that promotes justice, diversity, respect and opportunity for all. I became interested in this organization because of their current involvement with the civil unions bill and all of the work they have done to support and promote it in the past.

I am very much in favor of supporting equality for same sex couples and was very interested in getting involved. I plan to attend various breakfasts, lunches and other one on one meetings as a guest of the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, in order to find out more about what is being done to support civil unions. I will also be working with Jeremy Shaver, the executive director, to find out more about the organization. I have learned that Interfaith Alliance does not only support equality for LGBT individuals, but that they are also strong advocates for immigration reform and women’s reproductive rights.

From what I have learned in speaking with Jeremy thus far about Interfaith Alliance, I have found that it is so important to become involved within your state. Our senators hold more power than I think most people realize. We need to get involved in order to make a difference and a change. I know that I will continue to do so because of this experience. 

Abrahamic Initiative at St John’s Episcopal Cathedral: Explore a 200-year old Torah- Claudia Villarreal

Thanks to the Abrahamic Initiative, I had the opportunity to be part of a big moment in history. I was able to see two sister Czech scrolls get together: Torah #600 and #1118. These Torahs (Hebrew Scriptures) have a number because during World War II, some Nazis decided to store them and put a tag to numerate them. This experience was amazing because I saw how Jews are moved when they see a Torah; through their eyes you can see the love and the connection to these sacred ancient scriptures. These scrolls survived war, holocaust, they are what links the Jews back to their ancestors that suffered so much, and also link them to their ancestor’s teachings. The hours of this event have impacted my life. I felt the energy when I touched the wood on the scrolls. Even more, I understood why Jews are so peaceful after so much pain, because these scrolls gave so much peace to the soul and spirit.