Not wanting to let any moss grow, I left Washington DC behind and headed north to Pittsburgh. My mode of transport this time.... the Megabus!! I had done some research and discovered that for the price of a hamburger ($8.50) I could get a bus to Pittsburgh. The journey was 4 hours long, which included two 15-min breaks, and we arrived almost an hour early. The coach was empty, comfortable and had wifi and power points to charge devices.....score 10/10!
My reason for heading to Pittsburgh is simple, I have family there. My cousin, Genevieve moved to the USA abut 6 years ago to pursue her nursing career. She has just graduated with a Masters in Nursing Practice... And is now qualified to do lots!! She works at UPMC-Presbyterian with the artificial heart program. Basically she works with cool technology keeping people alive until they can get a heart transplant :-)
Not only does Gen have a ridiculously cool job.... But she has a lifestyle to match! Gen nicknamed me Nana and I nicknamed her the Owl! Now I had no idea what to expect in Pittsburgh, I had done no research and to be honest....I don't really know my cousin that well. Having lived on opposite sides of the world most of our adult life! I expect Gen was as nervous about my trip as me...well maybe not...she is one tough chick!!
So back to my story... Gen picked me up in town and we drove to her new house that she bought earlier this year. I have attached a photo of the house...it is cute and HUGE!!! Oh... And has lots of leaves...we filled 6 bags of leaves on the Sunday afternoon. But with hours left in the day we grabbed some dinner at a pizza place and headed for tenpin bowling, it was ladies night after all. I met some of Gen's friends, felt incredibly old (as they are all young) and even managed some spares :-)
Friday 9th November
Gen got up incredibly early after our late night and went to work... I stayed in bed and slept! I had a lovely relaxing day at home and geared up for the weekend ahead. Gen has recently taken up ice hockey, and so Friday night was a 'pick up game'. I went along too and had a skate in the public session before the game. I am chuffed to report that I did not fall over, and had a fun time. I took my seat when the big kids came out to play in all their gear, and was sure glad I wasn't on the ice. Gen did great!!
We drove home so Gen could change,but it was only midnight, so off we went to a friends house for a game or two of beer pong. I learnt that beer pong has rules, as the rookie it appears I was breaking them all!
Saturday 10th November
After such a late night, we had a really quiet morning and I have not much to report! We were invited over to a 'grill' (translation: BBQ) at a colleagues place. I am not sure how it all happened... but there was a chest hair length competition, the photo captures the girl who gleefully plucked the chest hair from the willing contestants! One of the fellas grabbed a guitar and entertained us, and we had a deep philosophical discussion on abortion, a big political issue in the USA pre and post election. It was a great night just chilling with locals and learning about American culture.
We popped into a lookout and rode the inclines up and down the hill on our way home. Pittsburgh has a certain charm, as the buildings lie on the banks of two rivers that join in the downtown area. We finally headed home close to midnight, and Gen "the owl" dropped me "Nana" home before heading off to another party... I was ready for my bed :-)
Sunday 11th November
I had used the 9 Marks website to track down a church, and had found one close to Gen's house. I was going to walk, but Gen wasn't convinced that this would be safe, so she dropped me off at Redeemer Church. I received a warm welcome, a John Piper book and took my seat. The pastors wife came up and introduced herself before the service started and I had a great conversation after church with a Nursing Phd student. The sermon was solid, the music spot on and the fellowship textbook! I gave them my details as requested and received this email a few days later.
Dear Ngaira,
I am writing to you to thank you for your visit to Redeemer Community Church on Sunday. I trust that you received a warm welcome from our regular attenders. Sorry that I didn't get the chance to talk with you on Sunday, but my wife, Wendy, said that she did. I hope that we were an encouragement to you in your walk with Christ. As we heard on Sunday, remember to trust fully in the Sovereign God who is in control of all things! Praise Him!
Blessings in Christ,
Todd, Elder
Isn't it great to experience when church is done well! I am so thankful that I hunted down this church, and give it the thumbs up for anyone in Pittsburgh.
Gen picked me up after church, as we had things to do. We had lunch at 'Pamela's' a very popular diner on the Strip. I had decadent pancakes with strawberries...mmmmm yum! I left concerned that I had peaked too early... I am not sure if pancakes will ever taste the same again! We then wandered though the Strip looking for Pittsburgh Steelers Merchandise... as Gen had nabbed tickets for the Monday night game. We rounded the day off with burgers at Burgatory (alcoholic milkshakes and build-your-own burger being their speciality) before seeing Gen don her kit again for more ice hockey.
Monday 12th November
Sleep, recovery, pumpkin pies....then football. Call me weird funny names, but Monday was one of those days that I crave... a domestic day. I took the opportunity for a sleep in, got some washing done and then baked two pumpkin pies. If I haven't already mentioned this...I just love pumpkin pie (and may just find a packet of pumpkin pie spices in my return luggage). When Gen got off work we geared up (thermals and Steelers hoodie on) for the football game. Unfortunately the weather was awful, in single digits and raining, but we are tough and pushed through the pain barrier.
The stadium sits on the banks of the river, so we parked the car and got the ferry over the river. We arrived to a packed stadium and enjoyed watching a well fought game. Now these fans are committed...they have bright yellow towels, called 'Terrible Towels' which they swing around, and didn't appear concerned by the appalling weather, even when it started hailing! Try did a stunt to mark Remembrance Day, with people holding up provided cards during the national anthem. Check out the photos of this! Predictably I was freezing!! My gortex rain jacket does not appear to be waterproof, which put a damper on things. But golly gosh did I appreciate the electric seat warmers in Gen's car on the way home, and a piece of pumpkin pie with a cup of hot tea, when we got home.
Tuesday 13th November
My time was up, so I packed my bags again and went to work with Gen in the morning. We dubbed it 'bring a cousin to work day'. I got to hang out at the hospital before Gen dropped me off to catch the airport bus to fly to Asheville, North Carolina.
So I travelled to Pittsburgh with nervous energy, and left with a full heart. I had met real locals, got ID'd at a bar, watched my first game of NFL and ate the most superb pancakes. But more important than all that, I created memories with my cousin, we shared our lives and connected as adults. I came away impressed by her strength, energy, wit, and generous heart. Gen is only a few years older than me, and has had more heartache in the last 2 years than I could ever imagine, with the death of both her parents. But she has faced these challenges with real guts and heart, and that makes me proud to be her cousin. But that is also the reason I will never go head to head on the ice against her!
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