Hear from Erika, a current JV in Portland, OR:
Things are changing at JVC Northwest in Portland, OR. The front of the JVC Northwest office building is getting a makeover (think lime-green window frames!); our community garden plot is finally ready for planting; and upstairs the Mac House JVs are buzzing with excitement and apprehension at the thought of new opportunities starting in August when our year together will end…we’re trying not to think about that too much.
I’ve decided to do a second year of JVC Northwest and stay on at my placement at Partnership for Safety and Justice. That means I’ll stay in Portland while most of my Mac House family will go on to do new and wonderful things. I know it won’t be easy to stay while they go, or to start sharing my JVC Northwest experiences with a brand-new community – they won’t get my jokes! They won’t put up with my terrible taste in music! They won’t want to use recycled toilet paper!
Change can be scary. There are moments when we all feel as though we’re floundering, unsure of how to plot our next move or relate to those we’re closest to. But my life as a JV has been wonderfully textured by the changes this experience has brought to my life, so I’ll look forward to the upcoming season of change with gratitude, not skepticism, lime-green frames and all.
Erika, know that no matter where each of us ends up, your taste in music will always be terrible and that I will always love it with just as much fervor as you.