Last night I was talking with my new roommate, Heather, about the DC Metro. Heather mentioned that not long ago someone was arrested for eating in the station. (Apparently eating/drinking in the Metro system is illegal.) I found an article on the situation in the Washington Post. Check it out: Mouthful Gets Metro Passenger Handcuffs and Jail - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22456-2004Jul28.html.
Today I decided to do a trial run on the Metro so I would be prepared to take it on Monday. Starbucks coffee in hand, I drove to the Vienna Metro Center (and didn't get lost!), parked in an appropriate spot (Not a handicap spot, Shell, you should be proud...), used the SmarTrip card my wonderful home group gave me, and finally sat down in the correct metro rail car (whew!). Then it occurred to me: I still had my Starbucks coffee in hand. Uh oh. No trash in sight. The risk of being thrown off the car, banned from forever using this key source of transportation, or arrested was imminent. I tried putting my coffee in my bag; that didn't work very well. Finally decided to sandwich the cup between my legs and cover it with my bag; this option proved to be a bit more secure. I proceeded to toss the cup of the coffee as soon as I got off at my next stop.
In addition to narrowly escaping arrest today, I learned a few things:
1) Escalator etiquette
If you plan to stand still and simply ride the escalator, stand to the right; if you plan to walk the escalator, go to the left. (Yes, folks, I've been living in NH for far too long...)
2) It's cool to walk from the Metro station to Trinity University (where the Africa Faith and Justice Network office is located) during the day, but not safe to do so at night (per Adam, the Trinity shuttle driver from Ethiopia).
3) BEFORE getting on the Metro rail, be SURE to double check what line you are boarding. (I took a lengthy detour on the blue line as I was coming home today b/c I thought I had boarded the orange line. Oops.)
4) There are a ton of mega churches in this area (Yippee! Ya'll know how much I LOVE mega churches...) After doing some online reconnaissance work, I think I'm going to check out two churches this Sunday: The Common Table (http://www.marshillchurch.com/come.php) and Bridgeway242 (http://www.bridgeway242.org/aboutus/index.html). Of course, nothing can take the place of Grace Community Church in Rochester, NH. :)
On another note, I think I’m going to do some informal research on the major points of deviation between Catholicism and Protestantism. A couple of key differences come to mind (granted, these are generalizations):
1) Grace-based vs. works-based mentality
2) Significant emphasis on Mary and worship of saints in Catholicism
What else? Any thoughts?
To my Catholic friends and family: I don’t mean to address this in a derogatory way, I’m just curious and coming at this from a Protestant perspective. I welcome other thoughts/perspectives as I explore this topic.
2 comments:
Hey Jen -
I'm loving your blog :-) And to dive right into things, some thoughts on Catholic/Protestant differences (because Catholicism and Orthodoxy differ from Protestantism in similar ways)
- Sola Scriptura vs. reliance on Church Tradition (big T)
- The inclusion of the apocryphal books in the Catholic (and Orthodox) Bibles
- The doctrine of 'Immaculate Conception' (which helps to explain the emphasis on Mary)
- Transubstantian vs. a symbolic approach towards communion
- The role of the pope and hierarchy within the church (i.e. priests vs. pastors)
- Salvation can be lost vs. salvation is assured (once saved, always saved)
I look forward to hearing your thoughts...
Great additions, Em. Thanks! Can you expound on the emphasis on worship of saints in Orthodox v. Catholic traditions? I'm curious about that... I appreciate your perspective.
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