Tender Love in the Tenderloin

We left the UO campus at 7am toward San Francisco. In two enormous vans, the nine of us, all sleep deprived shared our excitement, stories of our past week, and a collective impatience for the always delicious In-N-Out Burger.  We were California bound.

Once arrived in Redding, we took the much needed break and treated ourself to the famous fast food destination's animal styles and neopolitan milkshakes. Once we were back on the road, we quickly arrived, or rather merged into the indescribable Saturday night, five o'clock rush hour San Francisco traffic. With our "Sorry we're not sorry" mentality, along with the confidence that came from being 10 times bigger than all the other cars, we successfully arrived downtown and on our way to our hostel.

After navigating a few streets within the city, we were in the Tenderloin; we were exposed to the realities of the district for the first time, something that you can only see with your own eyes, in person, to fully understand and feel. The helpless blank stares, the mother trying her best to comfort her cold baby in her arms, and the sidewalks turned into a bed for the night (or for as long as possible) were enough to make anyone uncomfortable, even guilty. This is why we are here: to do whatever we can to bring light to these people's day. We are showing tender love in the Tenderloin.

We soon arrived at the hostel and were very surprised by how wonderful and inviting it was. I personally excited to see, that there are places like this that support and promote inexpensive travel and wanderlust!

There are a majority of people here from other countries studying english at a local language school. During our stay, we hope to have the opportunity to interact with them during meals and activities provided by the hostel.

After some exploring, meeting fellow guests, making pizza in the communal kitchen, we got ready for bed in anticipation for the morning at Grace Cathedral.